In April 2011 respected journalist Jon Stephenson published a piece in Metro – Eyes Wide Shut: The Government’s Guilty Secrets in Afghanistan. In May the Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) issued a press statement challenging several aspects of the article, suggesting…
…that Mr Stephenson had not gained entry to the CRU base and interviewed the CRU commander as reported in the article. Mr Stephenson believed these words were interpreted by some members of the public and media as meaning that Mr Stephenson had fabricated his report of the visit to the CRU base and his interview with the commander.
The very next day John Key lined up to personally attack Stephenson:
PM attacks journalist over SAS torture claims
Prime Minister John Key has attacked the credibility of the journalist who has raised questions about New Zealand’s elite soldiers in Afghanistan and whether they were complicit in torture.
…
Mr Key said the assertions outlined in Metro did not stack up under the NZDF microscope. “I’ve got no reason for NZDF to be lying, and I’ve found [Stephenson] myself personally not to be credible,” Mr Key said.
In September 2012, Stephenson began defamation proceedings the NZDF.
Yesterday the NZDF folded:
Defence Force settle defamation action with journalist
The Defence Force has settled a long-running defamation claim against it by war reporter Jon Stephenson. It has agreed to make a payment to Mr Stephenson and has expressed “regret”. Mr Stephenson had claimed $500,000 in damages. Mr Stephenson this morning said in a statement that he could not comment on the amount. “The sum is confidential, but I can say that I am very happy and consider the outcome a victory.” Settlement was reached last Friday, three years after Mr Stephenson sued.
“I pursued legal action for the simple reason that journalists holding the powers-that-be to account should not be subjected to false claims. It is regrettable that the defendants chose to prolong this matter, at significant cost to the taxpayer, when it could have been resolved much earlier.”
…
In a statement this afternoon the Defence Force said it and Mr Jones now accept that Mr Stephenson did in fact gain entry to the base and interviewed the CRU commander.”They regret that their statement may have been interpreted as suggesting that this had not happened.
The agreed joint statement is here. As Metro magazine puts it – Metro writer wins big legal case against Defence Force.
Stephenson will be rightly feeling both vindicated and pleased with the outcome – congratulations to him. The NZDF has expressed their regrets, John Key should do the same, but:
A spokesman for the Prime Minister today said Mr Key has nothing to add.
Key has repeatedly attacked journalists (Stephenson, Ambrose, knuckleheads in general) and scientists (Joy). He doesn’t apologise (except to Cameron Slater of course). In this case he really should – both to Stephenson and to the people of NZ.
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