CIME was invited to the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium on January 11th to speak on the topic of data protection and journalists. The lecture addressed the exemptions for the media included in the European Data Protection Directive of 1995 and the UK Data Protection Act of 1998. The topic inspired a lively debate, in which participants from many European countries discussed how journalists can maintain ethical standards towards their sources while striving to deliver information that serves the public interest.

  A significant part of the media's exemptions in the EU and UK data protection legislation hinges on the issue of public interest. However it is difficult to define what actually counts as public interest. The Directive of 1995 and the Act of 1998 are not explicit about this. However, the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) of the UK maintains that there is a public interest in freedom of expression itself. The PCC has a Code of Practice that tries to clarify in which cases journalists may be permitted access to data that would be denied to other people, in the instance that they are using the information to put together and publish a story that benefits the "public interest". This would include cases where the content of their reporting serves to detect or expose a crime or serious misdemeanor, protect public health and safety, or prevent the public from being misled by some statement or action of an individual or organization.