ABSTRACT
The public interest is a term that is as difficult to describe as privacy itself. There are elements of it that refer to the public good, to the public benefit. It is information that can help inform and educate the public. Something done in the public interest should not be of sole benefit to the individual or to a corporate body. It is a consequentialist argument. The Leveson Inquiry investigated the concept of public interest fairly thoroughly coming to the conclusion that free media are vital to the public interest for several reasons. The public votes regularly to choose the office holders and so there is a public interest in knowing if they are failing to carry out their duty and obligations. The public interest is an important tool that allows journalists to contrast privacy with freedom of expression and determine whether to continue with the story.
