What are we talking about when we say 'public interest news'? 

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At PINF we believe that everyone in the UK deserves public interest news that speaks to them, for them and with them, and our understanding of that type of news guides all of our work, from research to capacity building and advocacy.

 

Below, from our Articles of Association, is what we mean. 

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'Public Interest News' is news and other information which is produced and disseminated to the public according to high standards of ethical conduct and best practice in journalism and which provides one or more of the following benefits to the public:

 

• Informs members of the public about matters of relevance to their role and responsibilities as citizens;

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• Enables members of local communities to become aware of and understand matters of common concern to them as members of their community and which promotes their involvement and cooperation in such matters and community cohesion accordingly;

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• Enables members of the public to participate in an informed manner in relevant democratic processes and, as a result, supports the legitimacy of the democratic process as a whole;

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• Benefits the public by promoting charitable educational outcomes, such as improving public understanding of health and medical matters or the conservation of the environment; and

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• Specifically excludes material which is simply entertaining in nature, politically motivated, biased or inaccurate, or which fails to observe a person’s right to privacy.