The case had been called Australia’s trial of the century.
And though it centered on a claim of defamation, it grappled with a more consequential question: Was the country’s most decorated living soldier a war criminal?
The judgment was a rare victory for the news media in a country whose notoriously harsh defamation laws have been criticized for favoring accusers.
“Australia has a reputation for being very plaintiff friendly,” said David Rolph, a professor of media law at the University of Sydney.
“Here we’ve got a comprehensive victory for the newspapers — that’s not something that you see in every defamation case in Australia.”
Persons:
Ben Roberts, Smith, Roberts, ”, David Rolph, we’ve
Organizations:
“, University of Sydney
Locations:
Australia, Afghanistan, “ Australia