An anonymous undercover reporter for Al Jazeera has captured the Syrian uprising in a first-of-its-kind-documentary — recorded on an iPhone.
The 25 minute documentary, "Syria: Songs of Defiance," aired on Al Jazeera's show People & Power earlier this month. Al Jazeera has not released the reporter's name for safety reasons. (Check out the video at the end of this post.)
The anonymous reporter states the reason he used his iPhone at the beginning of the documentary. "Because taking a camera would be risky, I brought my cell phone with me as I moved around the country," he says.
Syrian activists have been uploading YouTube videos of protests and sending out phone calls to media outlets for more than a year now, understanding what exactly has been happening in the country from citizen journalism alone has proved difficult.
Though the Syrian government recently adopted a U.N.-backed ceasefire plan, the violence continues. According to Al-Jazeera "there was no sign of any risk-free demonstrations" as of Friday.
That's why the reporter's use of his iPhone is a huge feat — though an incredibly dangerous one. Had he been caught, he might have faced brutal retaliation. The Syrian government banned iPhone usage last December.
Here are four reasons why it was essential for the reporter to go undercover and use a mobile device.
1. Language. Many of the videos that activists have uploaded don't have narration. In this undercover report, the context that the reporter provides — in English — makes it accessible to audiences worldwide. Subtitles are used for footage documented in Arabic, whether they be interviews with civilians or translations of the songs that protestors sing.
2. Audience awareness. At the beginning of the documentary, audiences can see several unidentifiable objects. They are very familiar to Syrian protestors, but most people who will watch this documentary will probably have never seen them before. Right away, the reporter asks the essential question: "What am I looking at?"
It turns out those objects are "thumb bombs." They can't hurt anyone, according to the activist showing them to the reporter, but protesters use them as alerts, to test security and warn those who haven't entered the revolution yet.
3. Perspective. Syrians have been experiencing the protests for more than a year, so explanations of the significance of these demonstrations hardly ever emerge in their footage. However, with the reporter well-aware of his audience — and being an outsider himself — he can offer a Tocqueville-like perspective. Take this example:
I was walking through Homs and sniper fire started, and I was the only one in the crowd that actually flinched. And a father with his kids was standing by the door and they were sort of laughing at me and pointing, saying 'why don't you fall on the floor while you are at it?'
It's amazing how Syrians, who never heard gunfire because they lived in a very peaceful country, have gotten used so quickly to living in a state of war, how to respond to it. They've very quickly become a mobilized revolutionary society, whereas before they had no experience of doing this.
As New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof recently pointed out in an interview regarding KONY 2012, "One thing we know intellectually is that it helps to have a bridge character, that Americans don't just want to focus on somebody abroad."
4. Form. In the same way that the videos Syrians upload offer a raw, visceral look at the situation, the imagery from the reporter's iPhone — not always of the best quality, prone to shaking — gives a perspective that large, professional cameras don't always capture.
Given the circumstances the reporter is covering as well, a polished, glossy video simply would not make sense. In fact, it might take away from the understanding the documentary is trying to convey.
However, one thing that distinguishes this iPhone documentary from other mobile-captured footage on Syria is editing. The inclusion of music, cutting from one shot to another and positioning clips of interviews side-by-side before zooming in on one specific shot — these editing details provide a more stylized look at the entire situation, which is not something one finds in most Syrian YouTube coverage.
Because the majority of Al Jazeera's footage itself is from the iPhone, the rawness of the actual situation in Syria — and what that means — doesn't seem to be compromised.
Of course, this stylized editing is a resource that media outlets have, and a luxury for most people documenting the situation on the ground. But, it speaks volumes of the capacity that journalists have to make the situation in Syria come alive for the rest of the world — which, arguably, has been a battle in itself for the past year.
What do you think of this iPhone documentary? Will mobile devices become the default eyes and ears for reporters? Let us know in the comments.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Syrian revolution rallies in Damascus on 15th March 2011
This clip shows moments from the Syrian protests in the town of Dar'aa (Dar3aa) on 18th March 2011.
This is a New Video Clip that just came out from the brutal ruthless invasion of the City of Ar Rastan in Homs last month that was filmed on or about 9-27-11 when the Loyalist Fascist forces of longtime Dictator Bashar Assad attacked and destroyed much of that City.
Ar Rastan was the first real battle of the Syria Civil War that is slowly picking up steam all across the nation.
-------------
9-27-11 phone call from Rastan:
We've received this testimony on phone call from Rastan to the LCC media center
Communications returned for a few minutes to the town so he hurried to tell the news, facts and crimes that he witnessed the regime carry out in his little town over the last week. Crimes which he and his family witnessed, and told about to the Local Coordinating Committees by the words he managed to find.
The Syrian army shelling of the town did not spare any street or school. They even helped the shabiha to exhume bodies of martyrs from their graves and stole many of them. One of the bodies that they exhumed and kidnapped is that of martyr Ahmad Khalaf. They also arrested his father.
More than 60 people were killed, among whom are 3 women. I do not know the exact number of children who were killed, but I can confidently say that the rumour about killing 20 children is not true.
More than 3000 people were detained; most of them were imprisoned in the cement factory which was turned into one of the largest prisons, in addition to schools. I could not estimate the number of prisoners who were tortured but there are many of them. I know that they beat the detainees in an unprecedented brutal way using mainly the soles of their rifles. They aimed at the wounds of wounded detainees in their beating and torturing which eventually led to the death of many of them.
They detained Yahya Qasim Al-Ashtar after he was wounded by 2 shrapnels in his back from the nail bombs used to bombard the town. They also detained Munawwar Hussain Al-Ashtar (15 year-old) despite the injury in his head, and Hareb Hussain Al-Ashtar (25 year-old) and their uncle Musleh Qasim Al-Ashtar. Most of the injuries were in the head and abdomen. There was more than 25 wounded in Al-Ashtar family only, let alone the other families.
Rastan is now living under extremely difficult human circumstances, and there is much need for all kinds of aid, as the town has been without bread or babies' milk for more than 5 days; water and communications is also still cut off.
In addition to the siege of the town, shabiha and security forces broke into the pharmacies and the military institution, and raided all the commercial offices in Karaj street in the town center.
They stormed the field hospital and stole all the devices from one of the houses that we tuned into a small hospital in which we put some of the wounded for treatment, before they burnt it down with the wounded still alive inside it. This happened in front of my eyes.
The number of defected soldiers who defended the town was more than 250 soldier, reinforced by a number of soldiers who came from other areas to join in. They managed to hold at bay the brutal attack of the army on the town. Huge military reinforcements arrived later, one of these reinforcements was a military battalion the members of which were wearing wearing masks to hide their faces! They were very ruthless and professionals. They were different from the army. They killed people violently and brutally, in a different way to the army and indiscriminately. They used women and children as human shields to protect themselves from the fire of the defected soldiers. This way they could advance into the town and the Free Army had to withdraw back.
Many army members including soldiers and officers were executed after they refused to shoot at civilians or tried to defect. The army used hundreds of tanks and rocket launchers in its war to invade the town. I saw the tanks and rocket lanchers with my own eyes, they were positioned at the eastern part of Rastan. Even military fighters were used in this battle.
?????? ?????? ??? , ??????? ??????? ????? ?????? ???????
?? ??? ????? ????? ???...?? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ?? ??? ????.......
??? ?? ????? ???? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ???? ???????
???? ????? ?????? ???? 3 6 2011 ????? ?????? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ???
Free Syria Army puts one of Dictator Assad's captured Tanks to good use as it pounds an Assad army troop emplacement in Homs on February 1, 2012 The biggest threat to the 42 year Assad Family Baathist Mafia-like Police State of Syria is not NATO or the ARAB LEAGUE but its own oppressed Sunni people and oppressed Sunni Soldiers, who comprise 80% of the nation's population. The Syria Army is controlled at the top by the minority Alawite ruling class sect and Assad is right now presently "liquidating" the entire Sunni military officer corps, bringing in and killing off all of his Sunni Generals and high ranking officers as a preventative measure as he fears they may all sooner or later defect and join the Free Syria Army.
The Sunni soldiers who are mostly conscripts and lower ranking soldiers intuitively know and understand that they are mere Cannon fodder for their ruling baath party alawite sect Assad Regime masters and are defecting in ever increasing numbers and turning their guns around on the regime. The Dictator's fall is inevitable and it is only a matter of time before the entire Assad family gets "the Gadaffi treatment" and our nation is liberated. (this neighborhood is labelled as Bistan Aldiwan, which translates as an orchard in English).
2 ???-????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ???????
Martyrs on the Freedom Path
Posted by abeer on February 1st, 2012
For months, peaceful Syrians have been facing 1 of the most violent regimes in the area. Till present International and Arab community are unable to take any decision that contributes to stop the cycle of violence in Syria. According to the statistics of Local Coordination Committees the number of martyrs has reached 7100 including 461 children (88 females and 373 males) 185 women, 73 students, 336 died under torture in the basements of secret police and Syrian jails. Homs had the first place in the numbers of martyrs, it gave 2454 martyrs as a price for the basic rights which is freedom. Hama, which is paying the bill of its dignity since 1982 incidents, comes in the second place and it sacrificed 1015 martyrs, then Idlib where 883 martyrs fell. It's essential to mention that the real numbers are much more than this but we are unable to give accurate numbers due to the obstacles made by the regime such as difficulty of moving, bad communications, and preventing Media from knowing the situation and picture it in a professional and transparent way
Syria Today 1-2-2012
Posted by abeer on February 1st, 2012
Local Coordination Committees
The number of martyrs today has risen to 56 so far including 14 martyrs from the Free Syrian Army, a lady and 2 children. 29 martyrs in Wady Barada (Damascus suburbs), 14 in Homs, 6 in Eastern Gharba (Daraa suburbs), 3 in Damascus suburbs (Arbeen and Moadamiya), 3 in idlib and one in Qamishly
BoKamal
A huge number of security forces and thugs (Shabeha) near the Military Security party in the city
Damascus Suburbs
Erbeen
Security forces raided al-Raja Hospital and detained dozens of wounded and confiscated mobile devices while destroying security cameras.
Wady Barda
The number of martyrs of the Free Syrian Army has risen to 14 in Ain Fijeh
Rankous
Security forces raided the city for the second time amid random gunfire aimed at the houses. There is a mass exodus in the town , around 150 families have been displaced and many others wounded.
Homs: Rastan: Regime forces are shelling the city with heavy artillery
Homs: Rastan: Young Salah Mahmoud Abbas was martyred
Homs: Rastan: A woman and her five children were injured from shelling at their house
Damascus Suburbs: Moadhamieh: Martyrdom of the young man Naser Sagheer during a raid to his home. Gunfire using live ammo directly at him under his mother's eyes. His father has been detained for seven months
Damascus Suburbs: Moadhamieh: Martyrdom of the defected recruit Mahmoud Saeed Rajab who was killed by the security forces
Idleb: Two unidentified bodies without IDs have been found, hands cuffed behind the backs, one of them blindfolded, both showing signs of torture and shot in the head. They were found near the Joubas exit on the Aleppo-Damascus highway
Amateur video purportedly shot on Wednesday in the Syrian city of Homs showed tanks in the street, and what appeared to be shelling in residential areas of the city. (Nov. 2)
Amateur video emerged on Tuesday, said to have been filmed a day earlier, purporting to show people evacuating a building allegedly being shelled by Syrian government troops as they continued their assault on the restive city of Homs. (Feb. 7)
This is a New Video Clip that just came out from the brutal ruthless invasion of the City of Ar Rastan in Homs last month that was filmed on or about 9-27-11 when the Loyalist Fascist forces of longtime Dictator Bashar Assad attacked and destroyed much of that City.
Ar Rastan was the first real battle of the Syria Civil War that is slowly picking up steam all across the nation.
-------------
9-27-11 phone call from Rastan:
We've received this testimony on phone call from Rastan to the LCC media center
Communications returned for a few minutes to the town so he hurried to tell the news, facts and crimes that he witnessed the regime carry out in his little town over the last week. Crimes which he and his family witnessed, and told about to the Local Coordinating Committees by the words he managed to find.
The Syrian army shelling of the town did not spare any street or school. They even helped the shabiha to exhume bodies of martyrs from their graves and stole many of them. One of the bodies that they exhumed and kidnapped is that of martyr Ahmad Khalaf. They also arrested his father.
More than 60 people were killed, among whom are 3 women. I do not know the exact number of children who were killed, but I can confidently say that the rumour about killing 20 children is not true.
More than 3000 people were detained; most of them were imprisoned in the cement factory which was turned into one of the largest prisons, in addition to schools. I could not estimate the number of prisoners who were tortured but there are many of them. I know that they beat the detainees in an unprecedented brutal way using mainly the soles of their rifles. They aimed at the wounds of wounded detainees in their beating and torturing which eventually led to the death of many of them.
They detained Yahya Qasim Al-Ashtar after he was wounded by 2 shrapnels in his back from the nail bombs used to bombard the town. They also detained Munawwar Hussain Al-Ashtar (15 year-old) despite the injury in his head, and Hareb Hussain Al-Ashtar (25 year-old) and their uncle Musleh Qasim Al-Ashtar. Most of the injuries were in the head and abdomen. There was more than 25 wounded in Al-Ashtar family only, let alone the other families.
Rastan is now living under extremely difficult human circumstances, and there is much need for all kinds of aid, as the town has been without bread or babies' milk for more than 5 days; water and communications is also still cut off.
In addition to the siege of the town, shabiha and security forces broke into the pharmacies and the military institution, and raided all the commercial offices in Karaj street in the town center.
They stormed the field hospital and stole all the devices from one of the houses that we tuned into a small hospital in which we put some of the wounded for treatment, before they burnt it down with the wounded still alive inside it. This happened in front of my eyes.
The number of defected soldiers who defended the town was more than 250 soldier, reinforced by a number of soldiers who came from other areas to join in. They managed to hold at bay the brutal attack of the army on the town. Huge military reinforcements arrived later, one of these reinforcements was a military battalion the members of which were wearing wearing masks to hide their faces! They were very ruthless and professionals. They were different from the army. They killed people violently and brutally, in a different way to the army and indiscriminately. They used women and children as human shields to protect themselves from the fire of the defected soldiers. This way they could advance into the town and the Free Army had to withdraw back.
Many army members including soldiers and officers were executed after they refused to shoot at civilians or tried to defect. The army used hundreds of tanks and rocket launchers in its war to invade the town. I saw the tanks and rocket lanchers with my own eyes, they were positioned at the eastern part of Rastan. Even military fighters were used in this battle.
?????? ?????? ??? , ??????? ??????? ????? ?????? ???????
Free Syria Army puts one of Dictator Assad's captured Tanks to good use as it pounds an Assad army troop emplacement in Homs on February 1, 2012 The biggest threat to the 42 year Assad Family Baathist Mafia-like Police State of Syria is not NATO or the ARAB LEAGUE but its own oppressed Sunni people and oppressed Sunni Soldiers, who comprise 80% of the nation's population. The Syria Army is controlled at the top by the minority Alawite ruling class sect and Assad is right now presently "liquidating" the entire Sunni military officer corps, bringing in and killing off all of his Sunni Generals and high ranking officers as a preventative measure as he fears they may all sooner or later defect and join the Free Syria Army.
The Sunni soldiers who are mostly conscripts and lower ranking soldiers intuitively know and understand that they are mere Cannon fodder for their ruling baath party alawite sect Assad Regime masters and are defecting in ever increasing numbers and turning their guns around on the regime. The Dictator's fall is inevitable and it is only a matter of time before the entire Assad family gets "the Gadaffi treatment" and our nation is liberated. (this neighborhood is labelled as Bistan Aldiwan, which translates as an orchard in English).
2 ???-????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ???????
Martyrs on the Freedom Path
Posted by abeer on February 1st, 2012
For months, peaceful Syrians have been facing 1 of the most violent regimes in the area. Till present International and Arab community are unable to take any decision that contributes to stop the cycle of violence in Syria. According to the statistics of Local Coordination Committees the number of martyrs has reached 7100 including 461 children (88 females and 373 males) 185 women, 73 students, 336 died under torture in the basements of secret police and Syrian jails. Homs had the first place in the numbers of martyrs, it gave 2454 martyrs as a price for the basic rights which is freedom. Hama, which is paying the bill of its dignity since 1982 incidents, comes in the second place and it sacrificed 1015 martyrs, then Idlib where 883 martyrs fell. It's essential to mention that the real numbers are much more than this but we are unable to give accurate numbers due to the obstacles made by the regime such as difficulty of moving, bad communications, and preventing Media from knowing the situation and picture it in a professional and transparent way
Syria Today 1-2-2012
Posted by abeer on February 1st, 2012
Local Coordination Committees
The number of martyrs today has risen to 56 so far including 14 martyrs from the Free Syrian Army, a lady and 2 children. 29 martyrs in Wady Barada (Damascus suburbs), 14 in Homs, 6 in Eastern Gharba (Daraa suburbs), 3 in Damascus suburbs (Arbeen and Moadamiya), 3 in idlib and one in Qamishly
BoKamal
A huge number of security forces and thugs (Shabeha) near the Military Security party in the city
Damascus Suburbs
Erbeen
Security forces raided al-Raja Hospital and detained dozens of wounded and confiscated mobile devices while destroying security cameras.
Wady Barda
The number of martyrs of the Free Syrian Army has risen to 14 in Ain Fijeh
Rankous
Security forces raided the city for the second time amid random gunfire aimed at the houses. There is a mass exodus in the town , around 150 families have been displaced and many others wounded.
Homs: Rastan: Regime forces are shelling the city with heavy artillery
Homs: Rastan: Young Salah Mahmoud Abbas was martyred
Homs: Rastan: A woman and her five children were injured from shelling at their house
Damascus Suburbs: Moadhamieh: Martyrdom of the young man Naser Sagheer during a raid to his home. Gunfire using live ammo directly at him under his mother's eyes. His father has been detained for seven months
Damascus Suburbs: Moadhamieh: Martyrdom of the defected recruit Mahmoud Saeed Rajab who was killed by the security forces
Idleb: Two unidentified bodies without IDs have been found, hands cuffed behind the backs, one of them blindfolded, both showing signs of torture and shot in the head. They were found near the Joubas exit on the Aleppo-Damascus highway
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, visual7
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