Gaddafi's end: how cell phones became weapons of choice
31.12.69
BOSTON — It was nearly simultaneous: the news of Gaddafi’s killing and the proof.
How could you doubt the infamous Libyan leader had fallen when, whether you liked it or not, a peek at your laptop meant you were staring at a graphic cell-phone video of his bloodied face?
The answer is you couldn't. It was right there, in your face and in the flesh. Libyans with their cell phones were all over it.
Even after the fact. (Check out this latest one of the late dictator stashed in a shopping center freezer.)
Now, citizen journalism is hardly a new concept — some even date it back to the '80s — and it's hardly a groundbreaking use of mobile-phone technology.
Libya: Decoding cell phone footage of Gaddafi's death (GRAPHIC)
But the bevy of videos available on Gaddafi, and the speed with which they began circulating the web Thursday marks a significant shift.
Media experts are hesitant to call it a game-changer where the news is concerned. But many point out that cell phone videos add bulk and immediacy to the pile of information avaliable to journalists, thus raising the stakes of their reporting.
Source: GlobalPost