Anniversary of this blog’s kidnapping by Amagama

TWO years in the blogsphere is a long time. We want readers to remember how we got here, 24 months ago, an employee of the Mail & Guardian’s Amagama, seized material deemed offensive or “potentially defamatory” and proceeded to delete without consent or notice, a review of A Secret Burden by David Robert Lewis “a collection of poetry and prose written by young, white South African conscripts deployed during the so-called “Border War” in Angola and Namibia… providing …. an intimate, sometimes shocking, glimpse of an important era in our history which has hitherto largely been swept under the carpet.”

This action in complete disregard of the Creative Commons Licence came after a complaint by the author of South Africa’s Border War 1966-1989. Needless to say we also received threatening and hostile phone-calls from his son. Both  have military records and participated in the war against SWAPO and MK. Both are journalists with atrocious records, having participated in propaganda missions against the End Conscription Campaign and the democratic struggle.

Can you trust a media that continues to lie about the Border War? Can you trust the Mail and Guardian to tell the truth? Two years after this issue was first raised, there has been no attempt to uncover the real story behind the SADF counter-operations against the End Conscription Campaign. The deleted review is gone for good. We have yet to receive an apology or compensation, and the legal ramifications of destroying work licensed under the Creative Commons still has to be tested under SA copyright law.

Note: I have now requested ISPA to issue a take-down notice. The remaing work seized by Amagama in contravention of the Creative Commons license is still clearly visible at http://davidrobertlewis.amagama.com

PUT A STOP TO EMBEDDED JOURNALISM – KEEP THE SADF OUT OF THE MEDIA BUSINESS!

From: ISPA Complaints <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Cc: ISPA Complaints <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, 14 January, 2009 12:12:23
Subject: Confirmation of receipt of Take-Down Notice TDN.#81: IS, M&G Media (amagama.com)

Dear David,

You recently submitted the attached take-down request to the Internet
Service Providers’ Association (ISPA). This message serves as
notification that we have accepted your request and forwarded it on to
the service providers concerned for attention.

– M&G Media Ltd
– Internet Solutions

The service provider(s) now have four working days to respond to your
request. Once the appropriate service provider has removed the content
concerned, ISPA will notify you. Should the service provider(s) elect
not to remove the content, or fail to respond to the take-down request,
you will also be notified.

Should you have any questions regarding this process, please feel free
to contact us via the contact details listed on the following page:
http://www.ispa.org.za/code/how_to_request_takedown.shtml

regards
Bretton Vine
ISPA Secretariat
The Internet Service Providers’ Association
http://www.ispa.org.za | complaints at ispa.org.za

—————————————————————————
Take-Down Notice TDN.#81 (lodged via the ISPA website):
—————————————————————————

David Robert Lewis wrote:
> Take-Down Notice TDN.#81 (lodged via the ISPA website):
> name: David Robert Lewis
> Address: PO Box 4398,
> Cape Town
> 8000
> Postcode: 8000
> Telephone: 0214480021
> Cellphone: +27+82+4251454
> email: [email protected]
> NameOfISP: amagama.com
> ProblemActivity: Spam, Rights Violation, Theft

SEE: http://davidrobertlewis.wordpress.com/2007/11/17/fontana-chickens-an-open-letter-to-vince-maher/

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