For a public official 'acting in the public interest' means acting lawfully and/or in accordance with government policy under the direction of the Minister. In the absence of legal or policy frameworks, the public interest means acting for the good of the community.
the common good or welfare of all. In practice it would be difficult to find complete agreement on what is in the "public interest." Once one gets beyond generalities and platitudes (it is not in the public interest to allow drunk drivers on the highway) one comes up against differences in the values people hold; sometimes by appealing to the public interest politicians try to universalize what are merely personal beliefs and values (or the interests of a section of the community) that may not in fact find common assent. See also national interest.
The interest in obtaining official information that sheds light on an Agency's performance of its statutory duties because the information falls within the statutory purpose of the FOIA to inform citizens about what their government is doing.That statutory purpose, however, is not fostered by disclosure of information about private citizens accumulated in various governmental files that reveals nothing about an Agency's or official own conduct.
The concept that, in return for using the public airwaves free of charge, the broadcaster is obligated to act as a trustee of public property and do what is best for the public good. The "public" has always meant the local community to which broadcasters are licensed to serve. "Interest" has always meant "to benefit the public"—as distinct from programs for which the public is interested. Public interest obligations, for example, are those specific actions broadcasters undertake in exchange for their free license to repay the public for using the public airwaves (or broadcast spectrum).
Usually intended to mean the interest of the public generally as opposed to the interest of an individual or company.
An interest or benefit accruing to society generally, rather than to any individuals or groups of individuals in the society.
The notion that there is some kind of general interest by the community as a whole which can be affected by the actions of governments or private agents.
The public interest refers to the "common well-being" or "general welfare." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself. While nearly everyone claims that aiding the common well-being or general welfare is positive, there is little, if any, consensus on what exactly constitutes the public interest.