Ben Roberts-Smith charged with five counts of war crime murder in Afghanistan
Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most-decorated living soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, was arrested at Sydney airport and charged with five counts of war crime murder for allegedly killing unarmed Afghan civilians between 2009 and 2012. The charges stem from incidents where prosecutors allege Roberts-Smith either killed detained, unarmed Afghans himself or ordered subordinates to do so. Roberts-Smith previously lost a 2023 defamation case where a court found he had killed unarmed Afghans, though he denies all wrongdoing.
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Divergence score
7 outlets covered it, splitting into 7 framing camps across 3 bias groups.
7 camps
3 bias groups
The spectrum · how 7 outlets placed this story
LeftCenterRight
Wall Street Journal
Breitbart
Fox News
NPR
BBC
The Guardian
NY Post
Supportive of action
Neutral
Dismissive
Critical
Alarmist
International angle
Widest split · the two outlets furthest apart, and who published first
Furthest apart on this story
Breitbart
Australia's Most-Decorated Living War Veteran Charged over Alleged Afghanistan Crimes
emphasizes military honors and heroism
NPR
Australia charges ex‑soldier with 5 war‑crime murders in Afghanistan
clinical legal proceeding focus
First to report
- BBCfirst
- Breitbart+1.4 h
- Wall Street Journal+2.7 h
- NPR+5.5 h
- The Guardian+7.7 h
- Fox News+10.9 h
- NY Post+21.2 h
By each outlet's earliest publish time in this story. Feeds that index slowly can appear later than they printed.
How each outlet covered it
Two readings of the same facts
The left and the right lead with different language. The loaded words each chose are highlighted.
THE LEFT
“Ben Roberts-Smith is back in court, now as a defendant. His case reminds us that there are laws even amid war”G The Guardian LEFT
42DIVERGENCE
THE RIGHT
“Australia's most decorated living veteran remains behind bars on Afghan war crime charges”NYP NY Post RIGHT
DOWN THE MIDDLE
“Australia's most-decorated living soldier charged over alleged war crimes” · BBC
+Hide the full sourcingSee how all 7 outlets put it
LEFT2
NPRNPR Australia charges ex‑soldier with 5 war‑crime murders in Afghanistan 157d ago GThe Guardian Ben Roberts-Smith is back in court, now as a defendant. His case reminds us that there are laws even amid war 157d ago RIGHT-CENTER1
WSJWall Street Journal Decorated Australian Veteran Charged With Afghanistan War Crimes - wsj.com 157d ago RIGHT3
BBreitbart Australia's Most-Decorated Living War Veteran Charged over Alleged Afghanistan Crimes 157d ago FOXFox News Australia's most decorated living soldier charged amid fierce debate over war crimes allegations 157d ago NYPNY Post Australia's most decorated living veteran remains behind bars on Afghan war crime charges 157d ago 7 tracked claims across 7 outlets
Fact ledger
All7Claimed1Corroborated6
1/7
Claimed
Prominent figures defended Roberts-Smith, calling the charges unfair or insane
Corroborated
Disputed
6 more tracked claimsSign up free to see the full ledger