The government is currently formulating rules of cooperation between mass media and digital platforms, which will later be issued via a publisher rights presidential decree (Perpres).
The rules include a requirement on online platforms to carefully pick news content that complies with journalism ethics and standards.
During a discussion in Jakarta on Saturday, Kansong said that the government "has tried to find common ground" with various parties, including digital platforms.
However, they said that they did not yet have an algorithm to carry out such news selection and did not consider this to be a part of their duties.
After the discussion, they finally agreed to an article in the draft presidential decree, which states that platforms will not distribute news content that is not in accordance with the journalistic code of ethics, Kansong informed.
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The platforms will also be required to remove news that breaks journalistic ethics and press laws.
The Indonesian government is preparing a draft Presidential Decree on Publisher Rights (Perpres). The Perpres will regulate news content produced by press agencies, Deputy Minister of Communication and Information, Nezar Patria, said.
The regulation will also ensure good journalism by giving a committee—consisting of Press Council members, academicians, and government officials—the authority to decide what content can appear on the platforms, according to the government.
However, Google voiced concerns over the regulation, saying the rule would limit public news sources.
It said that such a regulation would affect the platform's ability to provide users of Google products in Indonesia with relevant, credible, and diverse online sources of information.
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Translator: Shofi Ayudiana
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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