Ben Roberts-Smith was a war hero: Australia's most decorated soldier, receiving a Victoria Cross. 

Now, a court has found in a civil defamation case that newspaper reports that he's a war criminal and murderer are true. 

The former SAS soldier had taken defamation action against three newspapers, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Canberra Times, after they stated he was involved in the unlawful killing and assault of unarmed prisoners in Afghanistan. 

Today, defamation expert Associate Professor Jason Bosland on the federal court's ruling, and its wider implications. 

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Associate Professor Jason Bosland, Director, Centre for Media and Communications Law, Melbourne Law School