The freedom of opinion, expression, and the press is a human right protected by Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The existence of cyber media in Indonesia is also part of the freedom of opinion, expression, and the press
Cyber media has distinct characteristics, requiring guidelines to ensure its management is carried out professionally, fulfilling its 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, cyber media managers, and the public, has formulated the following Cyber Media Reporting Guidelines:
Scope
a. Cyber Media refers to all forms of media that utilize the internet platform, conduct journalistic activities, and fulfill the requirements of the Press Law and the Press Company Standards established by the Press Council.
b. User-Generated Content refers to all content created and/or published by users of cyber media, including but not limited to articles, images, comments, audio, videos, and various other uploads attached to cyber media platforms, such as blogs, forums, reader or viewer comments, and other similar forms.
News Verification and Balance
a. In principle, every news report must undergo verification.
b. News that could potentially harm other parties requires verification within the same news report to uphold the principles of accuracy and balance.
c. The provision in point (a) above may be exempted, provided that:
1. The news genuinely contains urgent public interest;
2. The initial news source is clearly identified, credible, and competent;
3. The subject of the news who should be confirmed cannot be located and/or interviewed;
4. 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 news article, enclosed in parentheses and written in italics.
d. After publishing news in accordance with point (c), the media must continue verification efforts, and once verification is obtained, the results must be included in an updated news report with a link to the original unverified article.
User-Generated Content
a. Cyber media must clearly and visibly publish terms and conditions regarding User-Generated Content that are consistent with Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics.
b. Cyber media must require all users to register for membership and complete a log-in process before publishing any form of User-Generated Content. The specific provisions regarding log-in will be further regulated.
c. During the registration process, cyber media must require users to provide written consent stating that any User-Generated Content they publish:
1. Does not contain falsehoods, slander, cruelty, or obscenity;
2. Does not contain content that incites prejudice or hatred based on ethnicity, religion, race, or inter-group relations (SARA), or advocate violence;
3. Does not contain discriminatory content based on gender or language, and does not demean the dignity of the vulnerable, poor, sick, mentally or physically disabled.
d. Cyber media has absolute authority to edit or delete User-Generated Content that violates point (c).
e. Cyber media must provide a mechanism for reporting User-Generated Content that is deemed to violate the provisions of point (c). This mechanism must be easily accessible to users.
f. Cyber media must edit, delete, and take corrective action on any reported User-Generated Content that violates point (c) as soon as possible and no later than 2 x 24 hours after the complaint is received.
g. Cyber media that complies 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. Cyber media shall be held responsible for User-Generated Content if it fails to take corrective action within the timeframe 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 Guidelines on the Right of Reply as established by the Press Council.
b. Corrections, clarifications, and/or right of reply must be linked to the original news article being corrected, clarified, or responded to.
c. Every correction, clarification, and right of reply must clearly state the time and date when it was published.
d. If a news article from a particular cyber media outlet is redistributed by another cyber media outlet, then:
1. The responsibility of the originating cyber media is limited to the news published on its own platform or on platforms under its technical authority;
2. Any correction made by the original cyber media must also be made by other cyber media outlets that quoted the corrected news;
3. A media outlet that republishes news from a cyber media outlet and fails to apply the correction as done by the original media will be fully responsible for all legal consequences arising from the uncorrected news.
e. In accordance with the Press Law, a cyber media outlet that does not honor the right of reply may be subject to a criminal fine of up to IDR 500,000,000 (five hundred million rupiah).
News Retraction
a. Published news cannot be retracted due to censorship demands from parties outside the editorial team, except in cases involving issues of ethnicity, religion, race, and inter-group relations (SARA), decency, the future of minors, traumatic experiences of victims, or other special considerations determined by the Press Council.
b. Other cyber media must also retract quotations from the original media if the original news has been retracted.
c. News retractions must be accompanied by a stated reason and announced to the public.
Advertisements
a. Cyber media must clearly distinguish between news content and advertisements.
b. Any news/article/content that constitutes an advertisement and/or paid content must include a label such as “advertorial,” “advertisement,” “ads,” “sponsored,” or another term that clearly indicates the content is an advertisement.
Copyright
Cyber media must respect copyright as regulated under the applicable laws and regulations.
Inclusion of the Guidelines
Cyber media must clearly and visibly display these Cyber Media Reporting Guidelines on their platform.
Dispute
The final assessment of disputes concerning the implementation of these Cyber Media Reporting Guidelines shall be resolved by the Press Council.