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The Importance Of Public Interest

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The term public interest is being referred as making decisions that affect the good order and role of the community and government affairs for the well-being of citizens (Wheeler, 2013). In simple terms, any decisions that the government made, it 's done so for the well-being of its people. For example, the government may state that switching to clean energy such as solar and wind energy will help reduce pollution and in turn may reduce global warming. Whereas for privacy, according to Ruth Gavison (Defining Privacy, 2006), privacy comes in three elements: secrecy, anonymity and solitude. It is a state which can be lost either through the choice of the person or through the action of another. For instance, in the digital era, if someone sends his/her family picture to a friend, then the privacy surrounding family is gone as the friend knows everyone in the family. However, if that friend took the picture without first consulting, the privacy can also be lost. Having explained the definitions of these two terms and giving examples, there are three groups who decide what is in the public interest. They are the people, the government and the media. Each of their roles will be explained and illustrated.

We know that public interest is making the decision based on the conception that it is for the good of the people and in democratic societies, the government would usually make use of public interest to defend their agenda (O 'Flynn, 2010). However, when the public 's interest
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