Freedom of opinion, expression, and the press are human rights protected by Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Freedom of the press is a means for society to obtain information and communicate, to fulfill essential needs and improve the quality of human life. In realizing this press freedom, Indonesian journalists also recognize the interests of the nation, social responsibility, societal diversity, and religious norms.
In carrying out their functions, rights, obligations, and roles, the press respects the human rights of every individual. Therefore, the press is required to be professional and open to public scrutiny.
To ensure press freedom and fulfill the public’s right to obtain accurate information, Indonesian journalists need a moral foundation and professional ethics as operational guidelines to maintain public trust and uphold integrity and professionalism. Based on this, Indonesian journalists establish and adhere to the Journalistic Code of Ethics:
Article 1
Indonesian journalists are independent, producing accurate, balanced, and non-malicious news.
Interpretation
- Independent means reporting events or facts according to conscience without interference, coercion, or intervention from other parties, including media owners.
- Accurate means trusted to be true according to objective circumstances when the event occurred.
- Balanced means all parties are given equal opportunity.
- Non-malicious means there is no deliberate intention solely to harm others.
Article 2
Indonesian journalists employ professional methods in carrying out journalistic duties.
Interpretation
Professional methods include:
- Identifying themselves to sources;
- Respecting the right to privacy;
- Not engaging in bribery;
- Producing factual news with clear sources;
- Clearly labeling and balancing any edited images, photos, or audio with explanations about their sources;
- Respecting the traumatic experiences of sources when presenting images, photos, or audio;
- Not plagiarizing, including claiming the work of other journalists as their own;
- Specific methods may be considered for investigative reporting in the public interest.
Article 3
Indonesian journalists always verify information, report in a balanced manner, do not mix facts with judgmental opinions, and apply the presumption of innocence.
Interpretation
- Verifying information means checking and rechecking its accuracy.
- Balanced means providing proportional space or time to each party.
- Judgmental opinions are personal opinions of journalists, distinct from interpretative opinions, which are based on factual interpretation.
- Presumption of innocence means not judging someone as guilty.
Article 4
Indonesian journalists do not produce false, defamatory, sadistic, or obscene news.
Interpretation
- False means something the journalist knows beforehand does not align with the facts.
- Defamatory means baseless accusations made deliberately with malicious intent.
- Sadistic means cruel and merciless.
- Obscene means erotic depictions through photos, images, audio, graphics, or text intended solely to arouse lust.
- Archived images or audio must include the time of capture.
Article 5
Indonesian journalists do not disclose or broadcast the identity of victims of sexual crimes or minors who are perpetrators of crimes.
Interpretation
- Identity includes all data and information that makes it easy to trace someone.
- A minor is someone under 16 years of age and unmarried.
Article 6
Indonesian journalists do not misuse their profession or accept bribes.
Interpretation
- Misusing the profession means any action that takes personal advantage of information obtained while on duty before it becomes public knowledge.
- Bribery includes any gifts in the form of money, goods, or facilities from other parties that influence independence.
Article 7
Indonesian journalists have the right to refuse to disclose the identity or whereabouts of sources who wish to remain anonymous, respect embargo agreements, background information, and off-the-record agreements.
Interpretation
- The right to refuse is the right not to reveal the identity or whereabouts of sources for their safety and that of their families.
- Embargo means delaying the publication or broadcast of news at the request of the source.
- Background information is any information or data from a source that is broadcast or reported without naming the source.
- Off-the-record means any information or data from a source that cannot be broadcast or reported.
Article 8
Indonesian journalists do not write or broadcast news based on prejudice or discrimination against individuals based on differences in ethnicity, race, skin color, religion, gender, or language, nor do they demean the dignity of the weak, poor, sick, mentally or physically disabled.
Interpretation
- Prejudice is a negative assumption about something before knowing the facts clearly.
- Discrimination is differential treatment.
Article 9
Indonesian journalists respect the privacy rights of sources, except for public interest.
Interpretation
- Respecting the rights of sources means exercising restraint and caution.
- Privacy refers to all aspects of an individual’s and their family’s life unrelated to public interest.
Article 10
Indonesian journalists promptly retract, correct, and rectify inaccurate or incorrect news, accompanied by an apology to readers, listeners, or viewers.
Interpretation
- Promptly means taking action as quickly as possible, whether or not there is external criticism.
- An apology is issued if the error relates to the core substance.
Article 11
Indonesian journalists serve the right of reply and the right to correction proportionally.
Interpretation
- The right of reply is the right of an individual or group to respond to or refute factual reporting that harms their reputation.
- The right to correction is the right of any individual to correct erroneous information reported by the press, whether about themselves or others.
- Proportional means equivalent to the portion of the news that needs correction.
Final assessment of violations of the Journalistic Code of Ethics is conducted by the Press Council. Sanctions for violations of the Journalistic Code of Ethics are imposed by journalist organizations and/or media companies.
Jakarta, Tuesday, March 14, 2006
(The Journalistic Code of Ethics was established by the Press Council through Press Council Regulation No. 6/Peraturan-DP/V/2008 concerning the Ratification of Press Council Decree No. 03/SK-DP/III/2006 on the Journalistic Code of Ethics as a Press Council Regulation.)