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DEF is a non-partisan, independent political blog based in the
City of St. Louis, Missouri. Our goal is to cast a critical eye
on lawmakers, their policies, and those that have influence upon
them, and to educate our readers about legislation and the political
processes that affect our daily lives.
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This content has been restored and your account has been reinstated.
Sincerely,
Harry The YouTube Team
Our YouTube account has been restored and I am happy to report that all 507 of our videos are back online.
It was two weeks ago that KSDK Channel 5 filed two bogus copyright infringement claims against us with YouTube claiming we unfairly used segments from their news broadcasts in our media watch reports.
We maintained our usage of KSDK's video falls under the "Fair Use" provision in copyright law and filed a counter-notification with YouTube.
Fair use is a copyright principle based on the belief that the public is entitled to freely use portions of copyrighted materials for purposes of commentary and criticism. For example, if you wish to criticize a novelist, you should have the freedom to quote a portion of the novelist's work without asking permission. Absent this freedom, copyright owners could stifle any negative comments about their work.
Our win against KSDK, though it will likely go completely underreported locally (like far too many significant events — which is, of course, why PubDef exists and KSDK is threatened by us), is huge in this new media vs. old media revolution which we are proudly engaged in.
One small step for PubDef; one giant leap for St. Louis independent media!
We're happy to announce a couple of great new features! First, we now have continuous play on PubDef.TV, meaning you just go to the site and videos start playing automatically, one after the other — just like real TV, but on-demand!
We've also made it easy for you to sign up to receive breaking news updates from PubDef right in your email inbox, Blackberry, or (coming June 29) iPhone. Look to the left side of the page to add your email address to our mailing list.
Be the first to know what happened! Sign up today for PubDef.net Alerts.
YouTube, which PubDef.net uses to post and play our videos, has just added a cool new scroll-through feature on its player that shows related videos.
It's fun to play with and lets you discover new, related videos without leaving our site. Just hover over the video after pressing "play" and watch the magic unfold. Here, try it with our most popular video ever...
And by clicking the "menu" button, you can easily access the code to embed our videos on your own site or the URL to link directly to it.
The field is narrowing and time is running out for area college students interested in being an intern with PubDef.net this summer.
The names of the two people selected for the 8-week guided tour through the world of St. Louis politics will be announced on Friday. Yes, applications are still being accepted, but get them in soon!
Email resumes and cover letters to editor@pubdef.net. Click here to learn more about this exciting opportunity.
Following the release of the groundbreaking AppleTV, allowing us to watch video podcasts on our television — further eliminating the need to ever watch broadcast TV — we'll be updating our own podcast much more regularly. So subscribe today to have our new vids automatically download to iTunes on your computer and AppleTV in your living room.
And yes, it's free... But I think now is a great time to remind you about the costs associated with producing this site and these videos (video tapes, microphones, computer upgrades, gas – Oy vey!), and to remind you about that little "Make a Donation" button over there to the left. Hint-hint.
Since PubDef.net started 18 months ago, it has basically been a one man operation. The facts you read are as I know them to be true. The opinions expressed here have been my own.
But starting next week, the reports, opinions and views of a few new contributors will be added to the mix.
These invited guests will bring their own unique perspectives to this expanding discussion of local (and soon national) politics, media, education, race, economics, and much more — all while maintaining Pub Def's reputation for accuracy, honesty, speed, and relevancy.
I'm scheduled to be a guest on "Collateral Damage" tonight with hosts D.J. Wilson and Fred Hessel and Steve Patterson of Urban Review STL. The show starts at 7:00 and can be heard on KDHX 88.1 FM or online at www.kdhx.org.
Topics likely to be discussed: Darlene Green and Jim Shrewsbury killing the BJC expansion deal, the race for Aldermanic President, and will there be a takeover of SLPS?
For the benefit of the general public and the members of the State Board of Education, PubDef.TV has been updated with videos from Tuesday's hearing on the future of St. Louis Public Schools.
Thanks to the engineers at Google and Blogger, PubDef now has labels!
From now on, each post will be categorized for easy reference. Just click on the label (such as "schools") and all the stories related to that topic will come up on one page.
Now, we've got hundreds and hundreds of old posts to go through, so give us a while to label all the old stuff. But all new posts will be labeled.
Looking for a story from last week, last month, or even last year? Look to the left side of the page in the Pub Def Archives.
To keep the page relatively quick to download (I know, even now it's a beast for slower Internet connections), we only keep the last few days of news on the front page. If you want all the recent stuff, go to the January 2007 archive and get everything from this month on one page.
Missouri Chamber of Commerce's Legislative Action Seminar Today
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Thursday, November 16, 2006 at 9:18 AM
Have YouTube, Blogs, and electronic information changed how campaigns are won and lost? That's the question fellow blogger John Combest and I will be discussing today at the Missouri Chamber of Commerce's Legislative Action Seminar at the Chase Park Plaza. Roy Temple, of FiredUpMissouri.com, may also join us.
Our panel is scheduled to begin at 11:00.
Other discussions will include a look at the state's new campaign finance regulations and lobbying laws (featuring Joe Carroll and Liz Ziegler from the Missouri Ethics Commission) and Missouri's political landscape "as viewed by the pen and the pad" (featuring Jo Mannies, Post-Dispatch; and Dave Drebes, Arch City Chronicle).
Missouri Chamber of Commerce's Legislative Action Seminar This Week
By Antonio D. French
Filed
Monday, November 13, 2006 at 9:09 AM
The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be holding their Legislative Action Seminar on Thursday at the Chase Park Plaza. There will be several panel discussions on economic development, politics and technology featuring state and local government and media people. Click here for a full schedule.
We'd like to call your attention to the 11:00 discussion on technology's impact on the political process: "Have YouTube, Blogs, and electronic information changed how campaigns are won and lost?" This panel will include Antonio French (www.pubdef.net), John Combest (www.johncombest.com), and Roy Temple (www.firedupmissouri.com).
Other discussions will look at the state's new campaign finance regulations and lobbying laws (featuring Joe Carroll and Liz Ziegler from the Missouri Ethics Commission) and Missouri's political landscape "as viewed by the pen and the pad" (featuring Jo Mannies, Post-Dispatch; and Dave Drebes, Arch City Chronicle).
