Public interest needs to be defined - media study

LONDON (Reuters) - A better definition of "public interest" would help media organisations judge how far they can intrude into the private lives of the rich and famous, a study said on Monday.

Prominent figures have a right to a private life and any intrusion has to be justified by a higher public good, the report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University said.

Stephen Whittle, the report's author, acknowledged this approach could mean some scandals remained uncovered.

"There is greater public interest in protecting private life -- and that interest must tolerate the occasional missed misdemeanour," said Whittle, a former BBC controller of editorial policy.

The concept of public interest affords some measure of legal protection when celebrities bring civil cases claiming invasion of their privacy and can also be used to justify the use of subterfuge by reporters.

Journalistic ethics are under the spotlight following fresh allegations of phone hacking by a Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid.

Clive Goodman, a royal reporter from the News of the World, was jailed in 2007 for hacking into the phones of members of the royal family's household to obtain exclusive stories.

The Guardian has reported the British newspaper arm of Murdoch's News Corp has since paid 1 million pounds to settle court cases with three people -- including soccer executive Gordon Taylor -- whose phones were violated.

News International has denied allegations its journalists hacked into the phone of thousands of public figures and British police have said they will not investigate the claims.