Temporal Balance As A Legal Accountability Model For The Digital News Cycle: A Development Of The Cover Both Sides Principle

Abstract

Digital news is not fixed after publication; changes, redistribution and postpublication access require balance beyond the cover both sides principle. This article examines press companies' legal responsibility through temporal balance, a legal accountability model whose novelty integrates pre-publication, publication, post-publication and redistribution obligations into one evaluative framework, rather than treating verification, correction and right of reply as separate norms. The research uses doctrinal legal methods with functional comparison across Indonesia, Council of Europe, United Kingdom and South Korea. Findings show the need for continuous accountability distinguishing formal from substantive recovery. This framework positions balance as an obligation that spans the entire lifecycle of a news story, ensuring that legal liability does not cease upon initial publication.