"Public interest" in this context is not the same thing as "the interest of the public". The former is a fairly objective (though difficult to measure) thing wh

"Public interest" in this context is not the same thing as "the interest of the public". The former is a fairly objective (though difficult to measure) thing which concerns itself with the welfare of the populace [1]. This is historically what was meant by "public interest," though the newer meaning of "whatever interests the public" has muddied the meaning of the phrase somewhat. [1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/public+interest http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/public+interest