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 Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations. The existence of online media in Indonesia is also a part of the freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press.
Online media has unique characteristics that require guidelines to ensure professional management and to fulfill its functions, rights, and responsibilities in accordance with Law Number 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics. Therefore, the Press Council, in collaboration with press organizations, online media managers, and the public, has formulated the following Guidelines for Online Media Reporting:
1. Scope
a. Online Media refers to all forms of media that use the internet as a platform and conduct journalistic activities while fulfilling the requirements of the Press Law and the Press Company Standards set by the Press Council.
b. User-Generated Content refers to all content created and/or published by users of online media, including but not limited to articles, images, comments, audio, videos, and other uploads associated with online media platforms such as blogs, forums, reader or viewer comments, and other forms.
2. Verification and Balanced Reporting
a. In principle, every news article must go through a verification process.
b. News that may harm others must be verified within the same article to meet accuracy and balance principles.
c. Exceptions to point (a) are allowed under the following conditions:
-
The news contains a matter of urgent public interest;
-
The original source is clearly identified, credible, and competent;
-
The subject of the news cannot be located or interviewed;
-
The media provides an explanation to readers that the news still requires further verification, which will be pursued as soon as possible. This explanation must be included at the end of the same article, in parentheses and italics.
d. After publishing news in accordance with point (c), the media must continue efforts to verify and publish the results in an updated article with a link to the unverified version.
3. User-Generated Content
a. Online media must display terms and conditions for User-Generated Content that do not conflict with Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics, clearly and visibly.
b. Online media must require users to register and log in before publishing any form of User-Generated Content. The login policy will be further regulated.
c. During registration, users must agree in writing that the content they publish:
-
Does not contain falsehoods, slander, violence, or pornography;
-
Does not contain prejudice or hatred related to ethnicity, religion, race, and inter-group relations (SARA), or promote violence;
-
Does not contain discriminatory content based on gender or language and does not demean the dignity of the poor, sick, physically or mentally disabled.
d. Online media has absolute authority to edit or remove User-Generated Content that violates point (c).
e. Online media must provide an easily accessible mechanism for complaints regarding User-Generated Content that violates point (c).
f. Online media must edit, delete, or take corrective action on reported User-Generated Content that violates point (c) as soon as possible and no later than 2 × 24 hours after the complaint is received.
g. Online media that comply with points (a), (b), (c), and (f) shall not be held liable for issues arising from content violating point (c).
h. Online media is responsible for User-Generated Content if it fails to take corrective action after the deadline outlined in point (f).
4. Corrections, Clarifications, and Right of Reply
a. Corrections, clarifications, and rights of reply are governed by the Press Law, the Journalistic Code of Ethics, and the Right of Reply Guidelines issued by the Press Council.
b. Corrections, clarifications, and/or rights of reply must be linked to the original article being corrected or replied to.
c. Every correction, clarification, and right of reply must include the time of publication.
d. If a news article published by one online media outlet is disseminated by another, then:
-
The responsibility of the original publisher is limited to the content published under its authority or technical control;
-
Corrections made by the original media must also be applied by other media outlets that cited or republished the content;
-
Media that republish content but do not apply the original corrections shall bear full legal responsibility for the uncorrected content.
e. In accordance with the Press Law, online media that fails to accommodate a right of reply may be subject to criminal sanctions with a maximum fine of IDR 500,000,000 (five hundred million rupiah).
5. Article Retraction
a. Published articles cannot be retracted due to censorship by outside parties, except in matters involving SARA (ethnic, religious, racial, inter-group relations), decency, children’s future, victims’ traumatic experiences, or other special considerations as determined by the Press Council.
b. Other online media must follow the retraction of quoted content from the original source.
c. Retraction of articles must include the reason and be announced publicly.
6. Advertisements
a. Online media must clearly distinguish between news content and advertisements.
b. Any news/article/content that is an advertisement or sponsored content must be labeled clearly with terms such as “advertorial,” “advertisement,” “ads,” “sponsored,” or other indicators.
7. Copyright
Online media must respect copyright in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
8. Display of Guidelines
Online media must display these Guidelines for Online Media Reporting clearly and visibly on their platform.
9. Dispute Resolution
Final judgments regarding disputes on the implementation of these Guidelines shall be resolved by the Press Council.
Jakarta, February 3, 2012
(These guidelines were signed by the Press Council and the press community in Jakarta on February 3, 2012.)