brandeins – Eliot Higgins

A bare looking office, no pictures on the wall, the blinds drawn. We took a short train journey to visit Eliot Higgins in his Leicester office from where he has created quite an online following. Higgins is a man who has received significant praise and support from human rights groups, journalists, and non-profit organisations for being among the best out there when it comes to weapons monitoring, especially during the Syrian Civil war, the Russian intervention in the Ukraine and the downing of the Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. But how is it possible that an entirely self taught, ex unemployed finance and admin worker, with no background in military weapons, has become such an expert in this particular field? The answer is simple and brief; You need a laptop, a microphone, start watching and analysing hundreds of videos each day on Google, Facebook and Youtube! Anyone can do it…