THREE Fairfax journalists have been ordered to reveal to a Chinese-Australian businesswoman their confidential sources for a series of stories on her relationship with a federal Labor MP.

In the NSW Supreme Court yesterday, Justice Lucy McCallum found a journalist's pledge to keep a confidential source ''is not a right or an end in itself'' and could be overridden ''in the interests of justice''.

In court … Helen Liu (main), inset clockwise: Philip Dorling, Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker. Credit:Peter Rae

Justice McCallum ordered The Age newspaper, and the journalists Richard Baker, Philip Dorling and Nick McKenzie to give Helen Liu access to documents in their possession that relate to the identity or whereabouts of three of their sources.

The Age said it would appeal against the decision.