The Privacy Perspective

The ICO’s consultation on its Draft Journalism Code of Practice has begun.

Be sure to have your say- the deadline to submit responses is 22 January 2022.

The Code covers privacy safeguards among many other topics. In particular, it covers the journalism exemption under the Data Protection Act 2018 and its broad exemption that disapplies requirements to holding and processing data.

Journalism should be balanced with other rights that are also
fundamentally important to democracy, such as data protection and the
right to privacy.

at p.4

The Code substantively addresses the safeguarding of journalism under the exemption, briefly touching on balancing a free press against privacy rights before going on to discuss how this balance is struck under data protection laws:

Why is it important to balance journalism and privacy?

It is widely accepted that a free press, especially a diverse press, is a
fundamental component of a democracy.

It is associated with strong and
important public benefits worthy of special protection. This in itself is a public
interest.

Most obviously, a free press plays a vital role in the free flow of

communications in a democracy. It increases knowledge, informs debates
and helps citizens to participate more fully in society. All forms of journalistic
content can perform this crucial role, from day-to-day stories about local
events to celebrity gossip to major public interest investigations.

A free press is also regarded as a public watch-dog. It acts as an important
check on political and other forms of power, and in particular abuses of
power. In this way, it helps citizens to hold the powerful to account.

However, the right to freedom of expression and information should be
balanced with other rights that are necessary in a democratic society, such
as the right to privacy. The public interest in individual freedom of expression
is itself an aspect of a broader public interest in the autonomy, integrity and
dignity of individuals.

The influence and power of the press in society, and the reach of the

internet, means that it is particularly important to balance journalism and
people’s right to privacy.

This code provides guidance about balancing these two important rights by
helping you to understand what data protection law requires and how to
comply with these requirements effectively.

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