Wamenkominfo Affirms Presidential Decree Publisher Rights Will Not Silence Press Freedom

Deputy Minister of Communication and Information Nezar Patria (photo: screenshot of Dinda Buana/VOI zoom)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo has ratified Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 32 of 2024 concerning the Responsibility of Digital Platform Companies to Support Quality Journalism or Publisher Rights on February 20.

Through this Presidential Decree, the government as a regulator seeks to regulate business relations between digital platforms and publicists or press companies, in broadcasting content from quality journalism.

Deputy Minister of Communication and Information, Nezar Patria, also emphasized that this Presidential Decree would not at all silence press freedom, as feared by some.

"A misunderstanding, this presidential regulation has nothing to do with silencing press freedom. Instead, we ask digital platforms to prioritize quality journalism content," Nezar said in FMB9 on Friday, March 1.

In accordance with this Presidential Decree, the press council is also given the authority to form a special independent committee, which will be tasked with overseeing obligations from digital platforms, as well as a mediation bridge between press companies and digital platforms.

Nezar also hopes that all digital platforms can carry out their obligations, in accordance with Article 5 of Presidential Decree Number 32 of 2024, including:

"Article 19 provides a time lag after 6 months, so after it is ratified everyone can read, can negotiate, the press council for the committee, the publisher also prepares steps, while the digital platform prepares a number of steps. So that when 6 months, everything can go according to agreements," said Nezar.