Indonesia to introduce new rules for media outlets

In this file photo taken on December 14, 2022, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo speaks during the opening ceremony at the EU-ASEAN summit in Brussels. The Press Council said on Thursday that Indonesia is drafting a new regulation allowing media outlets to receive payments from digital platforms or aggregation that carry their content.

Arif Zulkifli, a member of Indonesia's Press Council, said that the new law is expected to level the playing field between media and tech firms in terms of content and profit.

The law, proposed two years ago, was inspired by similar legislation in Germany and Australia and is expected to be issued as a presidential regulation within a month.

Some digital platforms in Indonesia include Facebook, Alphabet Inc's Google, and some local aggregation.

Arif said these platforms benefit from the content generated by media companies, while most media companies receive small profits. There is no balance in this, he said.

The Press Council will be responsible for price structures and payments schemes and will act as a mediator in the event of a dispute.

The News Media Bargaining Code took effect in March, 2021 in Australia. Since then, more than 30 tech firms have been inked with media outlets that have compensated them for content that generated clicks and advertising dollars, according to a report by the country's Treasury Department.

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The report said these agreements have enabled news businesses to employ additional journalists and make other valuable investments in their operations.

Almost 60 percent of the advertising spend was taken from digital media, especially foreign platforms. He said that's sad.