Cyber Media Guidelines

The Bali Observer is bound by the Cyber Media Reporting Guidelines issued by the Indonesian Press Council on 3 February 2012. Those guidelines apply Law Number 40 of 1999 on the Press and the Journalistic Code of Ethics to news outlets published on the internet. This page explains their main provisions and how The Bali Observer applies them daily. The official text is published by the Press Council at dewanpers.or.id.

Scope

These guidelines cover everything published at baliobserver.com, both newsroom work and user-generated content such as comments and reader submissions.

Verification and balance

Every story is verified before publication. Parties named and liable to be harmed are given a fair opportunity to respond.
An urgent story of clear public interest may be published before verification is complete, provided the source is identified and credible, the party yet to respond is named in the story, and the newsroom states that verification is continuing.
Follow-up verification is carried in the same story, linked to earlier reports, so readers see the event whole.

User-generated content

Comment and submission channels carry published terms requiring registration and agreement to those terms.
The Bali Observer does not carry content that is false, defamatory, sadistic, obscene, prejudiced on grounds of ethnicity, religion, race, or group, that incites violence, that discriminates against vulnerable groups, or that infringes copyright.
Such content is removed within two working days of a complaint being received. Complaints may be sent to redaksi@baliobserver.com.
Provided these obligations are met, the newsroom is not held liable for content created by users.

Corrections and right of reply

Corrections and rights of reply follow the Journalistic Code of Ethics, the Press Law, and the Press Council regulation on the Right of Reply.
Corrections and replies are linked to the story they concern and carry the time at which they were published.
Where another outlet republishes a The Bali Observer story that we later correct, that outlet is obliged to carry the same correction. Conversely, where an outlet we cited corrects its own report, we follow that correction.
The full procedure is in our Corrections, Right of Reply & Right of Correction Policy.

Withdrawal of published stories

A published story is not withdrawn because of pressure or a demand for censorship from outside the newsroom. Withdrawal is considered only for content involving ethnicity, religion, race and intergroup relations, decency, a child's future, a victim's traumatic experience, or other special grounds determined by the Press Council. Every withdrawal is explained and announced to readers. The decision rests with the Responsible Editor, Mursyid Sonsang.

Advertising

Paid content is clearly distinguished from journalism and labelled, for example as "Advertisement", "Advertorial", or "Sponsored Content". Paid content does not imitate news and never carries a news byline.

Copyright

The Bali Observer respects copyright in the journalism, photographs, video, and data of others. The rules for quoting and republishing our own work are in Terms of Use & Copyright.

Publication of these guidelines and disputes

These guidelines are published at baliobserver.com so readers know the standard we work to. Final judgement in reporting disputes rests with the Press Council. Complaints may be made first to the newsroom at redaksi@baliobserver.com or +6281334873432, and then to the Press Council at dewanpers.or.id.

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