Close on the end of a successful defence of defamation charges by Australian war hero Ben Roberts-Smith, award-winning investigative journalists Chris Masters and Nick McKenzie, will appear in a special engagement in Newcastle on Friday, July 28.
A Federal Court judge ruled on June 1 that media reports alleging the former special services soldier murdered unarmed civilians during his time in Afghanistan to be substantially true.
The event, sponsored by the Newcastle Writers Festival, will be held at the University of Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.
The Age and Sydney Morning Herald reporters will speak with festival director and former journalist Rosemarie Milsom about their respective new books Flawed Hero:Truth, Lies and War Crimes (Allen & Unwin) by Masters and Crossing the Line:The Inside Story of Murder, Lies and a Fallen Hero (Hachette) by Nick McKenzie.
Masters and McKenzie will share details about their investigations, which began in the battlefields of Afghanistan and led to the frontlines of the Federal Court.
Tickets are on sale from 9am, Wednesday, June 28 at newcastlewritersfestival.org.au
This event is supported by the University of Newcastle's School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences.