Cardinal George Pell was convicted of child abuse months ago. So why did Australia ban reporting on it until now?
- A jury found the top Catholic Church official guilty in December, but a suppression order stopped any media coverage until a second abuse case was heard
- The Washington Post and a number of other international media outlets ignored the order and reported on the ruling
When the news of Cardinal George Pell’s conviction on five charges for sexually assaulting two 13-year-old choirboys 22 years ago was made public on Tuesday, the announcement immediately became a top news story around the world.
But to some readers, the news of Pell’s conviction sounded familiar. It was first reported by some outlets – including The Washington Post – back in December when an Australian jury reached the verdict. A gag order, however, stopped many other media outlets from reporting on the trial since last June, including on last December’s conviction.
In the United States, Australia-style gag orders imposed by judges would be seen as censorship and a violation of the US Constitution.
But elsewhere, a number of rules can prevent the public from being partially or fully aware of court proceedings. In some cases, lawmakers have argued that forcing courts to make trials accessible to the public would prevent agencies from providing classified evidence considered necessary to convict terrorism suspects, for instance. This has led to some trials being fully closed to the public.