Nine newspapers’ truth defence put the focus on Ben Roberts-Smith’s reputation. It worked

The dismissal of Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation claim is a triumph for journalists Chris Masters and Nick McKenzie. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/EPA

Justice Anthony Besanko’s dismissal of Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation claim against the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age and the Canberra Times is a complete victory for the newspapers and their journalists. It is also a devastating and self-inflicted blow to Ben Roberts-Smith’s reputation.

Besanko found that a clear majority of the imputations pleaded by Roberts-Smith were substantially true. The imputations could hardly have been more serious: Roberts-Smith is a murderer and a war criminal.