Flawed Hero 

Truth, Lies and War Crimes

by Chris Masters

Published by Allen and Unwin

RRP $34.99 in paperback | ISBN 9781761069819

The defamation case brought by Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith against three newspapers (The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times) over 2018 reports by reporters Nick McKenzie, Chris Masters (no relation to the author of this blog) and David Wroe alleging he committed murder during deployments to Afghanistan is well known in Australia.

Gold Walkley Award winning journalist Chris Masters was the first to investigate the rumours of summary executions, bloodings and bullying. When the stories hit the headlines, Ben Roberts-Smith, with the backing of his employer and rival media owner Kerry Stokes, sued for defamation in what became the defamation trial of the century.

With a Victoria Cross and Medal for Gallantry, Ben Roberts-Smith was the most highly decorated Australian soldier, the best of the best. When he returned to civilian life, he became a poster boy for warrior heroes. He embodied the myth of the classic Anzac. But as his public reputation continued to grow, inside the army rumours were circulating.

With this book, Chris Masters tells the extraordinary story of his work to investigate Ben Roberts-Smith’s actions in Afghanistan and the subsequent trial at which Masters and his fellow journalists were vindicated.

Interestingly, Nick McKenzie, his fellow investigative journalist, has written his own book on the topic: Crossing the Line, published by Hachette.

Chris Masters is well known in Australian media circles for his relentless pursuit of difficult and unsavoury truths.

But it is important to stress: defamation is a civil matter. What occurred is not a war crimes trial. This book is about the investigative process that convinced both Masters and McKenzie there was a story to tell and then the subsequent battle to defend their assertions against the charge of defamation.

Verdict: A riveting story on many levels.