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Journalist sues ABC after being sacked over post highlighting Israeli crimes

In a suit filed against the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Antoinette Lattouf has sought a public apology, compensation and a return to her on-air role. Read More

Saturday January 27, 2024 9:25 PM , ummid.com with inputs from Agencies

Sydney: Antoinette Lattouf, a senior journalist and presenter, has sued Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) after the corporation fired her from her position as a host on a popular radio show for sharing a social media post highlighting the Israeli crimes committed against the Palestinians in Gaza.

In a suit filed against the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Antoinette Lattouf has sought a public apology, compensation and a return to her on-air role.

In her defence, Antoinette Lattouf also said the same post was shared by others working with ABC. However, she was singled out for action on the basis of her race.

“The difference between them is they are white and I have an Arab background," she said while talking to BBC.

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The ABC decision to sack Antoinette Lattouf, who is of Lebanese lineage, has also led to a widespread outrage and questions are also being raised about the independence of Australia's public broadcaster.

“The case has fed uneasiness about the broadcaster's independence. Advocates worry that politicised appointments to the ABC board, its government-dictated funding model, and increased - often frenzied - scrutiny is jeopardising its work", Peter Cronau, Investigative Journalist who was earlier working with the ABC, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“The saga also comes as the broader Australian media grapples with tension over the impartiality of its coverage of the Israel Gaza war", he added.

HRW expresses concerns

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has also expressed concern to ABC Chair Ita Buttrose, calling Antoinette Lattouf's removal from her job troubling that their factual material was deemed controversial, potentially impacting Australian journalism.

The ABC meanwhile rejected her charges saying Lattouf was fired because she refused to comply with the directions not to post "controversial contents" on social media platforms and also denied being "influenced".

However, Al Jazeera in a report based on leaked WhatsApp messages claimed that there was a co-ordinated effort by a group called 'Lawyers for Israel' to get Antoinette Lattouf sacked from her post.

Greg Barns, Barrister, Adviser to Australian Assange campaign a columnist with Hobart Mercury has termed reports of lobbying by "Israeli lawyers" appalling.

"Those in the so called "Lawyers for Israel" who were lobbying to force a weak @abcnews to sack #AntoinetteLattouf have appalled many in this profession. Appalling conduct (sic)", he wrote on X.

Following the outrage, the ABC claimed it did not sack Antoinette Lattouf from her radio role and has just "asked to stop working".

The ABC later advised Lattouf’s lawyer, Josh Bornstein, that it was now claiming it did not terminate her employment and she was not entitled to make an unlawful termination application, according to The Guardian.

In a related development, over $90,000 has been collected after crowdfunding appeal for Lattouf's legal fees.

 

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