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Journalists have the same rights in relation to their personal data as any other person under the GDPR. Public relations practitioners and press officers must therefore ensure they are compliant with the GDPR. Breaches of these regulations can have a severe impact on organisations, including onerous fines. For more information on GDPR see www.gdprandyou.ie


Legitimate bases There are six legitimate bases for processing


personal data and two are of particular interest to PR professionals: consent and legitimate interest.


Consent: Defined as freely given, specific and


informed, unambiguous consent which provides a clear indication of a data subject’s wishes, by statement or action, signifying agreement to the processing of personal data relating to him/ her. It must be easy to withdraw consent. There is no such thing as opt-out consent or consent by inactivity. Legitimate Interest: This means there is


valid, legitimate interest to the data processing, storage etc. being carried out; the data processing is strictly necessary in pursuit of that legitimate interest; and the processing is


not prejudicial to, or overridden, by the rights of the individual. Seeking explicit opt-in consent from journalists and other stakeholders to store and process their contact details is preferable and should be sought with new media contacts, including bloggers. Where legitimate interest is the legal basis on which personal data is processed, the PR person needs to be able to demonstrate that: - there is a valid legitimate interest - the data processing is strictly necessary in pursuit of that legitimate interest - the processing is not prejudicial to, or


overridden, by the rights of the individual. a) the recipient’s name and contact details


are held on a database managed by the sender’s organisation b) the contained/attached material is being


sent to them because the sender has a reasonable expectation the recipient may be interested in the content and c) the recipient can have his/her data


removed from the sender’s database. This opt- out from receiving similar communications or request to have one’s data removed from the central database must be clear and easy to do. If and when a request is made to have


personal data removed from an organisation’s database/s by a journalist the PR professional must ensure this happens promptly.


Gerry stays at the helm of Belfast and District


Retired public affairs and media consultant and Sunday Life sports correspondent Gerry Carson (pictured right) has been re-elected chairperson of the Belfast and District branch of the National Union of Journalists. At the branch AGM, Mr Carson said


professional communicators face challenging times as the so-called “fake news” onslaught causes grave misunderstandings about what is truly happening in society. “With 700 members in our branch and all fully committed to the union’s strict code of conduct, people can rely on what they see, read and hear from our membership,” he said. Freelance writer Kathryn Johnston is the new


assistant to secretary Ciarán Ó Maoláin; digital journalist Una Murphy has taken on the role as training officer, and photographer Mark Winter is now responsible for the branch’s social media activity. Photographer Freddie Parkinson remains


Gerry Carson


Photo: Maxwell Photography


as recruitment officer, former Irish News sub editor Peter O’ Rourke continues as honorary treasurer, and former Belfast Telegraph feature writer Louis Mc Connell retains the role of welfare officer.


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