When the news of Moammar Gaddafi’s death broke on Thursday, it was no surprise which network was first witih a video of the bloodied dictator's body dragged through the streets of Sirte: Al-Jazeera.
As revolutions and popular movements have spread across the Arab world for the greater part of a year, claiming governments in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya along the way, Al-Jazeera has invested heavily in covering those stories.
TheWrap talked with al-Jazeera spokesman Osama Saeed about their video scoop and what Gaddafi’s death means for the network.
President Obama just addressed the nation about Gaddafi, did you watch him or are you too busy with more important business?
[Laughs] I’ve not been on the TV for the last half hour or so given all of the media inquiries I’ve received. People are taken with the story today, what [Al-Jazeera English reporter] Tony Birtley (pictured above) managed to achieve in Sirte. We’ve been committed to the story in Libya from the outset.
Also Read: Gaddafi Corpse Video Airs; Dictator Apparently Captured Alive
And how did Tony manage to get this video?
It’s a pretty straightforward story. We have maintained a strong presence in Libya even after Tripoli fell. Though there has been a general drop off, we’ve maintained our presence there. Tony knew what was happening in Sirte, and he was the first journalist in there. As such, when people had footage of what happened, he was on hand to receive it.
Why did Al-Jazeera make the decision to maintain a presence and have you been surprised that other outlets have not?
That’s our general approach. We don’t necessarily go for the Hollywood stories.
So you’re taking a shot at us already…
[Laughs]. There’s not necessarily been a major headline news coming out of there every day, but there have been important stories to tell. We maintained our presence moving forward, and it’s been the same in Egypt after Mubarak fell, and the same in Tunisia. That’s our philosophy towards journalism -- that there are compelling narratives coming that necessitate we maintain our presence.
How did you determine it was in fact Gaddafi?
We had heard from a number of sources that Gaddafi had been killed. We were the first broadcaster to say so, where the rest were saying “reports of it.” When we got the footage, we obviously saw it and pretty quickly put it out and broadcast it.
So you had no doubt?
We reported it the way we’ve seen it. I am not aware of anyone casting doubt.
And did you decide to disseminate it as widely as possible?
There wasn’t enough time to put a strategy on it. [Laughs] The footage was compelling, people requested it, people took it. We’re happy so long as they credit the Al-Jazeera exclusive.
Have you been surprised by the jubilant tone of reporting on it.
