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Perhaps the fact that we’re having this discussion on HN shows the kind of media I’m likely to consume, but I’ve never seen it used in the latter sense. TIL, I guess!

> public can mean an organization owned and operated by the government.

Would you consider In-Q-Tel - wholly owned by the CIA - to be a public venture* through ownership by a government agency, or a private one, because the public has no opportunity of ownership or control? I'm convinced it's the latter.

* Let's ignore it's non-profit status. Any CIA shell-/front-company is an even better example

The first of those is a "publicly traded company", which Americans often call "public", but is entirely different to an actual public company.