It’s a sign of the times that cameraphone footage of Saddam Hussein’s execution - including the aftermath as he hangs from the noose - has made its way to video sharing sites. While mainstream media avoided showing the whole clip, there’s really no way to suppress user-generated videos on the web - the second they hit video sharing sites, they’re saved to thousands of computers, meaning that they’ll still be around even if these sites decide the clips are too gory for public consumption. But it’s also indicative of YouTube’s weaknesses when 90% of the supposed “Saddam” videos are fake, using a still shot of Saddam halfway through the clip to attract attention to completely unrelated causes. We’ve commented on this same issue when it comes to YouTube’s pseudo-pornographic clips.
For those who are looking for that sought-after link, you can currently view the grainy cellphone footage of the entire event on Google Video (warning: grim footage). YouTube, meanwhile, has the news footage, which cuts out before the trapdoor opens, here and here. Revver also carries the unedited cameraphone clip at the time of writing (once again, be warned that this footage is not family friendly).
We won’t pass judgement on those that want to see the clip, but what’s becoming abundantly clear is that information can no longer be suppressed - with cameraphones, video-sharing sites and thousands of independent bloggers, not to mention the social filters and rating systems that help us find the most interesting content, this media will always become available online. YouTube, Google Video and Revver are surely having talks today about whether certain clips should be removed from the sites, but that makes no difference now they’re out in the wild.
