This final look at The Bug‘s Xcrements-of-the-Now-Well-Past Week piggybacks off a recent Media Glass House post (at bottom) that took to task mainstream mediocre platforms claiming Ben Roberts-Smith was Australia’s most decorated LIVING soldier.
Note the qualilfying LIVING. That MGH post took exception to that on behalf of Australia’s other living Victoria Cross winner, Keith Payne who got officers to salute him by being brave at some silly little OS stoush called the Vietnam War.
From that post is the Wikipedia comparison between Payne (still a hero) and Roberts-Smith (now a zero) courtesy of a defamation case findings.
Then, of course, there are those right-wing media outlets doing their very best to talk up Roberts-Smith ahead of a criminal trial for murder. And how do they do that? By leaving out “living” completely, as the example at top and below shows.
It’s a no-ifs, no buts, statement of Roberts-Smith being our most decorated soldier EVER! E. V. E. R!
As The Bug‘s old mate Lex Swayn who did the ground work for that MGH piece explained, there are a number of Aussie heroes from the two world wars who would leave Roberts-Smith for dead. And here, with Anzac Day approaching, we mention just one hero, Albert Jacka.
Albert ‘Bert’ Jacka VC was the first Australian to be awarded a Victoria Cross in World War I, recognised for single-handedly capturing a Turkish trench at Gallipoli during a Turkish counter-attack on the Allies’ position at Courtney’s Post. In April 1917 Jacka was awarded a bar to his Military Cross for his bravery in gaining intelligence on German defences and laying out the jump off points for a tank and infantry attack on the Hindenburg Line near Bullecourt. The recommendation for the award noted that that Jacka showed the greatest gallantry and maintained the same splendid standard of bravery which won him the V.C. Bit of a show-off, wasn’t he?
But back to our woeful media who have obviously never read about Jacka’s heroics. Or much more likely, totally fucking ignored them in their campaign conducted with almost military precision to build up Roberts-Smith.
All of the above are simply wrong. WRONG! W. R O. N. G! Can we all think of
Bert Jacka as we come-in-spinner on Saturday?
Now let’s look at how The Courier-Mail framed things.
And so we say well done to the LNP’s sub-branch up at Bowen Hills for using “living” even if it’s still wrong. They gain a rare bouquet for ….. hey, hold on! … did they really call Roberts-Smith a hero?
Federal Court of Australia Justice Anthony Besanko in mid-2023 dismissed a defamation case by Roberts-Smith against media outlets, ruling they had proved the “substantial truth” of allegations that he was a murderer, bully and domestic abuser. Mr Justice Besanko found that Roberts-Smith was involved in unlawful killings of unarmed Afghans while in the SAS.
And the shitty, right-leading, journalism-ethics free, outcome-focused, Murdochs’ arse-licking The Courier Mail still thinks Roberts-Smith is a hero. Unfuckingbelievable!
The Bug Online 