Cyber Media Guidelines

Guidelines for Online Media Reporting

Freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press are fundamental 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 an integral part of these freedoms.

Online media possess unique characteristics that require specific guidelines to ensure professional management and the proper fulfilment of their functions, rights, and obligations in accordance with Law No. 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 established the Guidelines for Online Media Reporting as follows:

1. Scope

• Online Media refers to all forms of media that use the internet as a platform to conduct journalistic activities and that comply with the requirements of the Press Law and the Press Company Standards established by the Press Council.
• User Generated Content (UGC) refers to all content created and/or published by online media users, including but not limited to articles, images, comments, audio, videos, and various other forms of uploads attached to online media platforms, such as blogs, forums, reader or viewer comments, and other similar formats.

2. Verification and Balance of News

• In principle, every news report must undergo verification.
• News that may harm other parties requires verification within the same report to fulfill the principles of accuracy and balance.
• The provisions in point (a) above may be exempted, provided that:

1. The news clearly contains urgent public interest;
2. The initial source of the news is clearly identified, credible, and competent;
3. The subject of the news to be confirmed is unknown, cannot be found, and/or cannot be 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 placed at the end of the same news article, enclosed in parentheses and written in italics.

• After publishing news as referred to in point (c), the media is obliged to continue verification efforts. Once verification is obtained, the results must be included in an updated news article, with a link to the previously unverified report.

3. User Generated Content (UGC)

• 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.
• Online media must require users to register as members and log in before being able to publish any form of User Generated Content. Further provisions regarding the log-in process shall be regulated separately.
• During registration, online media must require users to provide written consent that the User Generated Content they publish:

1. Does not contain false information, defamation, sadistic content, or pornography;
2. Does not contain prejudice or hatred related to ethnicity, religion, race, or intergroup relations (SARA), nor encourage acts of violence;
3. Does not contain discriminatory content based on gender or language, and does not demean the dignity of the weak, the poor, the sick, individuals with mental disabilities, or physical disabilities.

• Online media has full authority to edit or remove User Generated Content that violates the provisions in point (c).
• Online media must provide a complaint mechanism for User Generated Content deemed to violate the provisions in point (c). This mechanism must be easily accessible to users.
• Online media must edit, remove, and take corrective action on any reported User Generated Content that violates point (c) as soon as proportionally possible, no later than 2 x 24 hours after the complaint is received.
• 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).
• 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).

4. Corrections, Clarifications, and Right of Reply

• 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.
• Corrections, clarifications, and/or rights of reply must be linked to the news article that is corrected, clarified, or responded to.
• Each correction, clarification, and right of reply must clearly state the date and time of publication.
• If a news article from a particular online media outlet is redistributed by another online media outlet, then:

1. The responsibility of the original online media is limited to the news published on its own platform or platforms under its technical authority;
2. Corrections made by the original online media must also be made by other online media outlets that quote the corrected news;
3. Online media that redistribute news from another online media outlet and fail to apply corrections as made by the original publisher shall bear full legal responsibility for all consequences arising from the uncorrected news.

• In accordance with the Press Law, online media that fail to provide a right of reply may be subject to criminal fines of up to IDR 500,000,000 (five hundred million rupiah).

5. Removal of News

• News that has been published may not be removed due to censorship by external parties, except in cases related to SARA issues, morality, the future of children, traumatic experiences of victims, or other special considerations determined by the Press Council.
• Other online media outlets must follow the removal of quoted news content that has been withdrawn by the original source.
• The removal of news must be accompanied by the reasons for such removal and announced to the public.

6. Advertising

• Online media must clearly distinguish between editorial news content and advertising.
• Any news, article, or content that constitutes advertising and/or paid content must clearly include labels such as “advertorial,” “advertisement,” “ads,” “sponsored,” or other terms indicating that the content is advertising.

7. Copyright

Online media must respect copyright as regulated by applicable laws and regulations.

8. Display of the Guidelines

Online media must clearly and explicitly display these Guidelines for Online Media Reporting on their platforms.

9. Dispute Resolution

The final assessment and resolution of disputes regarding the implementation of these Guidelines for Online Media Reporting shall be determined by the Press Council.

Jakarta, 3 February 2012

(These Guidelines were signed by the Press Council and the press community in Jakarta on 3 February 2012.)