Freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press are human rights protected by Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The existence of cyber media in Indonesia is also part of the freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press.
Cyber media has special characteristics requiring guidelines so that its management can be carried out professionally, fulfilling functions, rights, and obligations in accordance with Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics. For this reason, the Press Council together with press organizations, cyber media managers, and the public compiled the Cyber Media News Guidelines as follows:
1. Scope
Cyber Media is any form of media that uses the internet vehicle and carries out journalistic activities, and meets the requirements of the Press Law and Press Company Standards set by the Press Council.
User Generated Content is any content created and or published by cyber media users, including articles, images, comments, sounds, videos and various forms of uploads attached to cyber media, such as blogs, forums, reader or viewer comments, and other forms.
2. News Verification and Balance
- In principle, every news item must be verified.
- News that can harm other parties requires verification on the same news item to meet the principles of accuracy and balance.
- Provisions in point (a) above are excluded, provided that:
- The news truly contains urgent public interest;
- The first news source is a source whose identity is clearly stated, credible and competent;
- The subject of the news to be confirmed is unknown and or cannot be interviewed;
- The media provides an explanation to the reader that the news still requires further verification which is sought as soon as possible. The explanation is included at the end of the same news item, in parentheses and using italics.
- After publishing news in accordance with point (c), the media is obliged to continue verification efforts, and after verification is obtained, the verification results are included in the update news with a link to the unverified news.
3. User Generated Content
Cyber media are obliged to include terms and conditions regarding User Generated Content that do not conflict with Law No. 40 of 1999 concerning the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics, which are placed clearly.
Cyber media requires each user to register for membership and log in first to be able to publish all forms of User Generated Content. Provisions regarding log-in will be regulated further.
In the registration, cyber media requires users to give written consent that the User Generated Content published:
- Does not contain lies, slander, sadistic and obscene content;
- Does not contain content containing prejudice and hatred related to ethnicity, religion, race, and inter-group (SARA), and advocates acts of violence;
- Does not contain discriminatory content based on gender and language differences, and does not demean the dignity of the weak, poor, sick, mentally disabled, or physically disabled.
Cyber media has absolute authority to edit or delete User Generated Content that conflicts with point (c). Cyber media is obliged to provide a complaint mechanism for User Generated Content deemed to violate the provisions in point (c). The place must be provided in a place that is easily accessible to users.
4. Errata, Correction, and Right of Reply
- Errata, corrections, and rights of reply refer to the Press Law, the Journalistic Code of Ethics, and the Guidelines on Rights of Reply determined by the Press Council.
- Errata, corrections and or rights of reply must be linked to the news that is corrected or given a right of reply.
- In every errata, correction, and right of reply news, the time of loading the errata, correction, and or right of reply must be stated.
- If a certain cyber media news is disseminated by other cyber media, then:
- The responsibility of the news-making cyber media is limited to news published in the cyber media or cyber media under its technical authority;
- News corrections made by a cyber media must also be made by other cyber media citing news from the corrected cyber media;
- Media that disseminates news from a cyber media and does not make corrections to the news according to what was done by the owner and or news maker cyber media, is fully responsible for all legal consequences of the uncorrected news.
5. News Retraction
News that has been published cannot be retracted due to censorship reasons from outside the editorial team, except regarding SARA issues, decency, the future of children, victims' traumatic experiences or based on other special considerations determined by the Press Council.
Other cyber media must follow the retraction of news quotes from the original media that has been retracted. News retraction must be accompanied by reasons for retraction and announced to the public.
6. Advertising
Cyber media must strictly distinguish between news products and advertisements. Every news/article that is an advertisement and or paid content must include the description "advertorial", "advertisement", "ads", "sponsored", or other words explaining that the news/article is an advertisement.
7. Copyright
Cyber media must respect copyright as regulated in the applicable laws and regulations.
8. Inclusion of Guidelines
Cyber media must include these Cyber Media News Guidelines in their media clearly.
9. Disputes
The final assessment of disputes regarding the implementation of these Cyber Media News Guidelines is resolved by the Press Council.
Jakarta, February 3, 2012
(This guideline was signed by the Press Council and the press community in Jakarta).