Freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press are human rights protected by Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The existence of online media in Indonesia is also part of these freedoms.
Online media has unique characteristics that require guidelines to ensure its management is conducted professionally, fulfilling its functions, rights, and obligations in accordance with Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics. Therefore, the Press Council, together with press organizations, online media operators, and the public, has established the following Guidelines for Online Media Reporting:
1. Scope
Online Media refers to all forms of media that use the internet platform and conduct journalistic activities, and that meet the requirements of the Press Law and the Press Company Standards established by the Press Council.
User Generated Content refers to any content created and/or published by users of online media, including articles, images, comments, audio, video, and various forms of uploads attached to online media, such as blogs, forums, reader or viewer comments, and other formats.
2. Verification and News Balance
a. In principle, every news item must undergo verification.
b. News that may harm another party requires verification within the same news item to meet the principles of accuracy and balance.
c. The provisions in point (a) may be exempted under the following conditions:
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The news contains urgent public interest;
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The initial news source is clearly identified, credible, and competent;
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The subject requiring confirmation cannot be located and/or cannot be interviewed;
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The media provides an explanation to readers that the news still requires further verification, which will be pursued as soon as possible.
d. This explanation must be placed at the end of the same news article, in parentheses and italic text.
e. After publishing news under point (c), the media must continue verification efforts, and once verification is obtained, the results must be included in an updated version of the news, with a link to the unverified article.
3. User Generated Content
a. Online media must clearly display terms and conditions regarding User Generated Content, which must not contradict Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics.
b. Online media must require all users to register and log in before publishing any form of User Generated Content. Further provisions regarding log-in will be established.
c. During registration, online media must require users to provide written consent that any User Generated Content they publish:
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Does not contain false, defamatory, sadistic, or obscene material;
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Does not contain prejudice or hatred related to ethnicity, religion, race, and inter-group relations (SARA), nor encourage acts of violence;
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Does not contain discriminatory content based on gender or language and does not degrade the dignity of vulnerable persons, the poor, the sick, or those with mental or physical disabilities.
d. Online media has full authority to edit or remove User Generated Content that violates point (c).
e. Online media must provide a complaint mechanism for User Generated Content considered to violate point (c). This mechanism must be easily accessible.
f. Online media must edit, delete, or correct any User Generated Content reported to violate point (c) as soon as possible and no later than 2 × 24 hours after the complaint is received.
g. Online media that has complied with points (a), (b), (c), and (f) shall not be held responsible for issues arising from the publication of content that violates point (c).
h. Online media is responsible for User Generated Content reported to them if no corrective action is taken within the timeframe stated in point (f).
4. Corrections, Clarifications, and Right of Reply
a. Corrections, clarifications, and right of reply follow the Press Law, the Journalistic Code of Ethics, and the Right of Reply Guidelines established by the Press Council.
b. Corrections, clarifications, and/or right of reply must be linked to the news being corrected or clarified.
c. Every correction, clarification, and right of reply must display the date and time of publication.
d. If a news article published by one online media is redistributed by another online media, then:
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The responsibility of the original online media is limited to content published on its own platform or under its technical authority;
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Corrections made by one online media must also be made by any other online media that cited the corrected content;
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Online media that republishes content but does not follow the corrections made by the original publisher shall bear full legal responsibility for any resulting consequences.
e. In accordance with the Press Law, online media that does not accommodate the right of reply may be subject to criminal fines of up to IDR 500,000,000 (five hundred million rupiah).
5. Retraction of News
a. Published news cannot be retracted due to external censorship, except for issues related to SARA, morality, the future of minors, traumatic experiences of victims, or other special considerations determined by the Press Council.
b. Other online media must follow the retraction of news if they cited it from the original source.
c. News retraction must include a reason and be publicly announced.
6. Advertising
a. Online media must clearly distinguish between news content and advertisements.
b. Any news/article/content that is an advertisement or paid content must be clearly labeled as advertorial, advertisement, ads, sponsored, or other similar terms indicating its nature.
7. Copyright
Online media must respect copyright laws as regulated by applicable legislation.
8. Publication of Guidelines
Online media must display these Online Media Reporting Guidelines clearly and visibly on their platform.
9. Dispute Resolution
Final assessment of disputes regarding the implementation of these Guidelines will be resolved by the Press Council.
