Corrections, Right of Reply & Right of Correction

Komodo Times works to get every story right the first time. Errors still happen. When they do, we fix them quickly and openly, without erasing the record. This page explains how to report an error, how to exercise the right of correction and the right of reply, and how we mark corrections on the article itself.

Our principles

Every factual error, large or small, is corrected as soon as it is established.
Corrections are made in the open. Readers are told what was wrong, what is right, and when the fix was made.
Published stories are never quietly altered or deleted. The fix stays attached to the same story so the archive remains intact and traceable.
Serving the right of reply and the right of correction is a legal duty of the press, not a favour. The service is free of charge.

Legal and ethical basis

Law Number 40 of 1999 on the Press: Article 1(11)–(13) defining the right of reply, the right of correction, and the duty to correct, and Article 5(2) and (3) obliging the press to serve both. Article 18(2) provides a fine of up to Rp500 million for a press company that fails to serve the right of reply.
Journalistic Code of Ethics, Articles 10 and 11: journalists promptly withdraw, correct, and repair inaccurate reports with an apology, and serve the right of reply and the right of correction proportionately.
Press Council Regulation Number 9/Peraturan-DP/X/2008 on Right of Reply Guidelines.
The Cyber Media Reporting Guidelines (Press Council, 2012), in particular the provisions on corrections, right of reply, and withdrawal.
Press Council Regulation Number 1/PERATURAN-DP/I/2025 on Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Journalistic Work, for corrections to work produced with AI assistance.

The terms we use

Correction: a repair to a factual error such as a name, title, figure, date, place, quote, caption, or context that made the report inaccurate.
Update: new information added to a developing story. An update is not a correction; the earlier report was not wrong, only incomplete.
Clarification: further explanation where the facts published were right but their presentation could mislead.
Right of correction: the right of any person to correct erroneous information reported by the press, about themselves or about others.
Right of reply: the right of a person, group, organisation, or legal entity to respond to or rebut reporting of facts damaging to their good name.
Withdrawal: removal of a story from publication, used only in the narrow circumstances described below.

How to report an error

Email redaksi@komodotimes.com. To speed handling, begin the subject with Correction, Right of Correction, or Right of Reply, followed by the headline. Please include:

The headline, publication date, and link to the story.
The passage you consider wrong or damaging, quoted as needed.
The information you believe to be correct, with supporting material: documents, links to official sources, photographs, or recordings.
Your full name, your relationship to the story (subject, legal representative, or reader), and a contact number.
For an organisation or legal entity: a letter from an authorised representative, or a power of attorney.

A letter may also be addressed to the Responsible Editor of Komodo Times, Jalan Ir. Juanda No. 76, Kelurahan Simpang Tiga Sipin, Kota Jambi, Jambi. Under the Right of Reply Guidelines, a right-of-reply filing is also copied to the Press Council.

Error reports from readers who do not give their identity are still examined, so long as the substance can be verified. A right of reply requires clear identification. A complainant's personal data is used only to handle the complaint, as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Our deadlines

Acknowledgement. We confirm receipt within one working day.
A proven factual error. Corrected as soon as it is verified, and within two working days of a complete report reaching us.
Right of reply. Published at the first opportunity, within three working days of receiving the response and its supporting material.
Complaints needing longer examination, for instance where a document or third-party confirmation is awaited, are kept updated with the complainant. Where necessary the story carries a note that part of it is under review.
Complaints we decline are answered in writing with our reasons.

How corrections are marked

Any change to a published story leaves a trace the reader can see.

Updated. A substantive change adds an "Updated" note with the date and time, next to the publication date. The original publication date is never changed. We do not restamp old stories to make them look new.
Correction. Where the change repairs a factual error, a note beginning "Correction" is added at the end of the article, giving the time of the correction, what was originally published in error, and what is correct. The form is: "Correction, [date] at [time] WITA (UTC+8): An earlier version of this story said [the error]. In fact, [the correct information]."
Clarification. Written the same way, beginning "Clarification".
Right of reply. Published as its own piece or within the story, labelled "Right of Reply", and linked both ways with the story it answers. The time of publication is stated.
Headlines and summaries. Where the error is in the headline, the headline is fixed and the correction note says so. Where the story was distributed on official Komodo Times channels, the correction is carried on those channels too.
Typographical and grammatical fixes that do not change meaning are made without a note.

Serving the right of reply

A right of reply is served proportionately and placed in the same section as the story complained of, unless otherwise agreed. With the agreement of the parties it may take the form of a correction, an interview, or a follow-up report, but never an advertisement.
The newsroom may edit a reply to journalistic standards without altering its substance.
A right of reply is published once for each report.
Under the Right of Reply Guidelines, the newsroom may decline a reply that is longer than the story complained of, introduces unrelated facts, risks breaking the law, or conflicts with the legally protected interests of a third party. A refusal is explained, and the applicant is invited to revise.
Where our error was judgemental, defamatory, or false, the correction carries an apology.
The right of reply lapses if not exercised within two months of publication, unless the parties agree otherwise. Reports of factual error are examined whenever they arrive.

Withdrawal of a story

Following the Cyber Media Reporting Guidelines, a published story is not withdrawn because of pressure or a demand for censorship from outside the newsroom. Withdrawal is considered only for content involving ethnicity, religion, race and intergroup relations, decency, a child's future, a victim's traumatic experience, or other special grounds determined by the Press Council.

The decision rests with the Responsible Editor, Mursyid Sonsang. Every withdrawal is explained and announced to readers. Where Komodo Times has cited another outlet's report that the outlet later withdraws, we withdraw the citation as well.

Requests to delete a story on other grounds — for instance that a case has concluded or the information is old — are handled through an update, a right of reply, or an editor's note, not by deletion.

Stories cited from or by other outlets

Our responsibility is limited to what is published at komodotimes.com. Where we correct a story, outlets that republished it are obliged to carry the same correction. Conversely, where an outlet we cited corrects its report, we amend ours and mark it as a correction.

Corrections to AI-assisted work

Articles produced with the help of artificial intelligence are subject to this same policy and remain entirely the newsroom's responsibility. Edits and corrections to such articles are disclosed openly. Details are in our Artificial Intelligence Policy.

If you remain dissatisfied

Readers or sources dissatisfied with our handling of a complaint may take it to the Indonesian Press Council at dewanpers.or.id. Under the Press Law and the Cyber Media Reporting Guidelines, final judgement in reporting disputes rests with the Press Council.

This page is reviewed regularly by the Komodo Times newsroom. Responsible Editor: Mursyid Sonsang.