Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Speech, 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 by the United Nations. The existence of online media in Indonesia is also a part of the realization of these freedoms.
Online media has distinct characteristics that require specific guidelines to ensure their management is carried out professionally, fulfilling their 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, in collaboration with press organizations, online media managers, and the public, has formulated the following Guidelines for Online Media Reporting:
Scope
Online media refers to all forms of media that use the internet and carry out journalistic activities, fulfilling the requirements of the Press Law and the Standards for Press Companies as set by the Press Council.
User-Generated Content includes any content created and/or published by users of online media, such as articles, images, comments, audio, videos, and other uploads found in blogs, forums, reader comments, and similar formats.
News Verification and Balance
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In principle, all news must go through a verification process. News that may harm others requires verification within the same publication to meet accuracy and balance standards.
Exceptions apply under these conditions:
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The news contains urgent public interest.
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The initial source is clearly identified, credible, and competent.
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The subject of the news cannot be located or interviewed.
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The media must inform readers that the news still requires verification, which is being pursued promptly. This notice must be added at the end of the article, in parentheses and italics.
Once published under these exceptions, the media is obligated to continue efforts to verify, and any updates must include the verification results, along with a link to the original, unverified news.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
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Online media must clearly display terms and conditions for User-Generated Content, aligned with the Press Law and Journalistic Code of Ethics.
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Users must register and log in before publishing any form of UGC.
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During registration, users must provide written consent that their content will not:
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Contain falsehoods, slander, sadism, or pornography.
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Incite prejudice, hatred related to ethnicity, religion, race, and intergroup relations (SARA), or advocate violence.
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Be discriminatory by gender or language, or degrade the dignity of the weak, poor, ill, or physically/mentally disabled.
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Online media must:
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Provide a complaint mechanism that is easily accessible for reporting violations of these rules.
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Edit, remove, or correct reported UGC within 2 x 24 hours.
Online media that complies with the rules above (a, b, c, f) will not be held responsible for any legal consequences of content violations.
However, if no corrective action is taken within the time limit, the media becomes liable for any violations.
Corrections, Clarifications, and Right of Reply
These must follow the Press Law, Journalistic Code of Ethics, and Right of Reply Guidelines from the Press Council.
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Corrections must be linked to the original article.
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Each correction must clearly state the time it was published.
If an article is distributed by another online media outlet:
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The original media is only responsible for content published on its platform.
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Any correction made by the original outlet must also be made by the media that republished it.
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Media that does not apply the correction remains fully liable for any legal implications.
According to the Press Law, failure to accommodate a right of reply can result in a maximum fine of IDR 500,000,000 (five hundred million rupiah).
News Retraction
Published news cannot be withdrawn due to censorship from outside the editorial team, except in cases involving SARA (ethnicity, religion, race, intergroup), decency, children’s future, victims’ trauma, or other specific considerations as determined by the Press Council.
Media that cites the retracted news must also remove their references to it.
Retractions must include a public explanation of the reason.
Advertisements
Online media must clearly distinguish between editorial content and advertisements.
All content that is paid or sponsored must be clearly labeled with terms like:
“advertorial”, “advertisement”, “ads”, “sponsored”, or equivalent.
Copyright
Online media must respect copyright laws in accordance with prevailing regulations.
Display of Guidelines
Online media must prominently display these Guidelines for Online Media Reporting on their platforms.
Dispute Resolution
Final judgment on any disputes related to the implementation of these Guidelines will be settled by the Press Council.
Jakarta, February 3, 2012
(Press Council Regulation No. 1/Peraturan-DP/III/2012 on Guidelines for Online Media Reporting)