Today Show fined over Pell contempt case

The Today Show has been fined $30,000 as part of 12 media organisations collectively fined 1.1m after publishing details of Cardinal George Pell’s child sexual abuse convictions in breach of court orders.

Nine-owned newspapers and News Corp copped the biggest fines of $450,000 and $400,000 respectively, when they published details referencing a guilty verdict in a high-profile Australian’s trial in late 2018. Suppression orders were in place until February 2019 when a second trial was subsequently scrapped.

While Pell was found guilty of child sexual abuse charges in December 2018 the verdict was ultimately overturned by the high court in April last year.

Media organisations including The Age, Herald and Weekly Times, Geelong Advertiser and Nationwide News, pleaded guilty to contempt of court earlier this year.

Two years after dozens of journalists and media outlets were charged with contempt over reporting of the Pell case, the matter has ended – with whopping penalties handed out to some. Here’s a list of all the fines. #auslaw #springst pic.twitter.com/irTxDhq4OX

— Shannon Deery (@s_deery) June 4, 2021

Companies also agreed in February to pay $650,000 in prosecution costs and make a formal apology to County Court Chief Judge Peter Kidd, whilst charges against 15 individual journalists and editors – were dropped.

In his judgment, Justice John Dixon said he took the “sincere and unreserved apology” to the court into account but said the “timing” of the apology – made at trial – “did not demonstrate any significant degree of remorse and contrition”.

Source: New Daily, Guardian