I believe what it boils down to here is what is meant by in the public interest?
There is not a clear definition of what is, or is not, in the public interest.
Obviously any journalist would like to think their story is in the public interest.
Hearing what both sides in the Ricoh row had to say was in the public interest.
There is the 'middle ground' logical fallacy to watch out for here and this is to suggest that the truth laid between what the two parties were saying.
Having an opinion piece in the Telegraph from journalists who were following the Ricoh row and were more up to date then the general public was in the public interest.
Reporting on the finances of a company which could damage the company's future finances even more, is still in the public interest.
However, can reporting on a company who was being distressed by another for not paying money it was contractually owed, where reporting of this could damage the company's finances in its immediate future, be called public interest journalism?
Surely there is a balance here between the public interest in needing to know straight away, verses the private interest of the immediate future of the company being distressed.