JAKARTA: Indonesia is taking a step forward by mandating legal protections and entitlements for media companies through the President's Decree on Publisher's Rights.
With the decree, tech giants such as Google and Meta will be compelled to provide fair compensation for news media content.
The announcement was made by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, at the National Press Day celebration in Ancol, yesterday.
Jokowi said the presidential regulation was one of the government's efforts to support conventional media companies, adding that he understood that companies were facing extreme pressure due to technological advancements.
He also gave his assurances that the decree would not impede press freedom, and explained that the government's role was to regulate the business relationship between news companies and the digital platforms.
"The Publishers Rights President's Decree stems from the aspirations of the press community.
"The government is not regulating press content, but regulates the business relationship between the press and digital platforms," he said in his speech, in front of thousands of media practitioners at the annual gathering.
He also said the Indonesian government remained focused on quality journalism and the sustainability of the conventional media industry.
"We also want to ensure the sustainability of the national media industry, we want a fairer cooperation between newspaper companies and digital platforms.
"We want to provide a clear legal framework," he added.