cctv.com
The execution happened, the coverage began, and the inevitable question arose: would the networks air full video clips of Saddam Hussein's hanging? Those thirsting for gory details that potentially squeamish networks wouldn't provide needed to look no further than YouTube, which held versions aplenty of the now infamous camera phone video within hours of the execution (an occurrence that surprised just about no one). Meanwhile, networks wrung their hands over whether the value of the context and authenticity of the video outweighed the material's gruesome nature. Even Fox, which teased viewers with early footage that stopped just short of the moment of death, balked at showing the dictator's neck breaking on air (though, as Gawker pointed out, they wasted no time in ponying up the full video on the Fox website). Blogs and independent news sites nabbed and posted the unofficial video (which was reportedly more graphic and detailed than the brief clip released by the Iraqi government) in droves, and soon the question of whether or not to run it became somewhat moot. Now the new issue for scrutiny and speculation is, who shot the video?
