Allegations of wrongdoing, media law and the concept of the ‘public interest’

This article considers the idea of individuals ‘speaking out’ against wrongdoing in the broader context of English and Welsh media law. It examines misuse of private information, defamation and data protection law to this effect - in particular, it considers the concept of the ‘public interest’ as an influential notion running through each. It argues a number of things: firstly, that misuse of private information has, on many occasions, acted to shield female claimants from unwanted intrusion in their private lives. It then moves to consider concerns in MPI – namely, the use and relevance of non-disclosure agreements on the caselaw. The article also discusses the s.4 Defamation Act 2013 public interest defence to actions in defamation, which has been used on a number of occasions to shield those ‘speaking out’; finally, it considers data protection law, the public interest, and past convictions.