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 part of the exercise of freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press.
Online media possess specific characteristics that require guidelines to ensure their management is carried out professionally and fulfills their functions, rights, and obligations in accordance with Law Number 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 formulated the following Guidelines for Online Media Reporting:
Scope
a. Online Media refers to all forms of media that use the internet as a platform and carry out journalistic activities, and that comply with the requirements of the Press Law and the Press Company Standards established by the Press Council.
b. User Generated Content (UGC) refers to all content created and/or published by users of online media, including but not limited to articles, images, comments, audio, videos, and various forms of uploads attached to online media, such as blogs, forums, reader or viewer comments, and other forms.
Verification and News Balance
a. In principle, every news item must undergo verification.
b. News that may harm other parties requires verification within the same report to fulfill the principles of accuracy and balance.
c. The provisions in point (a) above may be exempted under the following conditions:
- The news truly contains urgent public interest;
- The primary source of the news is clearly identified, credible, and competent;
- The subject of the news to be confirmed is unknown or cannot be 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 placed at the end of the same news article, in parentheses, and written in italics.
d. After publishing news in accordance with point (c), the media is obliged to continue verification efforts, and once verification is obtained, the results must be included in an updated news article with a link to the previously unverified news.
User Generated Content (UGC)
a. Online media must clearly and explicitly display terms and conditions regarding User Generated Content that do not conflict with Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics.
b. Online media must require users to register as members and log in before publishing any form of User Generated Content. Further provisions regarding login requirements shall be regulated separately.
c. During registration, online media must require users to provide written consent stating that the User Generated Content they publish:
- Does not contain false information, defamation, sadistic, or pornographic material;
- Does not contain content that promotes prejudice or hatred related to ethnicity, religion, race, or intergroup relations (SARA), nor encourages acts of violence;
- Does not contain discriminatory content based on gender or language, and does not demean the dignity of vulnerable groups, including the weak, the poor, the sick, individuals with mental illness, or persons with physical disabilities.
d. Online media has absolute authority to edit or delete User Generated Content that violates point (c).
e. Online media must provide a complaint mechanism for User Generated Content deemed to violate point (c). This mechanism must be easily accessible to users.
f. Online media must edit, delete, or take corrective action against any reported User Generated Content that violates point (c) as soon as reasonably possible, and no later than 2 x 24 hours after the complaint is received.
g. Online media that has fulfilled the provisions in 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 shall be responsible for reported User Generated Content if it fails to take corrective action within the time limit specified in point (f).
Corrections, Clarifications, and Right of Reply
a. Corrections, clarifications, and the right of reply shall refer to the Press Law, the Journalistic Code of Ethics, and the Right of Reply Guidelines established by the Press Council.
b. Corrections, clarifications, and/or rights of reply must be linked to the corrected news article or the article to which the right of reply is granted.
c. Each correction, clarification, and right of reply must include the date and time of publication.
d. If a news article from a particular online media outlet is disseminated by other online media, then:
- The responsibility of the originating online media is limited to the content published on its own platform or platforms under its technical authority;
- Corrections made by one online media outlet must also be carried out by other online media that quoted the corrected news;
- Online media that disseminates news from another online media outlet and fails to make corrections as performed by the original publisher shall bear full legal responsibility for all consequences arising from the uncorrected news.
e. In accordance with the Press Law, online media that fails to serve the right of reply may be subject to criminal fines of up to IDR 500,000,000 (five hundred million rupiah).
News Withdrawal
a. News that has been published may not be withdrawn due to censorship by external parties outside the editorial office, except in cases involving SARA issues, morality, the future of children, traumatic experiences of victims, or other special considerations determined by the Press Council.
b. Other online media must comply with the withdrawal of quoted news content from the original media that has withdrawn the news.
c. The withdrawal of news must be accompanied by the reason for withdrawal and announced to the public.
Advertising
a. Online media must clearly distinguish between news content and advertising.
b. Any news/article/content that constitutes advertising or paid content must clearly include labels such as “advertorial,” “advertisement,” “ads,” “sponsored,” or other terms indicating that the content is advertising.
Copyright
Online media must respect copyright as regulated by applicable laws and regulations.
Publication of the Guidelines
Online media must clearly and visibly publish these Guidelines for Online Media Reporting on their platforms.
Disputes
Final assessment of disputes regarding the implementation of these Guidelines for Online Media Reporting 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.)