The court fined 12 Australian media outlets totaling A $ 1.1 million ($ 840,000) for reporting on Cardinal George Pell's sexual assault case.

The publications admitted to breaking the law in 2018, which at the time prohibited them from reporting the verdict, BBC reported.

The judge dismissed arguments that their news reports, which did not mention Pell, were in the public interest. Some of Australia's largest media groups were among those fined. This includes Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, fined AU $ 430,000 for reporting on news.com.au, the Daily Telegraph, and other newspapers.

Nine Entertainment, which publishes The Age newspaper and owns Channel Nine, has been fined over $ 600,000 for its reporting.

The ban on coverage of the case was introduced at the beginning of Cardinal Pell's trial in 2018. This was done in order to prevent the possibility of bias towards another trial that was before him.

According to the order, journalists were prohibited from providing any details of the sexual assault case, including the verdict.

The cardinal was one of the highest-ranking officials in the Vatican and a close adviser to the Pope. The Australian High Court later overturned Cardinal Pell's conviction.