ANTARA News Agency issued a formal apology to the government and the public for the incorrect news titled “Government halts international flights amid Iran conflict” broadcast on Tuesday (March 17) at 5:27 p.m. Jakarta time.
President Director of ANTARA News Agency, Benny Siga Butarbutar, explained that an internal investigation revealed that both the reporter and the editor had not aligned the story correctly with the original context or quotes.
The news contained inaccuracies in data, misrepresented facts, and failed to follow standard operating procedures for news verification, resulting in misleading information. Therefore, he said, the report violated journalistic principles and standards.
“The facts reported in the news did not exist. The State Secretary Minister (Prasetyo Hadi) was responding to a journalist's question regarding the issue of Indonesian Military (TNI) troop deployment in Gaza as part of its role in the Board of Peace (BoP)," Butarbutar explained.
He continued, "However, the news was entirely unrelated to the interview’s context."
He stated that ANTARA has taken corrective action, including removing the incorrect news, issuing an official apology, and imposing strict sanctions on the journalists involved.
Butarbutar emphasized that this incident serves as a valuable lesson for ANTARA to prevent recurrence and as an opportunity for editorial evaluation and improvement.
“We issue this clarification as a form of transparency, accountability, and professional responsibility as journalists of ANTARA News Agency to the public,” he said.
“Once again, we sincerely apologize and thank the Minister, the public, and all other information stakeholders for their attention,” he stated.
