Cosatu told the Press Freedom Commission it wants tighter control of the print media. Chris Barron asks Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini ...

You've said you support an independent media?

Yes, we support an independent media, there's no doubt about it.

But you want it to be more tightly regulated?

We believe it cannot regulate itself.

Can the media be independent if it is regulated by outsiders?

An independent media must also be a responsible media. It cannot have a free-for-all where it can write whatever it likes and it cannot be challenged.

People take complaints to the media ombudsman all the time, and in most cases he rules in favour of them. Why do you want to change this system?

The media must be regulated. It can't be free to write what it likes without being contested. There are instances of huge irresponsibility by the media.

Is there a sinister motive at work, do you think, or is it just a matter of genuine mistakes being made?

 In many instances the media has got involved with political factions. Not the media as a whole, but individuals. They take sides.

Can't newspapers have an editorial line?

Look, the media just relies on lies and secrets and secret sources.

In your submission you talk about brown-envelope journalism, but the only example I know of concerns a former ANC premier.

There are other cases.

Are you saying the media ombudsman doesn't act when evidence of this is brought to him?

 I'm not saying that. Just that Cosatu is not happy with self-regulation. You can't have that, it's not working.

Do you support the ANC demand for a media appeals tribunal?

Cosatu does not support that. Though you should have a regulatory structure it should not be a structure that leads to a court punishing media people for issues they publish.

In your submission you criticise the media for being pro big business and the free market. Is this why you want tighter control?

 If the media reported on issues that affect workers every day in the same way they cover the interests of big business, we'd have no problem.

So you want some outside body telling newspapers what they should write about?

 Look, we would not be having this debate if the media had transformed itself. They have put themselves in this situation. They have shown that self-regulation doesn't work.

The only alternative is outside regulation. Won't this lead to interference in editorial decisions?

 It doesn't automatically lead to that. It's how you structure the regulation.

Isn't the bottom line here that you want a media that reflects your own ideological preferences?

 We are saying that the media is owned by capitalists and private interests, therefore it is biased to that class and not to society as a whole. Their interests are to maximise profits and not to reflect the interests of the people at large.

Isn't it in the interests of the people at large to expose corruption like the media does?

 Let me give you a short example: 18000 Implats workers are on strike. The media reports they're on an illegal strike, but they don't report that they are challenging the employers to raise the salaries of workers. That's not important to them.

You seem to be saying the media must be told how to do its job?

No. The media currently is responsible to its own class and it reports favourably to this class. They are not reporting the views of the working class.

So you want them to be told what to write about?

The media cannot regulate itself. It's not working.

Your real problem seems to be that the media are not writing the stories you think they should writing.

The media in South Africa does not reflect the issues or aspirations or views of the working class, only issues affecting the ruling class.

Isn't the answer then to start your own newspaper?

We are working on that. One day we will have a powerful working-class newspaper.