Video clips uploaded via "YouTube" are often used in news websites as proof of their stories and it is an accepted practise in web journalism. Senior journalist and political commentator Kusal Perera who recently tweeted this news story "Nimalka challenges Vigneswaran" raised an issue with SriLankaMirror as to why the video clip that accompanied the news had been removed after his 'tweet'.

Sadly it is not SriLankaMirror that removed the clip. The source who owns the YouTube clip, "Right to Life" a collective based in Negambo with which Ms.Nimalka Fernando also has very close affiliations has removed it from their account while the news remains in SriLankaMirror site. This has thus raised a new issue in using YouTube clips for credibility of news stories.

Responding to this, journalist Kusal Perera says, video clips once uploaded on YouTube are in public domain unless encrypted for subscriber use. What is in public domain he says, can be duplicated with due credit given to source. He maintains the position SriLankaMirror should copy video clips to its own account and use, instead of hyperlinking them from where they are.

This certainly brings to discussion the use of YouTube clips and media ethics in digital media.

-SriLankaMirror Editorial