Yahoo7 has been fined $300,000 and convicted of contempt of court for publishing an article that aborted a murder trial, with a judge saying that one of Australia's biggest media companies put profits before professional journalism.

Its employee, Sydney journalist Krystal Johnson, who wrote the article, has escaped with a good behaviour bond, the Supreme Court in Melbourne heard on Friday.

Yahoo7 reporter Krystal Johnson escaped with a good behaviour bond. Credit:Justin McManus

Johnson, who had not been in court in Melbourne to report on the case, copied details from an accurate report of an earlier hearing to use in her article.

She then bypassed subeditors to directly publish it on Yahoo's news website.