Andrew Bolt swims against News Corp tide on Ben Roberts-Smith prosecution | Weekly Beast

News Corp commentator says defending the former soldier should not be seen as a test of patriotism. Plus: 7News reporter turns Spotlight on himself Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Occasionally the Murdoch commentator Andrew Bolt defies the party line. In 2021 he said News Corp Australia’s editorial campaign for net zero emissions by 2050 was “rubbish” and “global warming propaganda”. This week Bolt stuck his neck out in support of the war crimes prosecution of Ben Roberts-Smith, in a marked departure from News Corp’s approach since 2018, when the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald published a series of stories alleging the Victoria Cross recipient had committed murder and other war crimes. “I have a simple question for the people angrily defending Ben Roberts-Smith, claiming a war hero is being persecuted by woke civilians judging soldiers in battle from the comfort of their sofas,” Bolt wrote in his Herald Sun column. “Do you think Australian soldiers should be allowed to shoot unarmed prisoners?” Reporters Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters have had to contend with multiple attacks on their journalism