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 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The existence of cyber media in Indonesia is part of these freedoms of opinion, expression, and the press.

Cyber media has unique characteristics that require guidelines to ensure professional management, fulfilling its functions, rights, and responsibilities in accordance with Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics.
For this purpose, the Press Council, together with press organizations, cyber media operators, and the public, have established the following Cyber Media Reporting Guidelines:

1. Scope

a. Cyber Media refers to all forms of media that operate through the internet, conduct journalistic activities, and meet the requirements of the Press Law and the Press Company Standards set by the Press Council.

b. User Generated Content (UGC) refers to all content created and/or published by cyber media users, including articles, images, comments, audio, videos, and any uploads linked to cyber media platforms such as blogs, forums, reader or viewer comments, and other formats.

2. News Verification and Balance

a. In principle, all news must undergo verification.

b. News that could potentially harm others must include verification in the same report to ensure accuracy and balance.

c. Exceptions to point (a) are allowed only if:

1. The news contains urgent public interest;

2. The primary source is clearly identified, credible, and competent;

3. The subject of the news cannot be located or interviewed;

4. The media explains to readers that the news still requires further verification, which will be pursued as soon as possible. This explanation must be placed at the end of the same news report, in parentheses, and in italics.

d. After publishing news under point (c), the media must continue verification efforts and, once verified, update the news with a link to the original unverified report.

3. User Generated Content (UGC)

a. Cyber media must clearly display terms and conditions for UGC that comply with Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics.

b. Cyber media must require users to register and log in before publishing any UGC. Further login requirements will be regulated separately.

c. During registration, users must provide written consent that their UGC:

1. Does not contain false, defamatory, violent, or obscene content;

2. Does not contain prejudice or hatred related to ethnicity, religion, race, and intergroup relations (SARA), nor incite violence;

3. Does not contain discriminatory content based on gender or language, and does not demean the dignity of the weak, the poor, the sick, or people with physical or mental disabilities.

d. Cyber media has full authority to edit or remove UGC that violates point (c).

e. Cyber media must provide an accessible complaint mechanism for reporting UGC that violates point (c).

f. Upon receiving a complaint, cyber media must edit, delete, or correct the reported UGC as soon as possible, no later than 2 × 24 hours.

g. Cyber media that meets points (a), (b), (c), and (f) will not be held responsible for any legal consequences arising from UGC that violates point (c).

h. Cyber media will be held responsible if it fails to take corrective action within the time limit stated in point (f).

4. Corrections, Clarifications, and Right of Reply

a. These refer to the Press Law, the Journalistic Code of Ethics, and the Right of Reply Guidelines set by the Press Council.

b. Corrections, clarifications, and right of reply must be linked to the original news.

c. All corrections, clarifications, and rights of reply must include the date and time of publication.

d. If a news article from one cyber media is republished by another:

1. The responsibility of the original publisher is limited to content published on its own platform or under its technical authority;

2. Any corrections made by the original publisher must also be made by the republishing media;

3. If the republishing media fails to make such corrections, it bears full legal responsibility for the uncorrected content.

e. Under the Press Law, a cyber media that fails to provide a right of reply may be subject to a criminal fine of up to IDR 500,000,000.

5. News Retraction

a. Published news cannot be retracted due to external censorship, except for content related to SARA, decency, child protection, victims’ traumatic experiences, or other special considerations determined by the Press Council.

b. Other media must also retract quoted content if the original source retracts it.

c. All retractions must be accompanied by an explanation and announced to the public.

6. Advertising

a. Cyber media must clearly distinguish between editorial content and advertisements.

b. Any news/article/content that is paid or sponsored must be labeled “advertorial,” “advertisement,” “ads,” “sponsored,” or other terms indicating it is an advertisement.

7. Copyright

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

8. Publication of Guidelines

Cyber media must clearly display these Cyber Media Reporting Guidelines on their platform.

9. Disputes

Final resolution of disputes related to these Guidelines will be handled by the Press Council.

Jakarta, February 3, 2012

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