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 manifestation of these freedoms.
Online media has unique characteristics; therefore, specific guidelines are needed so that its management can be carried out professionally, fulfilling its functions, rights, and obligations in accordance with Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics.
For that reason, the Press Council, together with press organizations, online media operators, and the public, has established the following Online News Media Reporting Guidelines:
1. Scope
a. Online media refers to any form of media that uses the internet as its platform and carries out journalistic activities, fulfilling the requirements of the Press Law and the Press Company Standards set by the Press Council.
b. User-generated content refers to any content created and/or published by users of online media, including but not limited to articles, images, comments, audio, videos, and other uploads attached to online media platforms such as blogs, forums, reader or viewer comments, and other similar forms.
2. Verification and News Balance
a. In principle, every news item must go through verification.
b. News that could potentially harm other parties must be verified within the same report to fulfill the principles of accuracy and balance.
c. Exceptions to point (a) are allowed under the following conditions:
- The news item contains urgent public interest;
- The initial source is clearly identified, credible, and competent;
- The subject of the news is unavailable 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 appear at the end of the same news article, enclosed in parentheses and italicized.
d. After publishing such news as referred to in point (c), the media must continue verification efforts, and once verification is obtained, the result must be added to an updated version of the article, including a link to the unverified version.
3. User-Generated Content
a. Online media must display clear terms and conditions for user-generated content that do not contradict Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics.
b. Online media must require users to register and log in before they can publish any form of user-generated content. Provisions on the login process will be further regulated.
c. During registration, users must provide written consent stating that any published user-generated content:
- Does not contain false, defamatory, violent, or obscene material;
- Does not contain prejudice or hatred based on ethnicity, religion, race, and inter-group relations (SARA), and does not encourage acts of violence;
- Does not contain discriminatory content based on gender or language and does not demean individuals who are weak, poor, ill, mentally disabled, or physically disabled.
d. Online media has the absolute authority to edit or remove user-generated content that violates point (c).
e. Online media must provide an accessible complaint mechanism for reporting user-generated content that violates point (c).
f. Online media must edit, delete, or correct 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. Online media that have fulfilled points (a), (b), (c), and (f) are not held liable for problems arising from the publication of user-generated content that violates point (c).
h. Online media is responsible for any reported user-generated content if it fails to take corrective action within the time limit mentioned in point (f).
4. 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 rights of reply must be linked to the original news article that is being corrected or clarified.
c. Each correction, clarification, and right of reply must include the date and time it was published.
d. If a news article published by one online media outlet is disseminated by another outlet, then:
- The original publisher’s responsibility is limited to the content published on its own platform or under its technical authority;
- Any correction made by the original media must also be made by any other media that quoted the article;
- Media that disseminate news from another outlet but fail to make corrections following the original correction shall be fully responsible for any legal consequences arising from the uncorrected content.
e. In accordance with the Press Law, online media that fail to provide a right of reply may be subject to a criminal fine of up to Rp 500,000,000 (five hundred million rupiah).
5. News Retraction
a. Published news cannot be retracted due to external censorship, except in cases related to ethnicity, religion, race, inter-group issues (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 any quoted article from the original media.
c. Retraction must be accompanied by a clear explanation of the reason and must be publicly announced.
6. Advertising
a. Online media must clearly distinguish between news content and advertisements.
b. Any article, news, or content that constitutes advertising or paid content must be clearly labeled as “advertorial,” “advertisement,” “ads,” “sponsored,” or another term that indicates the content is paid.
7. Copyright
Online media must respect copyright in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.
8. Display of Guidelines
Online media must display these Online News Media Reporting Guidelines prominently and clearly on their website.
9. Dispute Resolution
Any final assessment or dispute related to the implementation of these Online News Media Reporting Guidelines shall be resolved by the Press Council.
Jakarta, February 3, 2012
(These Guidelines were signed by the Press Council and members of the press community in Jakarta on February 3, 2012.)
Source: Press Council (Dewan Pers)