ABC managing director David Anderson says he believed the social media feeds of journalist Antoinette Lattouf contained antisemitic content and he was worried about her making such statements on air, even though she was directed to not talk about the Gaza war.

The outgoing ABC boss told the Federal Court on Thursday that a flood of complaints he began receiving after Ms Lattouf began a five-day stint as a Sydney breakfast radio host was a coordinated campaign originating from a WhatsApp group.