Media Baca aja

Online Media Guidelines

Freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press are human rights protected by Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The existence of online media in Indonesia is also part of freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press.

Online media have unique characteristics, which necessitate guidelines to ensure they are managed professionally and fulfill their functions, rights, and obligations in accordance with Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Code of Journalistic Ethics. To that end, the Press Council, together with press organizations, online media operators, and the public, has formulated the following Guidelines for Online Media Reporting:

1. Scope

Online Media refers to any form of media that uses the Internet as a platform, engages in journalistic activities, and complies with the requirements of the Press Law and the Press Company Standards established by the Press Council. User-Generated Content (UGC) refers to any content created and/or published by users of digital media, including, but not limited to, articles, images, comments, audio, video, and various forms of uploads associated with digital media, such as blogs, forums, reader or viewer comments, and other forms.

2. Verification and Balance in News Reporting

  1. In principle, every news story must undergo verification.
  2. News that could be detrimental to another party must be verified to ensure it meets the principles of accuracy and balance.
  3. The provision in subparagraph (a) above does not apply, provided that:
    1. The news truly involves a matter of urgent public interest.
    2. The first type of news source is one whose identity is clearly stated, and which is credible and competent.
    3. The subject of the news story, whose whereabouts are unknown and/or who cannot be interviewed, must be confirmed.
    4. The media outlet explained to readers that the news story still required further verification, which was being pursued as quickly as possible. The explanation was included at the end of the same news story, in parentheses and in italics.
  4. After publishing a news story in accordance with item (c), the media outlet must continue its verification efforts, and once verification is complete, the results must be included in an update to the story, along with a link to the unverified story.

3. User-Generated Content

  1. Online media outlets are required to clearly and prominently display terms and conditions regarding User-Generated Content that do not conflict with Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Code of Journalistic Ethics.
  2. The online media platform requires all users to register for a membership and log in before they can publish any form of User-Generated Content. The terms regarding the login process will be specified in further detail.
  3. During the registration process, the online media outlet requires users to provide written consent stating that the User-Generated Content published:
    1. Does not contain false, defamatory, violent, or obscene content;
    2. Does not contain content that promotes prejudice or hatred based on ethnicity, religion, race, or intergroup relations (SARA), nor does it advocate acts of violence;
    3. It does not contain discriminatory content based on gender or language, nor does it demean the dignity of the vulnerable, the poor, the sick, or those with mental or physical disabilities.
  4. Online media outlets have the absolute authority to edit or remove User-Generated Content that violates provision (c). Online media outlets are required to provide a mechanism for reporting User-Generated Content deemed to violate the provisions of (c). This mechanism must be made available in a location that is easily accessible to users.
  5. Online media outlets are required to edit, delete, and take corrective action regarding any User-Generated Content that is reported and violates the provisions of subparagraph (c), as soon as possible and in a proportionate manner, no later than 2 x 24 hours after the complaint is received.
  6. Online media outlets that have complied with the provisions in subparagraphs (a), (b), (c), and (f) shall not be held liable for any issues arising from the publication of content that violates the provisions in subparagraph (c).
  7. Online media outlets are responsible for reported User-Generated Content if they fail to take corrective action by the deadline specified in item (f).

4. Errata, Corrections, and Right of Reply

  1. Retractions, corrections, and right of reply are governed by the Press Law, the Code of Journalistic Ethics, and the Guidelines on the Right of Reply established by the Press Council.
  2. Retractions, corrections, and/or right-of-reply statements must be linked to the news article that is being retracted, corrected, or to which a right-of-reply statement is attached.
  3. Every retraction, correction, and right of reply must include the date and time of publication of the retraction, correction, and/or right of reply.
  4. If a particular online news story is reposted by another online media outlet, then:
    1. The liability of online media outlets that produce news is limited to news published on those outlets or on online media under their technical authority;
    2. A correction to a news story published by an online media outlet must also be published by other online media outlets that cited the story from the outlet that issued the correction;
    3. Any media outlet that disseminates news from an online media source and fails to correct the news in accordance with the corrections made by the online media source that owns and/or produced the news bears full responsibility for all legal consequences arising from the uncorrected news.
  5. In accordance with the Press Law, online media outlets that fail to honor the right of reply may be subject to criminal penalties in the form of a fine of up to Rp500,000,000 (five hundred million rupiah).

5. Retraction of a News Article

  1. Published news articles cannot be retracted due to censorship by parties outside the editorial staff, except in cases involving issues of race, religion, ethnicity, or intergroup relations; public morality; the welfare of children; the traumatic experiences of victims; or other special considerations established by the Press Council.
  2. Other online media outlets are required to remove news quotes from the original media source once those quotes have been removed.
  3. The retraction of a news story must be accompanied by the reason for the retraction and announced to the public.

6. Ads

  1. Online media must clearly distinguish between news content and advertisements.
  2. Any news item, article, or content that constitutes an advertisement or paid content must include the label “advertorial,” “advertisement,” “ads,” “sponsored,” or another term that clarifies that the news item, article, or content is an advertisement.

7. Copyright

Online media must respect copyright as stipulated in applicable laws and regulations.

8. Inclusion of Guidelines

Online media outlets are required to clearly and explicitly publish these Guidelines for Online Media Reporting on their platforms.

9. Disputes

Final rulings on disputes regarding the implementation of these Guidelines for Online Media Reporting are made by the Press Council.

Jakarta, February 3, 2012

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