Code of Ethics

Every reporter and staff member of The Bali Observer is bound by the Journalistic Code of Ethics issued by the Indonesian Press Council, together with the internal rules of PT. Kabar Delapan Belas set out below. The code is a condition of employment, not a suggestion. Breaches are acted on by the newsroom.

Core obligations

• Remain independent; produce news that is accurate, balanced, and free of bad faith.
• Report by professional means: identify ourselves, respect privacy, never bribe, and use covert methods only for a public interest that cannot be served otherwise, disclosing that fact to readers.
• Test information, report it fairly, keep judgemental opinion out of news reports, and apply the presumption of innocence.
• Publish nothing false, defamatory, sadistic, or obscene.
• Withhold the identity of victims of sexual offences and of children involved in crime.
• Never abuse the profession and never accept bribes.
• Respect the right to refuse disclosure of sources, embargoes, background briefings, and off-the-record agreements.
• Write no story founded on prejudice or discrimination as to ethnicity, race, colour, religion, sex, or language, and never demean vulnerable groups.
• Respect a source's private life, except where the public interest requires otherwise.
• Withdraw, correct, and repair inaccurate reports promptly, with an apology.
• Serve the right of reply and the right of correction proportionately.

Internal rules of PT. Kabar Delapan Belas

1. Reporters and staff of The Bali Observer on assignment carry a press card and company identification, and their names can be checked on the Masthead page and on author profiles at baliobserver.com.
2. The Bali Observer reporters are forbidden to request or accept money, goods, hospitality, or any other benefit from sources and from the subjects of their reporting.
3. Reporters may not also act as spokesperson, consultant, or officer of any body they cover. Personal conflicts of interest must be declared to the Responsible Editor before an assignment.
4. Reporting trips funded by outside parties are accepted only where no condition is attached to the coverage, and that funding is disclosed within the story.
5. Every published story is the decision and responsibility of the The Bali Observer newsroom — not of a source, an advertiser, or any third party.
6. Requests for correction, revision, and right of reply on published articles are handled under the Journalistic Code of Ethics and the Press Law, free of charge.
7. A right of reply is filed to redaksi@baliobserver.com with the subject "Right of Reply", stating the passage disputed, the link to the article, and the applicant's clear identity.

If one of our reporters is alleged to have breached the code

If you doubt the identity of someone claiming to work for The Bali Observer, or you receive a demand for money, a threat, or improper treatment, report it to redaksi@baliobserver.com or +6281334873432. Reports are examined by the Responsible Editor, Mursyid Sonsang, and answered in writing. Internal sanctions range from a warning to dismissal, separate from any legal process.

Final judgement in reporting disputes rests with the Press Council at dewanpers.or.id. Our detailed working rules are in Editorial Standards & Fact Verification.

This page is reviewed regularly by the The Bali Observer newsroom. Responsible Editor: Mursyid Sonsang.