Houla Massacre

Over the weekend a massive assault was launched on the town of Houla in Syria by a yet unidentified military group. The incident left 108 men, women, and children dead and 300 injured. The Syrian government has denied any involvement in the incident claiming it was the act of terrorists and that their forces would not fire on fire on civilians and that no tanks were sent to the area. The circumstances of massacre are yet unclear but the outrage has been felt across the globe.

Print: U.N. Security Council Issues Condemnation of Syria Attack (New York Times)

This article discusses the initial impact of the attack and the response of the Syrian Government. An in-depth discussion raises questions that were answered by the spokesman for the Syrian Foreign Ministry, Jihad Makdissi. According to the article, Makdissi claims that the government had no involvement in the attack. He further explains the army did not send tanks into Houla and that security forces did not leave their positions but had remained in a defensive posture. Instead, he said, hundreds of gunmen armed with machine guns, mortars and antitank missiles began attacking government positions in a skirmish that lasted much of the day and well into the night. Three soldiers were killed and 16 wounded, he said. I find this outlet interesting because you get a clear response from the Syrian government about their involvement as well as their side of the story.

Television News Cast: Syrian government denies involvement in recent massacre (Fox News)

This news cast aired on Fox’s America’s New HQ on May 27 discusses the events of the massacre at Houla. The two anchors briefly disclose what is happening then go to a correspondent in Jerusalem. The correspondent describes the event in more detail and the response of the Syrian government and its people on the matter. This outlet is informative because it comes from a reliable organized source that has lots of resources at its disposal. There are also many amateur videos and pictures used that show the event in real time.

Blog: Syria - The Houla Massacre (Brown Moses Blog)

This blog post is a huge collection of links to videos, news articles, images, and other media covering the Houla Massacre. There are detailed time updates as well as several short synopsis of the certain stories. This outlet is impressive because the work and dedication of the author really shows. The sheer amount of information is impressive and the dedication to find all of these links and update them in real time is admirable. While there is little input from the author himself his dedication to covering the event is outstanding.

Social Network: Al-Houla Massacre - Dozens of Children Murdered in Syria (Warning: EXTREMELY Graphic) (YouTube)

This video uploaded to YouTube depicts a scene where residents of Houla are praying and grieving over the corpses of children killed during the fighting. It is very graphic and a bit stomach churning. This is a cruel and powerful look at the aftermath of such a tragedy. This outlet is interesting because it gives an uncensored and horrifying look into the reality of the situation. There is no anchor or reporter interfering with the situation, just someone holding a camcorder.