Ben Roberts-Smith charged with five counts of war crime murder related to Afghanistan service
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 relating to his service in Afghanistan. The charges follow a 2023 Federal Court ruling in a defamation case that found allegations he committed unlawful killings were substantially true. Roberts-Smith denies all wrongdoing and faces potential life imprisonment if convicted.
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Divergence score
This event sits in the top 6% of divergence this week. 4 outlets covered it, splitting into 4 framing camps across 3 bias groups.
4 camps
3 bias groups
The spectrum · how 4 outlets placed this story
LeftCenterRight
Wall Street Journal
NPR
BBC
The Guardian
Supportive of action
Neutral
Dismissive
Critical
Alarmist
International angle
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 entitled to presumption of innocence but 'none of us are above the law', Andrew Hastie says”G The Guardian LEFT
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THE RIGHT
“Decorated Australian Veteran Charged With Afghanistan War Crimes - WSJ”WSJ Wall Street Journal RIGHT-CENTER
DOWN THE MIDDLE
“He's Australia's most decorated soldier. Now he's at the centre of a historic war crimes case” · BBC
+Hide the full sourcingSee how all 4 outlets put it
LEFT2
NPRNPR Once seen as a war hero, Australian ex-soldier will stand trial for alleged war crimes 85d ago GThe Guardian Ben Roberts-Smith entitled to presumption of innocence but 'none of us are above the law', Andrew Hastie says 85d ago Tracked claims from across the political spectrum
Fact ledger
Corroborated
Disputed