Cardinal George Pell arrives at the County Court in Melbourne, Australia on February 26, 2019. High-profile Australian journalists face possible prison sentences, and large media organizations could face fines after being ordered to appear in court next month for allegedly breaching a gag order on reporting about Pell's convictions on charges of sexually molesting two choirboys.
But the enormous international interest in a criminal trial with global ramifications has highlighted the difficulty in enforcing such orders in the digital world.newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post published details of the case outside Australia, arguing that a judge in one country cannot make law for the world.
They include Damon Johnston, editor of Australia's largest-circulation newspaper, Herald Sun, and its owner Herald and Weekly Times. The Melbourne newspaper was criticized by Pell lawyers for running a front-page headline saying "CENSORED" following the verdict, as news of the conviction of the most senior Catholic ever charged with child sex abuse was trending on Twitter.
Two days after the verdict, trial judge Peter Kidd convened a court hearing with Victoria state Director of Public Prosecutions Kerri Judd to set the prosecutions in motion. The same 34 were also charged with breaching the suppression order and sub judice contempt, the publishing of material that could interfere with the administration of justice.