Australian Media Breach Gag Order on Cardinal George Pell’s Reportage

A good chunk of the Australian media, including high-profile journalists and large media organizations, face possible prison sentences and fine for allegedly breaching a gag order on reporting about Cardinal George Pell. The former Vatican economy chief has been charged of sexually molesting two choir boys. On December 11, Pell was convicted of oral rape and indecent acts involving two 13-year-old boys while he was archbishop of Melbourne in the 1990s.

The Victoria state Supreme Court confirmed that an unprecedented 23 journalists, producers and broadcasters as well as 13 media organizations that employ them have been summoned to appear on April 15 for a preliminary hearing on breaches of the suppression order. Top-rated Sydney Radio broadcaster Ray Hadley and national morning TV program host Debra Knight are among those facing prosecution.

A Melbourne Court in December of 2018 had banned reportage in any format accessible from Australia about the Cardinal's convictions. However, enormous international interest in a criminal trial with global ramifications has brought fore the difficulty in enforcing such orders in the digital world. Newspapers with the likes of The New York Times and the Washington Post have published details of the case outside Australia. They argued that a judge in one country cannot make law for the world. Following suite, a number of Australian newspapers ran headlines complaining that they were being censored and they were not able to report the story that was in public interest.