January 16, 2007
LiveLink.org. A video sharing site that shows true face of war
The The Gulf Times has an interesting article on video sharing site LiveLink, which describes itself as "redefining the media". But what is most surprising about this website, is that it is the website of choice of American soldiers who are posting videos from Afghanistan and Iraq. Their reporting first hand is affecting our knowledge about the war and just underscores once more, how the US army has become powerless to sensor information.
"Members of the public, including troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, post video clips onto the website for viewers to watch and comment on. It is among the websites that showed the execution of Saddam Hussain. Another 27-second clip — accompanied by a graphic content warning – also appeared on the website to show Saddamís body in a morgue.
Other recent ‘leaks’ include a clip that appears to show US soldiers searching for insurgents on the Euphrates river in Iraq.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair last week contrasted "restricted access" media coverage of the first Gulf War to the website , during his speech on the role of the UK’s armed forces in the 21st Century.
He said: "Take a website like Live Leak which has become popular with soldiers from both sides of the divide in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Operational documentary material, from their mobile phones or laptops, is posted on the site.
"These sometimes gruesome images are the unmediated reality of war. They provide a new source of evidence for journalists and commentators, by-passing the official accounts and records."
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