Turning Points with Gadhafi 

by Matthew Sousa

Gadhafi’s death is a turning point because it took the world only hours to find out he had been killed compared to Hitler where it took seven days. 

His death created a huge media frenzy across the globe and technology allowed people to witness his death first hand. It was a clear demonstration of how cell phones became weapons of choice.  Cell phone videos add to a stream of information and make it harder to hide the truth.

When Gadhafi was killed by rebel forces in his hometown of Sirte, details of the hours and minutes that led up to his death began to surface.

Gadhafi's grisly final moments were captured on a grainy cell phone video that showed the former Libyan leader surrounded by a frenzied mob of rebels. Men are seen grabbing at him, propping him up, and pummelling him while he can be seen dazed, attempting speech and bleeding profusely.
Cell phones were used to capture footage of Gadhafi's last moments being dragged around by angry rebels, which quickly circulated around the world making this a turning point in broadcast journalism.  With advancing technology, citizen journalism is becoming increasingly important as simple bystanders can scoop a story that the press isn't there to witness.  In the hours following Gadhafi's death, major news networks like the BBC broadcast these graphic, grusome videos. In turn, this led many to question just how far the media will go for a story.  Did they go too far?  Were these images too gory to be broadcast on the 6 o'clock news?  Many thought so.

Modern technology has made it quick and efficient to spread news unlike the days of World War II. 

In a video that surfaced Gadhafi is heard repeatedly saying the phrase "Haram Aleiko," which is an Arabic expression that literally translated means "This is a sin for you." The phrase is generally used as a plea to convey the vulnerability of the victim.
His regime and death were turning points not only because modern technology made it faster and easier to access information, but we can see an insurgence of citizen reporting, which explains the grainy cell phone video cataloguing Gadhafi's death. They are reminiscent of a new kind of journalism.
The fatal shot that killed Gadhafi was reportedly fired by a young man donning a baseball cap with a Yankees logo. Afterwards he was photographed brandishing Gadhafi's vanquished golden gun. 

As news of the taking of Sirte and the death of Gadhafi spread across the globe, varying facts were reported by a number of sources. Reports indicated that he had been taken alive and was wounded in both legs, while others said that he was killed.

U.S. officials used reliable sources on the ground from many different sources to confirm the facts. The same facial recognition technology used to identify Osama bin Laden was used to confirm that the death photos in fact were of Gadhafi , the self-styled "King of Kings." 


 

Gadhafi’s Last Moments Caught on Video

An extremely graphic video that appears to show the capture of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, wounded but alive surfaced after he was killed. This technology was never been made available to the public during the days of Hitler’s dictatorship.

This picture indicates Gadhafi was still alive when he was captured hiding in a storm drain outside his hometown of Sirte where he had blood streaming down the side of his face. Rebels have reported that Gadhafi died of his wounds, but this video should raise questions about his actual cause of death.

 

Fun Fact: Gadhafi's Media Frenzy

Wherever Gadhafi went the media followed. In 2009, Gaddafi gave a speech at the UN General Assembly.  His speech was supposed to last for 15 minutes but it went on for one hour and a half.  During his speech, he accused the Security Council of being a terrorist organization comparable to al-Qaeda.  Then he demanded $7.7 trillion in compensation be paid to Africa from its past colonial rulers. After his absurd gestures and demands, his audience wasn’t very impressed.