Ownership, Funding & Independence

Readers are entitled to know who stands behind the news they read, who pays for it, and who decides what it says. This page answers those three questions and explains how Komodo Times keeps the newsroom at arm's length from commercial interests.

Publisher

Komodo Times is published by PT. Kabar Delapan Belas, a press company incorporated under Indonesian law as required by Law Number 40 of 1999 on the Press. Publisher's address (legal entity): Jalan Ir. Juanda No. 76, Kelurahan Simpang Tiga Sipin, Kota Jambi, Jambi. Newsroom email: redaksi@komodotimes.com. Phone and WhatsApp: +6281334873432.

Under Article 12 of the Press Law, the name, address, and responsible person of a press company must be published openly through the medium itself. More about Komodo Times is on our About Us page.

Responsible editor and newsroom

Responsible Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
Editors and reporters: named in the byline of every story and on our Masthead page.

The Responsible Editor holds final authority over everything we publish and carries legal responsibility for it under press law.

Where our money comes from

Komodo Times currently carries no programmatic advertising, belongs to no ad network, and installs no ad trackers.
Every article is free to read, with no subscription and no paywall.
Newsroom operating costs are borne by the publisher, PT. Kabar Delapan Belas.
Komodo Times accepts no payment to publish, withhold, alter, or withdraw a story.

If Komodo Times later takes direct advertising, sponsorship, grants, or any other income, this page will be updated and the source named.

Statement of editorial independence

Editorial decisions are made by the newsroom. The publisher, shareholders, advertisers, and sources have no authority to order a story published or stopped.
Sources, advertisers, and the subjects of our reporting have no right to read or approve copy before publication. We put questions to sources to test facts, not to seek approval.
The publisher and businesses connected to it are reported by the same standard as anyone else. They receive no favourable treatment, and are not avoided where there is a story.
Where Komodo Times reports on PT. Kabar Delapan Belas or a connected business, that relationship is disclosed within the story.
Reporters and editors accept no benefit from the subjects of their reporting and must declare personal conflicts of interest to the Responsible Editor.
Commercial work such as advertorial and sponsored content is not produced as news and never carries a news byline.

The detailed rules are in Editorial Standards & Fact Verification.

Advertising and sponsored content

If Komodo Times later carries advertising or paid content, the following apply, in line with the Cyber Media Reporting Guidelines:

Paid content is clearly labelled — "Advertorial", "Advertisement", or "Sponsored Content" — and the paying party is named.
Paid content is visually distinguished from news and does not imitate editorial work.
Advertising will not occupy more of a page than the editorial content.
Advertisers gain no influence over reporting. Buying an advertisement does not buy coverage.

How to raise a concern

If you suspect that a Komodo Times story was influenced by the interests of the owner, an advertiser, or another party, or that a relationship that should have been disclosed was not, email redaksi@komodotimes.com with the subject "Editorial Independence". Give the link to the story and the grounds for your concern. The message goes to the Responsible Editor and is answered in writing within three working days of receipt.

Concerns about factual error are handled under our Corrections, Right of Reply & Right of Correction Policy. If our answer does not satisfy you, you may take the matter to the Indonesian Press Council at dewanpers.or.id.

Changes

Any change of ownership, responsible editor, or funding source is reflected on this page, together with the date of the last update.

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