Freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press are fundamental human rights protected by Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution of Indonesia, and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The existence of cyber media in Indonesia is also part of these freedoms.

Cyber media has unique characteristics, therefore guidelines are required to ensure its management is carried out professionally and fulfills its functions, rights, and obligations in accordance with Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics.

For this reason, the Press Council, together with press organizations, cyber media managers, and the public, has established the following Guidelines for Cyber Media Coverage:

1. Scope

1. Cyber Media refers to all forms of media that use the internet and carry out journalistic activities, while fulfilling the requirements set by the Press Law and Press Company Standards established by the Press Council.
2. User Generated Content (UGC) refers to any content created and/or published by users of cyber media, including articles, images, comments, audio, video, and various forms of uploads attached to cyber media such as blogs, forums, reader/viewer comments, and other formats.

2. Verification and News Balance

1. In principle, every news item must go through a verification process.
2. News that may harm other parties requires verification within the same report to ensure accuracy and balance.
3. Exceptions to verification apply under the following conditions:
   • The news contains urgent public interest;
   • The initial source is clearly identified, credible, and competent;
   • The subject of the news cannot be located or interviewed;
4. The media provides a note to readers stating that the news still requires further verification, which will be carried out as soon as possible.
5. This explanation must be placed at the end of the article, in parentheses, and in italics.
6. After publishing such news, the media must continue verification efforts. Once verification is obtained, the results must be included in an updated version of the article, with a link to the previous unverified report.

3. User Generated Content

1. Cyber media must clearly display terms and conditions regarding UGC that comply with the Press Law and Journalistic Code of Ethics.
2. Users are required to register and log in before publishing any content.
3. During registration, users must agree in writing that their content:
   • Does not contain false, defamatory, violent, or obscene material;
   • Does not promote hatred or discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, race, or group (SARA), nor encourage violence;
   • Does not contain discriminatory content based on gender or language, or degrade vulnerable individuals.
4. Cyber media has full authority to edit or delete content that violates these rules.
5. A complaint mechanism must be provided and easily accessible.
6. Reported violations must be addressed (edited, removed, or corrected) as soon as possible, no later than 2 x 24 hours after the complaint is received.
7. Cyber media that complies with these requirements is not responsible for violations caused by user content. However, failure to act within the specified timeframe makes the platform liable.

4. Corrections, Revisions, and Right of Reply

1. Corrections and right of reply follow the Press Law, Journalistic Code of Ethics, and Press Council guidelines.
2. Any correction or reply must be linked to the original article.
3. The time of correction must be clearly stated.
4. If content is republished by other media:
   
   • Responsibility lies with the original publisher within its platform;
   • Any corrections must also be followed by other media quoting the content;
   • Failure to correct makes the republishing media fully liable.
   • Failure to provide the right of reply may result in legal sanctions, including fines of up to IDR 500,000,000.

5. Content Removal

1. Published news cannot be removed due to external censorship, except in cases involving:

   • Ethnicity, religion, race (SARA)
   • Morality
   • Child protection
   • Victim trauma
   • Other considerations determined by the Press Council
2. Removed content must include a clear explanation and be publicly announced.

6. Advertising

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

2. Any paid or sponsored content must be labeled with terms such as:

   • “advertorial”
   • “advertisement”
   • “ads”
   • “sponsored”

7. Copyright

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

8.Publication of Guidelines

These Cyber Media Guidelines must be clearly displayed on the platform.

9. Dispute Resolution

Final decisions regarding disputes related to the implementation of these guidelines are handled by the Press Council.