The Roberts-Smith case

Today's New York Times has this story by Yan Zhuang about the defamation case brought by Ben Roberts-Smith, a highly-decorated (as in the Victoria Cross) Australian soldier. The lede: "Ben Roberts-Smith is suing three newspapers that accused him of unlawful killings in Afghanistan. But much more than the reputation of one soldier is at stake." 

The controversy has not received much attention outside Australia, but it's a very big deal there. "Mr. Roberts-Smith is a symbol of the 'Anzac myth,' a belief that modern-day Australia was forged by soldiers, stretching back to World War I, who embodied the national values of camaraderie, courage and sacrifice, said John Blaxland, a national security expert and war historian at the Australian National University. 'And this case is exposing the weak foundations of the myth,' he said."