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Ben Roberts-Smith v Nine puts us all in the box

Ben Roberts-Smith v Nine puts us all in the box

It has been described as the biggest defamation action in Australia’s history. But the consequences are far more wide reaching and profound than defamation.

A painting of former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith by artist Michael Zavros, seen at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Alex Ellinghausen

Max MasonSenior courts and crime reporter
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At 7.35pm on August 10, 2018, Sydney Morning Herald investigative reporter Kate McClymont is running late. She’s meant to be going to the Kennedy Awards for journalism when she learns her newspaper is being taken to court over a story about how war hero Ben Roberts-Smith allegedly committed war crimes.

For years Roberts-Smith had been lauded as the model Australian soldier, given the country’s highest military honour and even named father of the year.

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Max Mason
Max MasonSenior courts and crime reporterMax Mason covers insolvency, courts, financial crime, cybercrime and corporate wrongdoing. A Walkley Award winner, Max’s journalism has also received awards from the National Press Club of Australia, the Kennedy Awards and Citibank. Message Max on Signal https://tinyurl.com/MaxMason Connect with Max on Twitter. Email Max at max.mason@afr.com

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