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Ben Roberts-Smith v the media is a five-part series available via Guardian Australia\u2019s Full Story podcast feed. All episodes streaming now. In the defamation trial of the century, Australia\u2019s most-decorated living soldier is seeking to defend his reputation against reports in three newspapers that he says falsely accuse him of being a war criminal. His lawyers argue Roberts-Smith has been unfairly targeted by envious comrades and assisted by credulous journalists. The newspapers\u2019 lawyers say their reporting is true, and that Roberts-Smith broke the \u2018moral and legal rules of military engagement\u2019, something he denies outright. But who is Ben Roberts-Smith, and how did he earn the military\u2019s highest honour, the Victoria Cross?. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/longreadpod