Police Urged to Reconsider Reports Against Two Online Media

The law enforcement process against journalists has again sparked debate. The Cyber Investigation Directorate (Ditressiber) of the Metro Jaya Police reportedly continued the legal process against two online media outlets, Teropongistana.com and Halloyouth.pikiran-rakyat.com, on charges of defamation and breaches of the Personal Data Protection Act. In fact, the dispute over the reporting is claimed to have been resolved through the official mechanism at Dewan Pers months earlier. The case, registered under police report number LP/B/2785/IV/2026/SPKT POLDA METRO JAYA, began with a complaint from a woman with initials S on 20 April 2026. Representative of Teropongistana.com’s editorial board, Jumri, expressed astonishment at the continuation of the police report. He explained that the matter originated from a July 2025 report about a lawyer’s complaint regarding the handling of a fraud case involving the named defendant with initials SI. ‘Feeling aggrieved, SI lodged the piece with Dewan Pers. Dewan Pers subsequently took action and issued Recommendation for Dispute Resolution (PPR) No. 922/DP/K/IX/2025, which required us to publish a right of reply,’ Jumri said on Thursday 21 May 2026. Jumri stressed that they complied immediately, publishing the right of reply and corrections in line with journalistic ethics. The link to the right of reply had been sent and received positively by Dewan Pers and SI’s legal counsel at the time. Investigators from Ditressiber called Teropongistana.com’s Editor-in-Chief on Wednesday 20 May 2026 to give evidence. During the interview, the editorial team raised strong objections to the investigators. Under Law No. 40 of 1999 on the Press, all objections to journalistic products should be resolved exclusively within the authority of Dewan Pers. ‘I explained this to the police, but they argued the case contains elements of defamation. There had already been a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a Cooperation Agreement (PKS) between Dewan Pers and the Indonesian Police, aimed at preventing journalists from being criminalised,’ Jumri said. Maruli Rajagukguk, counsel for Teropongistana.com, stated that the handling of the matter at police level should be halted in law. ‘The case is already clear, investigated, and decided by Dewan Pers. Since the resolution is already complete there, the investigation and questioning should not be necessary or allowed,’ he asserted. He reminded investigators to respect the MoU agreed between the National Police Chief and Dewan Pers relating to protection of press freedom, and urged the force to act professionally without external interference, noting pressure from certain quarters to push the case into criminal proceedings. ‘Indonesia is a rule-of-law state, not a state of power or offices,’ he said. To uphold the prestige of the Police, the two media’s lawyers urged Jakarta’s regional leadership to take firm action. ‘We ask for special attention from the Metro Jaya Police Chief, General Inspector Asep Edi Suheri, to reexamine the case comprehensively. We request that the investigation into these media be halted immediately through prudent and fair discretionary action, as the matter falls entirely within Dewan Pers’ remit,’ Maruli concluded. World Privacy Day Conference (WPDC) 2026 held on 28 January 2026 at BINUS University Alam Sutera is cited as context for AI and PDP. Minister for Communications and Information Technology Meutya Hafid emphasised that the press must maintain public trust amid disinformation and AI. The issue was a focus at WPDC 2026. The PDP Act serves as a rulebook for compliance in relation to AI. Personal data protection is foundational to the digital economy. Digital trust is the new currency in data-based economies. Harry Ara Hutabarat, Chair of the Jakarta Provincial Information Commission, spoke at a public lecture at Sahid University on ‘Data Protection and Privacy in the Digital Era.’