ABC and The Monthly scrub George Pell story
News stories on the late Cardinal George Pell have been removed from the websites of the ABC and The Monthly amid concerns they could compromise an upcoming court hearing.
News stories on late Australian cardinal of the Catholic Church George Pell have been removed from the websites of the ABC and niche magazine The Monthly, amid concerns that the articles – written by ABC Four Corners journalist Louise Milligan – could compromise an upcoming court hearing.
A statement posted on The Monthly’s website on Thursday read: “The Monthly has chosen to temporarily remove Louise Milligan’s recent essay from our website. We have been made aware of an active case that is about to come before the courts that had not been previously in the public domain. In the interests of protecting the integrity of that case, we have taken down the story.
“When the case concludes, the essay will be made available to readers once again. The Monthly stands by Louise and her journalism and remains extremely proud of the essay as vital and compelling reporting.”
Copies of the print edition of the February issue of The Monthly. which carried the feature essay, have also been recalled from newsagents and other points of sale.
An image of Pell, who died in January 2023, appeared on the cover of the issue.
The February issue of the magazine went on sale at the beginning of the month.
A link to a related article on Pell has also been removed from the ABC website. In response to questions from The Australian, an ABC spokesperson said: “The story has been temporarily removed pending the completion of separate court proceedings that are yet to be in the public domain and then will be reinstated.
“The ABC stands by Louise Milligan’s reporting and the story.”
In a statement posted to LinkedIn on Thursday, Milligan wrote: “As journalists, it’s vitally important that we abide by the laws that govern our practice and are designed to protect our system of justice.
“A completely unforeseen and unknown development has meant that in order to do this, we have had to make the difficult decision to temporarily remove a cover story investigation by me of The Monthly magazine and a story on ABC News.
“None of this has anything to do with the journalism contained in it. It was something I did not and could not have known before publication. The stories (and others) will be restored to the websites and shelves when the legal process is completed (which should be fairly soon).
“So now, in the interests of justice for all concerned, most particularly vulnerable people, I ask you kindly to refrain from discussing the essay, or the person who is the subject of it, here or anywhere.
“I will delete any comments that do use names and I will block anyone who persists. This is simply to protect people.
“Be decent, be kind, and let justice take its course.”
Milligan won the 2017 Walkley Book Award for Cardinal – The Rise and Fall of George Pell.
Pell was jailed in 2019 and spent 405 days in prison after being convicted of child sex offences. The High Court unanimously overturned his convictions in April 2020.
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