A war correspondent suing the New Zealand Defence Force and its chief for defamation has told a court he felt furious after a Defence press release challenged the accuracy of his reporting.
The civil case brought by freelance journalist Jon Stephenson is being heard by a jury at the High Court at Wellington on Tuesday.
The case relates to articles written by Mr Stephenson about the role of the SAS in Afghanistan.
His lawyer says the Defence Force released a media statement that implied Mr Stephenson had lied about visiting a base in Kabul and interviewing an Afghan colonel there.
While giving evidence on Tuesday, Mr Stephenson said he felt intense confusion and anger when he saw the press release that challenged the veracity of his work.
Earlier, audio was played to the court of Mr Stephenson voicing his notes after an interview he says he had with the Afghan colonel.
