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Pedoman Media Siber

Guidelines for Cyber Media Freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press are 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 cyber media in Indonesia is also a part of the exercise of freedom of opinion, expression, and the press. Cyber media has distinct characteristics that require specific guidelines to ensure professional management that fulfills its functions, rights, and obligations in accordance with Law No. 40 of 1999 concerning the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics. Therefore, the Press Council, together with press organizations, cyber media managers, and the public, has established the following Guidelines for Cyber Media Reporting:

  1. Scope Cyber media refers to all forms of media that utilize the Internet platform and conduct journalistic activities, while meeting the requirements of the Press Law and the Press Company Standards set by the Press Council. User Generated Content refers to all content created and/or published by users of cyber media, including but not limited to articles, images, comments, audio, videos, and various forms of uploads attached to cyber media such as blogs, forums, reader or viewer comments, and other similar formats.
  2. Verification and Balance of News
    1. In principle, every news report must go through verification.
    2. News that may harm another party must include verification within the same report to uphold the principles of accuracy and balance.
    3. Exceptions to point (a) above are permitted under the following conditions:
      • The news is of urgent public interest;
      • The initial source of the news is clearly identified, credible, and competent;
      • The subject of the news to be verified cannot be located and/or interviewed;
      • The media must explain to readers that the report still requires further verification, which will be pursued as soon as possible. This explanation should appear at the end of the same article, in parentheses and italicized.
    4. After publishing a report under point (c), the media must continue efforts to verify the information. Once verification is obtained, the results should be added to an updated version of the report, linked to the unverified version.
  3. User Generated Content (UGC)
    1. Cyber media must clearly display terms and conditions for User Generated Content that comply with Law No. 40 of 1999 concerning the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics.
    2. Cyber media must require users to register and log in before publishing any form of User Generated Content. The detailed provisions regarding login procedures will be regulated later.
    3. During registration, users must provide written consent that their content will not:
      • Contain false, defamatory, violent, or obscene material;
      • Contain prejudice or hatred related to ethnicity, religion, race, or inter-group relations (SARA), nor incite violence;
      • Contain discriminatory content based on gender or language, nor degrade the dignity of the weak, poor, ill, or physically/mentally disabled persons.
    4. Cyber media reserves full authority to edit or delete User Generated Content that violates point (c). It must also provide a complaint mechanism for users to report violations, accessible and easy to use.
    5. Cyber media must promptly and proportionally edit, delete, or correct any reported User Generated Content that violates point (c), no later than 2 × 24 hours after receiving a complaint.
    6. Cyber media that complies with points (a), (b), (c), and (f) shall not be held responsible for problems arising from content that violates point (c).
    7. Cyber media shall be held responsible for reported User Generated Content if no corrective action is taken within the specified time frame under point (f).
  4. Corrections and Right of Reply
    1. Corrections and the right of reply refer to the Press Law, the Journalistic Code of Ethics, and the Right of Reply Guidelines set by the Press Council.
    2. Corrections and/or rights of reply must be linked to the original article being corrected or responded to.
    3. Each correction or right of reply must include the date and time it was published.
    4. If a news story from one cyber media outlet is distributed by another:
      • The original media outlet is responsible only for the version published on its own platform or under its technical authority;
      • If the original media issues a correction, other outlets that quoted the story must also publish the same correction;
      • Any media outlet that republishes a story but fails to correct it in line with the original media’s correction is fully responsible for any legal consequences arising from the uncorrected report.
    5. Under the Press Law, cyber media that fails to honor the right of reply may be subject to criminal sanctions and a fine of up to IDR 500,000,000 (five hundred million rupiah).
  5. Retraction of News
    1. Published news cannot be withdrawn due to external censorship, except for matters related to SARA, morality, child protection, victims’ traumatic experiences, or other special considerations determined by the Press Council.
    2. Other cyber media outlets must follow the retraction of any quoted report from the original source that has been withdrawn.
    3. News retraction must be accompanied by an explanation of the reason and publicly announced.
  6. Advertising
    1. Cyber media must clearly distinguish between news content and advertisements.
    2. Any content that constitutes advertising or paid content must be clearly labeled with “advertorial,” “advertisement,” “ads,” “sponsored,” or other appropriate terms indicating its nature as advertising material.
  7. Copyright Cyber media must respect copyright laws in accordance with applicable regulations.
  8. Publication of the Guidelines Cyber media must clearly and prominently display these Guidelines for Cyber Media Reporting on their platform.
  9. Dispute Resolution Final judgment over disputes concerning the implementation of these Guidelines for Cyber Media Reporting shall be settled by the Press Council. Jakarta, February 3, 2012 (These Guidelines were signed by the Press Council and the journalism community in Jakarta on February 3, 2012).