Kansas reporter misses court date to testify, held in contempt

Kansas reporter Claire O'Brien has been held in contempt of court and fined $1,000 after not appearing in court this morning to testify, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.

She had previously been ordered by a Ford County court to testify about a confidential source and a jailhouse interview with a murder suspect in a grand jury proceeding. In that proceeding, she unsuccessfully argued that she was protected by a reporter's privilege. Currently, there is no shield law in Kansas.

After the high court granted a stay in that matter, she was served with another subpoena to appear at the actual criminal trial. O'Brien's newspaper, the Dodge City Globe filed an appeal in the state supreme court and lost. 

O'Brien is seeking her own representation to continue to fight the case, the Capital-Journal reported.