An appeal publicised by Press Gazette has raised more than £11,000 in a matter of days to help a reporter facing financial hardship as a result of a criminal prosecution.
The money raised will enable the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to pay a legal aid contribution and cover her subsistence costs during her trial.
She denies breaking the law and is defending the charge, which came about in the course of her work as a national newspaper reporter.
The appeal was launched by national press colleagues and the Crime Reporters Association when it became clear that her former employer was not going to help her meet the cost of the legal aid bill.
Although Press Gazette was (and is) unable to publish the woman's name, Press Gazette published the bank account details of the Crime Reporter's Associaton which will be passing on the donations.
The appeal was publicised by Press Gazette on Wednesday afternoon and yesterday it reached its target so the appeal can now be closed.
Sun crime editor Mike Sullivan was involved in organising the appeal. He said: "A huge vote of thanks to all those who contributed so generously and promptly to the Crime Reporters Association appeal on behalf of a colleague facing trial.
"The remarkable response from all ranks of the profession was a swift and powerful demonstration of camaraderie towards a colleague who was in trouble.
"Press Gazette has done us proud by publicising our campaign and supporting the journalists it brilliantly represents. As a result, we have hit our target much sooner than expected and the appeal is now closed."
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