LA Times

March 14 2005

A new form of media, which is intended to be "entertaining", is emerging from the war in Iraq. United States soldiers are increasingly using handheld video and camera technology to "create their own cinema verite of the conflict. Although many are humorous or patriotic, others are gory..." The soldiers are then taking these images back to the USA to share with each other, and with family and friends.

As author Louise Roug explains, "Today, video cameras are lightweight and digital technology has cut out the need for processing. Having captured a firefight on video, a soldier can create a movie and distribute it via e-mail, uncensored by the military. With editing software such as Avid and access to Internet connections on military bases here [in Baghdad], U.S. soldiers are creating fast-paced, MTV-style music videos using images from actual firefights and killings." Further, some of the footage that is collected officially, by the military, for the purposes of training and public affairs is finding its way onto the Internet, where it can be accessed by anyone; in addition, several websites sell footage from the war.

This trend is also evident in the medium of photography, based in part on the ease of smaller, lighter digital cameras. Apparently, though the military told some Marines to not take pictures of detainees or dead or wounded Iraqis or Americans, photographs "of dead and maimed Iraqis proliferate", which soldiers "collect and trade like baseball cards".

Roug quotes Daniel Nelson, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, who explains that "Part of the healing process is for them to create a narrative, to organize an emotional story that allows them to get a handle on" their trauma, their story. James Ross, senior legal advisor for Human Rights Watch, called this trend "disturbing", while adding, "It doesn't mean that it's necessarily a violation of the Geneva Convention." One soldier quoted here lends his own perspective: "The videos are no different than what's on screen at the cinema, showing glorified violence."

Posting to the MediaMentor listserv on March 15 2005 (click here to access the archives).