FREEDOM of opinion, expression, and the press is a human right protected by Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The existence of cyber media in Indonesia is also part of that freedom.
Cyber media has distinct characteristics and therefore requires specific guidelines to ensure its management is carried out professionally and fulfills its functions, rights, and responsibilities in accordance with Law Number 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics. For this purpose, the Press Council, in collaboration with press organizations, cyber media managers, and the public, has drawn up the following Cyber Media Reporting Guidelines:
1. Scope
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Cyber media refers to all forms of media that use the internet platform to carry out journalistic activities and meet the requirements of the Press Law and the Press Company Standards set by the Press Council.
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User Generated Content (UGC) refers to all content created and/or published by users of cyber media, including but not limited to articles, images, comments, audio, video, and various types of uploads attached to cyber media such as blogs, forums, reader/viewer comments, and others.
2. News Verification and Balance
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In principle, every news item must go through a verification process.
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News that could potentially harm other parties must include verification in the same news piece to meet the principles of accuracy and balance.
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Exceptions to the above point (a) are allowed under the following conditions:
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The news contains urgent public interest;
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The first source is clearly identified, credible, and competent;
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The subject of the news cannot be located and/or interviewed;
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The media explains to the reader 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 news in parentheses and italicized.
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After publishing news as stated in point (c), the media must continue efforts to verify, and once verification is obtained, the results must be included in an updated article, linked to the original unverified news.
3. User Generated Content (UGC)
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Cyber media must provide clear terms and conditions for UGC that do not contradict Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics.
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Users must register and log in before being allowed to publish any form of UGC. The specifics of the login process will be further regulated.
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During registration, users must provide written consent that their published content:
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Does not contain falsehoods, slander, brutality, or obscenity;
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Does not contain prejudice or hatred related to ethnicity, religion, race, and inter-group relations (SARA), or encourage violence;
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Does not contain discriminatory content based on gender or language and does not demean the dignity of the weak, poor, sick, mentally ill, or physically disabled.
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Cyber media reserves the right to edit or delete UGC that violates the conditions in point (c).
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Cyber media must provide a mechanism for complaints regarding UGC that violates the rules in point (c), and this mechanism must be easily accessible.
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Cyber media must promptly and proportionally edit, delete, or correct any UGC that is reported and found in violation, no later than 2 x 24 hours after the complaint is received.
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Cyber media that complies with points (a), (b), (c), and (f) is not held responsible for issues arising from the content in violation of point (c).
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Cyber media is responsible for reported UGC if no corrective action is taken within the timeframe stated in point (f).
4. Corrections, Clarifications, and Right of Reply
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Corrections, clarifications, and the right of reply refer to the Press Law, Journalistic Code of Ethics, and Right of Reply Guidelines set by the Press Council.
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Corrections, clarifications, or replies must be linked to the original article that is being corrected, clarified, or replied to.
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Every correction, clarification, or right of reply must include the date and time of publication.
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If a news item from one cyber media is distributed by another:
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The original media is only responsible for what is published on their own platform or under their technical authority;
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Other media that cite the corrected news must also make the correction;
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Media that disseminate the news without making the necessary corrections will be fully liable for all legal consequences of the uncorrected news.
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According to the Press Law, cyber media that refuses to provide the right of reply may face legal sanctions of up to IDR 500,000,000 (Five hundred million rupiah).
5. News Retraction
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Published news cannot be retracted due to external censorship, except in cases involving SARA, morality, child protection, traumatic experiences of victims, or other special considerations as determined by the Press Council.
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Other media must follow suit in retracting quoted news if the original source has retracted it.
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News retraction must be accompanied by a stated reason and publicly announced.
6. Advertisements
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Cyber media must clearly distinguish between editorial content and advertisements.
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Any news/article/content that is an advertisement or paid content must be clearly marked as such.