Fourteen of Australia’s largest media outlets have been fined more than $1.1 million for contempt of court in coverage of the initial child sex abuse charges against Cardinal George Pell, prompting calls for reform to Victoria’s broad media suppression laws.
The publications, which include The Australian Financial Review, pleaded guilty in February to breaching a suppression order by publishing information about Cardinal Pell’s conviction in December 2018. The cardinal’s conviction was later overturned.
