Me, Her, the Boy and a Dog
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The disturbing video showing the agonizing shooting death of 19-year-old Iranian student Neda Soltani has been viewed more than a million times on YouTube alone. At first, I was surprised that YouTube did not remove the video, but upon second thought, I realized it would probably be considered censorship. YouTube would likely have been criticized for trying to cover up the terrible events happening in Iran.
I was listening to Steve Czaban this morning on FoxSportsRadio.com and he mentioned having watched the video. His response was that he wished he could “unwatch” it because it’s something that he will never forget and will probably haunt him for some time.
I struggled with whether or not to watch the video. On the one hand I didn’t want to watch it because I knew it would be difficult and probably an image I would never get out of my head. In 2002 journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and brutally murdered by terrorists in Pakistan. The video of his murder showed up on the internet and out of morbid curiosity I decided to watch it. I was a journalist at the time and felt compelled. To this day, I cannot get the horrific images out of my head.
The Neda Soltani video is much different. It was shot by a bystander in the streets, blocks from the actual protests. A basij shot and killed Neda in the streets where she bled to death for the whole world to see. Unlike the Pearl video, there was no morbid curiousity, only sadness. This woman and at least 16 others were killed because they disagreed with their government. It sounds cliche, but I felt I needed to watch what happened so that in some small way her death would not be in vain.
Since her unwilling sacrifice, Neda has become the face of what appears to be the beginnings of another revolution in Iran. The video caused outrage across the world and as tough as the hard-liners in Iran are trying to come across, we live in much different times - their brutality can no longer be contained by shutting down satellites, telephone lines and expelling foreign journalists. They must now contend with the seeminglingly unstoppable power of the Internet.
The original title of this post was “Moral Dilemmas Facing Citizen Journalist,” but as is the case with many posts I write, the focus changed once I started writing. Years ago when I was a videojournalist for an NBC affiliate, I witnessed a law enforcement officer hit by a car going 55 mph. The officer was in bad shape and as a journalist, I should have picked up my camera and recorded the aftermath, but instead, I set my camera down and ran to his aid.
I do not regret my decision one bit, but it did signal to me that I would never be a hard-hitting news journalist. Then again, that was never one of my career aspirations. The 40+ seconds of Neda’s death recorded on a cell phone will resonate for decades and while it is painful to watch for people who weren’t there, imagine how painful it was for the man who recorded it.
Do you think he considered not recording it? Or did he realize the enormity of the situation and the global impact the video would have? Whatever made him hit record during such a heartbreaking moment - his decision to do so put a face with the struggles of his people in Iran.
At one point in the video it looks like Neda is staring at the camera. As a former videojournalist who has had to cover very difficult news events that capture people in painful moments, this really hit me. This guy was recording the last seconds of this woman’s life as she lay bleeding to death and she’s looking right at the camera. That image would haunt me if I were the camera operator.
I am glad there are journalist in this world who have the strength and conviction to cover these types of events - be they professional or citizen journalists. Their determination and sacrifices help ensure that oppressive governments and attrocities are broght to the global spotlight.
Have you watched the video? What are your thoughts and feelings? If you haven’t watched it, why not? Would you have recorded it had you been there? Why or why not?
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart calls out Fox (Faux) News … again … for its shoddy reporting and so-called “fair and balanced” coverage, which as we all know is a completel farce. How anyone takes them seriously is beyond me. And it’s not the first time Fox News has fudged the numbers so that it supports their case.
Here’s the ironic part: Fox falsified the poll results of a poll that asked people if they felt scientists falsified their research to support their beliefs.
C’mon Yahoo. Really? This headline is irresponsible journalism. It’s not just misleading, it’s completely false. The 49ers aren’t leaving San Francisco, they’re getting a new stadium that will still be in San Francisco.
Mattel introduces new Journalism Barbie
blerg.
Now with side bangs!
This is pretty much the opposite of what we wear to work. But then, this is “news anchor” Barbie, not “magazine writer who treats every day like casual Friday” Barbie.
I don’t know…we impose a pretty strict “side bangs and shiny bustier” dress code here at Nwk Tumblr HQ.
Clearly inspired by the Erin Andrews School of Journalism.
Much respect to the journalists from all over the world, who risk their lives to report on events such as the revolution going on in Egypt.
We’ve compiled a list of all the journalist who have been in some way threatened, attacked or detained while reporting in Egypt. When you put it all into one list, it is a rather large number in such a short period of time.
Important.
(via briancolligan)
A spokeswoman tells the Washington Post that it was “a straightforward editorial decision” (LOL!!!), but surely Brian Williams thinks this story would fall under his “Fleecing Of America” series, right? Right?
New cover story will land on your iPad momentarily…
Please excuse me while I ponder the meaning of journalistic integrity.
I was not aware that Matt Drudge was involved with The Daily, but the evidence is pretty clear now.
It’s funny, but at the same time, as a journalist, I find this in poor taste and a fireable offense. Grow up, people. You don’t work for the New York Post.
No, My9, news shouldn’t move fast. It should take as much time as necessary to inform me about the important news of the day without condensing it into talking points, glossy us vs. them packages, or headlines that miss the point. It also shouldn’t move fast for the sake of squeezing in stories about how chewing gum is bad for me (or not) which celebrity broke up with another, or what silent killer might be lurking under my porch.
Unfortunately, in New York, no such local newscast exists, so I don’t watch local news at all. Saying your newscast moves faster is the equivalent of saying, “stories as deep as the anchors delivering them.”
ohhleary, their news has to move fast because it’s being broadcast from Secaucus, New Jersey. If it moves slow we won’t see it at the same time we’re seeing the 10 pm newscasts on sister station WNYW and WPIX, both of which broadcast from New York.
It’s like broadcast journalism physics or something.
No one has asked the real question… if WNYW’s newscast begins at 10 p.m. in New York traveling at 55 mph, and My9 begins at the same time, but in New Jersey traveling faster at 60 mph, which one gets to the kicker story faster?
If you’ve ever worked in a television news room, you’ll appreciate this photo. I admit that there were certain stories that got my adrenaline going, but “storm team” and “traffic team” coverage just didn’t do it for me. Don’t miss this “journalism” nonsense one bit.
(Photo from Danny Sullivan’s Google+ page)
