Indonesian Journalists should adhere to Journalist’s Code of Ethics when reporting and publishing the information to public. Specifically for reporting on children, the Indonesian Press Council has also issued guidelines for child-friendly reporting, containing guidance for reporting on various cases affecting children.
The 12 articles contained in the guidelines have outlined the things that journalists in Indonesia should do when reporting and publishing news related to children. However, there are still many violations committed by journalists in reporting about children, even though most of the journalists have developed awareness to protect children's privacy from reporting news containing violence.
Although these guidelines were issued by the Indonesian Press Council for journalists, bloggers who write on various platforms should also understand about it as well as the netizens who often post contents related to children. At least this can be one of the ways in protecting children from becoming victims of our unconsciousness when posting contents on them.
12 Guidelines for Child Friendly Reporting as set by the Indonesian Press Council are as follows:
- Journalists should protect a child's identity in reporting information about children, especially those suspected, accused, convicted of violating the law or convicted of crimes.
- Journalists should report factually with sentences / narratives / visuals / audios that are positive, empathetic and / or do not make descriptions / reconstructions of sexual and sadistic events.
- Journalists should not ask for information about things beyond the child's capacity to answer such as the events of death, divorce, infidelity of his/her parents and / or family members as well as violence or crime, conflict, and disasters that cause traumatic impacts.
- Journalists can take visuals to complete information about children's events related to legal issues, but should not broadcast visuals, and audio identities or associations of children's identities.
- In reporting a positive nuanced news or about achievements, the journalists should consider the psychological impact of children and the negative effects of excessive reporting.
- Journalists should not find information and should not report the whereabouts of children who are under the protection of Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK).
- Journalists should not interview child witnesses in cases where the perpetrators of crime have not been arrested / detained.
- Journalists should avoid disclosing the identity of sex offenders who associate blood / family relations between child victims and perpetrators. If it has been reported, the journalists should immediately stops the disclosure of the child's identity. Especially for cyber media, the content that has been uploaded should be re-edited so that the child's identity is not revealed.
- In the event that the news of a child is lost, or is held hostage, it is permissible to reveal the child's identity, but if it is later his/her whereabouts is found out, the child’s identity may not be published in the next report and previous reports should be removed.
- Journalists should not reveal the identity of children who are involved by adults in activities related to political activities and any activities exploit the issues of ethnicity, religion, race and inter group (SARA).
- Journalists should not report on children using materials (video / photos / status / audio) only from social media.
- In juvenile justice, journalists should respect the provisions in the juvenile justice.
