Jakarta. Indonesian trust in news hit the lowest point in recent years, according to a Reuters Institute report, as the so-called “homeless media” goes more rampant.

Public trust worldwide in news has fallen three points to 37%. In Indonesia, it has plummeted to 32% in 2026, the lowest since 2021. Trust in news for Indonesia had peaked at 39% in 2021-2023. About 64% of the Indonesian respondents are getting their news from social media platforms, including WhatsApp, YouTube, and TikTok.

George Washington University professor Janet Steele attributed the decline in trust to the rise of homeless media, namely pages on social media that operate without dedicated newsrooms. They usually repost content from legitimate news sites via artificial intelligence (AI) crawlers, and often sensationalize it in a way that it is "no longer accurate".

“The spread of these sites has likely contributed to declining trust in media, as some Indonesians are unsure about the difference between legitimate news outlets and the ‘fake news’ offered by homeless media,” Steele said.

Even so, Indonesia’s trust score is still better than that of some ASEAN neighbors like Malaysia (30%) and the Philippines (28%). Thailand and Singapore are leading the ASEAN club by scoring 47% and 46%, respectively.

At home, press groups are demanding revisions to the Copyright Law to protect economic rights over journalistic works. They want digital platforms that use their work for commercial purposes to pay royalties.

The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) does admit that homeless media is a challenge. But rather than restricting its presence, it’d be best to focus on “enhancing transparency”, according to AJI chair Nany Afrida, as such curbs would only undermine press freedom.

“People have the right to know who produces the information they consume and its editorial process. But digital platforms must also take responsibility because they are profiting from the distribution of the information,” Nany told the Jakarta Globe.

She agreed that revising the Copyright Law would safeguard journalistic work from unauthorized use by AI and digital platforms. But such legal changes would not be enough to lift overall public confidence.

“We also need transparency in AI use, mandatory labeling of AI-generated content, and clarity on who must take accountability when AI spreads misinformation,” Nany said.

“It’s not just the press’s economic rights we must protect, but also the people’s right to accurate and verified information.