Special Hearings — Media Hearings — UNKNOWN

MOEGSIEN WILLIAMS: ... from oppressed people, it was by and large an opportunity for poor people to have a voice.  And at that period in our history of course, those people were very severely oppressed.	We do find those of us who had undergone all these sacrifices over the years, to assist in making it possible for poor people to have a voice, we do find today quite ironic and we notice that the State is auctioning its for instance radio assets to these very high bidders, and so during those years, we had hoped and thought that one day when we have a new State, a new government, that that government would actually help that we won't experience those problems to produce those publications which would allow for poor people to have a voice.	And really some of our very strong felt wishes and dreams when we do have a new democracy, that new democratic government would actually come forward and assist in making it possible for poor people to have a voice and we are saying we had developed these models in the form of "Grassroots", "Saamstaan" and the many other publications and often we also had financial constraints, notwithstanding we didn't relate to it in the same way as the main stream media, and that was of the most important consideration for us.	We had to beg and borrow and often by kind hearted foreign donors and so, but we really hoped when a new situation dawned, that the State would assist and I think that hope still prevails.

MR LEWIN: Is there no way in which the what is commonly called, the main stream press, can cater for those interests?

RASHID SERIA: Mr Chairman, if I could just add to what Johnny had said.  In Zimbabwe it was a model, it is called  Moto and they were a community based newspaper and after the changeover in the country and when the Smith government, from the Smith government to the Mugabe government, that paper was actually supported by the government to become a rural community paper to assist in agricultural projects.	And you know, in our country we had developed all these very important media projects.  "Grassroots" was really a pioneer.  After we had launched "Grassroots" and it was running for a few months, did we discover there were other similar projects in places like Papua New Guinea for instance.	And we could bring their experiences and our experience together and we discovered they were very similar.  So there is a lot of parts in the world where these models of alternative papers play a very important role in helping in communications and in the information flow, especially from marginalised communities.	I think that is what we are saying.  Something has to happen in this country and we've got a new government, a democratic government and you know, that is maybe the more obvious place where such a lead has to happen, to be taken.

MOEGSIEN WILLIAMS: Mr Chairman, I think your question will probably be best answered tomorrow when you have the Independent Newspapers and you hear in terms of what support they could give the alternative press.	There are two factors why I give the alternative press, there must be as many voices as possible in this country.  And from the main stream's point of view, I am speaking as the Editor of the Cape Argus, and a press freedom point of view, it is very important for us that there are as many voices as possible so that the views and aspirations of the majority of all our people can be articulated and that we can build a culture of press freedom in the country.	The other problem Mr Chairman, why I believe alternative voices should exist for especially people at a lower income levels, is that our main stream newspapers are beginning to niche.  Papers like the Cape Times in Cape Town very specifically are going at the top end of the market, in terms of its marketing and its vision and its content objectives.	There are plans by the company I work for to launch a tabloid newspaper in the short term, but again you know, it is a question of again of isn't this again a monopoly that is going to emerge.  A big company like Independent controlling again another title that is going to try and be aimed at the working class.  I think the working class people should be able to produce their own publications.	And there is no reason as Johnny pointed out, why the State cannot play a role as happened in such Scandinavian countries.

MR LEWIN: Would you suggest that perhaps instead  of looking overseas, that we should look at local donors, such as the large newspaper groups?

MOEGSIEN WILLIAMS: I think Comtas and I see people like Raymond Louw and Mandla Langa in the audience here, did make some specific recommendations in that regard Mr Chairperson.

MR LEWIN: Mr Chairman, I have nothing further, thank you.

CHAIRPERSON: Are there any other questions?    Hlengiwe?

MS MKHIZE: Well, just a related question to what you are saying.  Are you arguing that there is no way in which the voices of the poor and the oppressed can cut across regular media so to say?  The reason why I am saying is because I am thinking of for instance gender issues.  Some people had begun to say look, let's move away from saying let's have gender specific publications because they tend not to be read by people who must hear and understand the issues that women are struggling with and are just having been here for this two days, I have been thinking that maybe there is a one meter way whereby even regular press should begin to address not only issues which serve a certain economic group but issues which will facilitate and assist in thinking about the development of the people of South Africa as a whole.	My fear with alternative press, I mean I understand where you are coming from at that time, that was the only solution, but I am not sure whether that is the line we should be pushing today.

MOEGSIEN WILLIAMS: I think Chairperson, Commissioner, you are alluding to a definite problem in the country.  There are very important groups within our society that have no voice.	The problem with the print media is and the last percentage I saw is that we reach about 15 percent of the population, obviously broadcast has a much wider and bigger reach.  The commercial realities and the commercial imperatives of the commercial press, are such that the positioning in a way determines the readership and the readership determines the advertising.	And to take a newspaper like the Cape Times, it pursues advertising aimed at a high income group.  And it is nicheing itself in terms of that income group and in terms of that positioning.	Yes, the newspapers do have a cascading effect.  Whatever is printed in the Cape Times and published by the Cape Times, has obviously a wider impact and wider influence but at the end of the day, it is aimed very specifically at that particular group.	And therefore I would say there is a need for a multiplicity of media in the country and I think we need to, as a society, find creative ways of bringing that about within the general context, but to expect the existing media to perform that role effectively and to the benefit of the majority, I think maybe that is a bit naive.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you.  Well, gentlemen thank you very much.  We sincerely hope that you will remain involved in the more extensive submission that you wish to put before us, we would welcome it very much and hopefully you will keep this debate around the alternative publications alive and hopefully we will find a way forward for that.	But once again, thank you very much for having come and a safe journey home, thank you.	That is the proceedings for the day.  I thank you very much for your attendance and thank you to my colleagues on the panel.  We will now adjourn until tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, thank you.
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