Cyber Media Guidelines

Freedom of opinion, expression, and 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 presence of online media (cyber media) in Indonesia is also part of this freedom.

Cyber media has unique characteristics that require special guidelines so that its management can be conducted professionally, fulfilling its functions, rights, and responsibilities in accordance with Law No. 40 of 1999 concerning the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics. For this reason, the Press Council, in collaboration with press organizations, cyber media managers, and the public, has formulated the following Cyber Media Reporting Guidelines:

1. Scope

  • Cyber media refers to all forms of media that use the internet and engage in journalistic activities, complying with the requirements of the Press Law and Press Company Standards set by the Press Council.

  • 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, videos, and uploads embedded in blogs, forums, or comment sections.

2. News Verification and Balance

  • In principle, every news article must go through verification.

  • News that may harm others requires verification in the same news piece to ensure accuracy and balance.

  • Exceptions apply if:

    • The news is of urgent public interest;

    • The first source is clearly identified, credible, and competent;

    • The subject of the news cannot be located or interviewed;

    • The media provides a statement to the readers that the news still requires further verification, placed at the end of the article in italics and within parentheses.

  • Media must continue the verification process and update the news with the verification results, including a link to the unverified version.

3. User Generated Content (UGC)

  • Cyber media must display terms and conditions regarding UGC that do not contradict the Press Law and the Journalistic Code of Ethics, clearly and visibly.

  • Users must register and log in before publishing any form of UGC.

  • During registration, users must agree in writing that their content:

    • Does not contain falsehoods, defamation, sadism, or pornography;

    • Does not contain prejudice or hate speech related to ethnicity, religion, race, or intergroup relations (SARA), nor incite violence;

    • Does not include discriminatory content based on gender or language, and does not degrade the dignity of the weak, poor, sick, mentally or physically disabled.

  • Cyber media has the absolute authority to edit or remove UGC that violates these provisions.

  • A complaint mechanism for reporting violations must be easily accessible to users.

  • Cyber media must edit, remove, or correct reported content proportionally within a maximum of 2×24 hours after the complaint is received.

  • Cyber media that complies with the above provisions is not held responsible for violations caused by UGC.

  • Cyber media will be held responsible if it fails to act within the specified time.

4. Corrections, Clarifications, and Right of Reply

  • These follow the provisions of the Press Law, the Journalistic Code of Ethics, and the Right of Reply Guidelines by the Press Council.

  • Corrections and replies must be linked to the original content.

  • Each correction or reply must state the date and time of publication.

  • If a news article is redistributed by another media outlet:

    • The responsibility of the original media is limited to the content it published or within its technical authority;

    • Corrections by the original media must also be applied by those who redistribute it;

    • Media outlets that fail to apply the correction are fully responsible for any resulting legal consequences.

  • Based on the Press Law, media that fail to accommodate a right of reply may be subject to a fine of up to IDR 500,000,000 (five hundred million rupiah).

5. News Retraction

  • Published news cannot be retracted due to censorship from external parties, except in cases involving ethnicity, religion, morality, children’s future, victims’ trauma, or other special considerations by the Press Council.

  • Media outlets that quoted the retracted news must also remove it.

  • Any retraction must be accompanied by a reason and publicly announced.

6. Advertising

  • Cyber media must clearly distinguish between editorial content and advertising.

  • Any news/article/content that is paid or sponsored must be labeled clearly, e.g., “advertorial,” “advertisement,” “ads,” “sponsored,” or similar.

7. Copyright

  • Cyber media must respect copyright in accordance with applicable laws.

8. Publication of Guidelines

  • Cyber media must publish this Cyber Media Reporting Guideline clearly on their platform.

9. Dispute Resolution

  • Final decisions on disputes regarding the implementation of this guideline shall be resolved by the Press Council.