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 these freedoms.
Online media have specific characteristics, thus requiring guidelines to ensure their management is carried out professionally, fulfilling their functions, rights, and obligations according to Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics. Therefore, the Press Council, together with media organizations, online media managers, and the public, formulated the following Guidelines for Online Media Reporting:
1. Scope
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Online Media refers to all forms of media that use the internet and conduct journalistic activities, while complying with the Press Law and the Media Company Standards set by the Press Council.
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User Generated Content refers to any content created and/or published by users of online media, such as articles, images, comments, audio, videos, and other uploads on blogs, forums, reader/viewer comments, and similar features.
2. News Verification and Balance
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In principle, all news must undergo verification.
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News that could harm others must be verified within the same report to uphold accuracy and balance.
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Exceptions to point (a) are allowed under the following conditions:
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The news contains urgent public interest;
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The primary source is clearly identified, credible, and competent;
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The subject of the news cannot be located or interviewed;
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The media provides a note to readers that the report is pending further verification, which will be pursued promptly. This clarification must be placed at the end of the article, in parentheses and italicized.
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After publishing such news, the media is obligated to continue verification efforts and publish updates once verification is obtained, including a link to the original, unverified report.
3. User Generated Content
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Online media must publish clear terms and conditions regarding User Generated Content in accordance with the Press Law and Journalistic Code of Ethics.
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Users must register and log in before publishing any form of User Generated Content. Log-in procedures will be further regulated.
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During registration, users must provide written consent that their content:
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Does not contain falsehoods, slander, violence, or pornography;
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Does not contain prejudice or hate based on ethnicity, religion, race, or inter-group relations (SARA), nor incite violence;
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Does not include discriminatory content based on gender or language, and does not demean the dignity of the poor, sick, mentally or physically disabled.
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Online media reserves the right to edit or remove User Generated Content that violates point (c).
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Online media must provide an accessible complaint mechanism for content violating point (c).
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Online media must edit, remove, or correct reported User Generated Content in a timely and proportional manner, no later than 2 x 24 hours after a complaint is received.
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Online media that complies with points (a), (b), (c), and (f) is not liable for violations caused by User Generated Content.
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However, online media is held accountable for such content if it fails to act within the designated timeframe.
4. Corrections, Clarifications, and Right of Reply
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Corrections, clarifications, and rights of reply refer to the Press Law, the Journalistic Code of Ethics, and the Right of Reply Guidelines issued by the Press Council.
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Corrections or clarifications must be linked to the original report being corrected.
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Each correction or clarification must clearly state the time it was published.
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If an article is republished by another online media outlet:
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The original publisher is responsible only for content published on their own platform or under their technical authority;
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Corrections made by the original media must also be followed by any media that republished the content;
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Media that fails to correct republished content will bear full legal responsibility for the uncorrected report.
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According to the Press Law, any online media that denies the right of reply may face criminal fines of up to IDR 500,000,000 (Five hundred million rupiah).
5. News Retraction
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Published news may not be withdrawn due to external censorship, except in cases involving SARA, morality, child protection, traumatic victim experiences, or other special considerations determined by the Press Council.
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Other online media must follow suit in retracting quoted content from the original source.
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All retractions must include the reason and be publicly announced.
6. Advertising
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Online media must clearly distinguish between news content and advertising.
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Any paid content must be clearly marked with labels such as advertorial, advertisement, ads, sponsored, or equivalent terms indicating it is paid material.
7. Copyright
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Online media must respect copyrights as stipulated by applicable laws and regulations.
8. Publication of Guidelines
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Online media is required to clearly and prominently display these Online Media Reporting Guidelines on their platform.
9. Disputes
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Final judgment on disputes related to the implementation of these guidelines rests with the Press Council.
Jakarta, February 3, 2012
(These guidelines were signed by the Press Council and the press community in Jakarta, February 3, 2012.)