ABC Chose Words Poorly in Ex-commando Report: Journo

Profile photo of Heston Russell, leader of the Australian Values Party, a veteran affairs advocate and former special forces operative. Courtesy of Heston Russell

The ABC could have chosen its words better when describing “confirmation” of a criminal investigation into a platoon of Australian commandos serving in Afghanistan, one of its journalists has told a defamation trial.

Journalist Mark Willacy said a November 2021 report should have stated confirmation of a criminal investigation came from a rejected response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request rather than the Department of Defence.