War reporting took a new turn in August 2006, when the Israel-Lebanon conflict entered the blogosphere.

A new blog - a kind of online chronicle that anyone can add entries to - entitled “Lebanon-Israel Conflict Via Cell Phones” proved a hit on the Internet and attracted world media attention. The twist was that, unlike most blogs where reports, photos and comments are uploaded from individual users’ computers, this was populated with content sent in by mobile phone.

The blog was the brainchild of digital media expert Erik Sundelof, who works on the Reuters Digital Vision Program at Stanford University in California. Sundelof realised that, in the midst of a conflict, rushing to the nearest internet café to post a report is not an option, whereas a mobile phone is almost always to hand to send text, photos and even video of events as they unfold.

Critics of the idea say that, unlike traditional news sources, blogs come with no assurance of neutrality, accuracy or even truth. It’s up to the readers to decide what they believe. They also point out that mobile phone numbers can be traced, posing a potential danger to bloggers in war zones or countries with repressive governments.

Those in favour of so-called ‘citizen journalism’, however, say that sharing experiences can offer great comfort to those embroiled in war, as well as allowing direct communication between people on opposite sides which may, in the long-term, foster greater understanding and tolerance.