Media Relations and Data Protection FAQ's
Whitney W. avatar
Written by Whitney W.
Updated over a week ago

The European Union as well as multiple countries and states have geared up their data protection legislation in the past years. In this article we aim to provide you, as our customer, information about how data protection laws have been taken into consideration in our Media Relations product and how data protection laws may impact your use of the product.


Who is the data controller of media contacts and the journalist data?

Meltwater is the controller of the journalist database it maintains and provides to its customers.

You are a separate data controller of the public journalist data you use through our platform. Please see the applicable terms here for more details.

You are also the data controller for any lists or own contacts you import to our platform, or any journalist profiles you personalize with information and are responsible for proper storage and use of such personal data. Meltwater acts as the data processor for this personal data.

Meltwater's process of updating and adding journalist's details to the database are as follows, depending on whether the journalist is located in Germany or elsewhere.

European journalists and the Meltwater Media Directory

For European journalists outside of Germany, we process their information in accordance with our privacy notice. The legal ground for the processing is legitimate interest, including the purpose of providing PR outreach services to our customers. When a European journalist makes a request for us to remove their contact information from the database, we will abide by those requests and not display their contact information on our platform.

For journalists in Germany, we operate a consent-based approach for processing personal data. This process has been developed in collaboration with the Berlin Data Protection Authority, and seeks to respect the need for individual and informed consent from German journalists in order for us to process their data and provide our service to you.


Do I have to collect consent for my private journalists?

For private journalists, Meltwater is the data processor. Your business is the data controller and responsible for collecting consent/ensuring you have legal ground to use the journalist’s information. If you import or otherwise personalize Meltwater journalist profiles with the private information of journalists, you are responsible – e.g. the data controller as it is defined in many data protection laws.


How should I handle complaints from public journalists?

You should inform the journalist that Meltwater is a data controller and that you used our database for the outreach. The contact email that you can share is journalists@meltwater.com. As a separate data controller, you should also take the required steps to address their request.


Can I use public European journalists after exporting?

Yes, you will continue to be the data controller of the personal data and are responsible for the legal grounds to use such data, as per applicable law.

A message reminding your users of the data controller role will appear when media lists are exported.


💡 Tip

Need more help? Feel free to reach out to us via Live Chat or check out our Customer Community.

Find answers and get help from Meltwater Support and Community Experts.


Did this answer your question?