Attempts to Control Controversial Photos Are Futile

Steve Outing has a very interesting commentary on the leaked photos by The Sun, of Saddam Hussein in his underwear and the military's outrage at their publication.

"What's laughable is not the former dictator's skivvies, but military leaders' naivety about the media world we now live in. They don't have to like it, of course, but in a world of small digital cameras, photo cell phones, e-mail, "citizen journalists," and several million blogs, for any organization to think that they can control photos like this is absurd.

[...] even if Sun editors had been more discreet and decided not to run Saddam in his underwear on their front page, you can be assured that the images would have turned up on some blog, then spread around the Internet in a flash.

[...] there's little anyone could have done once someone with a digital camera or photo phone got access to Saddam's private prison space. We do not live in the same world as we did even a decade ago.

Picture from the BBC

emily | 4:10 PM | Citizens as Camera Phone Reporters |
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