ABC boss recalls telling Lattouf not to post on social media and concentrate on the cat on the Sydney to Hobart boat

Sacked part time ABC presenter Antoinette Lattouf was told to concentrate on a cat on-board an entrant in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and not to post anything controversial on the war in Gaza.

Sacked part time ABC presenter Antoinette Lattouf was told to concentrate on a cat on-board an entrant in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race and not to post anything controversial on the war in Gaza.

Ms Lattouf’s Sydney Radio line manager Elizabeth Green told the Federal Court she recalled telling her “to be mindful of what you post on social media” because they had earlier discussed the cat on the yacht and it was such a great story.

Ms Green was appearing on the final day of part-time presenter Ms Lattouf’s unfair dismissal case against the ABC that has already seen ABC heavyweights managing director David Anderson and chair Ita Buttrose give evidence against her.

Ms Lattouf has said Ms Green had cried with her after she was sacked three days into a five day presenting contract for posting a Human Rights Watch report on Israel using starvation as a tool of war.

Antoinette Lattouf’s Sydney Radio line manager Elizabeth Green told the Federal Court she recalled telling her “to be mindful of what you post on social media”. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

In her evidence Ms Lattouf said she “never wanted to be” the poster girl for “justice” but simply wanted to do her job “on air talking about cats and Christmas puddings”.

The court has heard how top executives at the ABC sent a flurry of emails to each other in alarm after Ms Lattouf’s appearance on ABC Radio Sydney Mornings sparked a number of complaints.

Mr Anderson personally researched Ms Lattouf’s social media on her first day and found a series of posts he felt contained “anti-Semitic hatred” and messaged senior managers that there was an “Antionette issue”.

Ms Buttrose told the court the Lebanese-Australian presenter was an “activist” whose posts on the Israel conflict in Gaza meant she should never have been hired.

Ms Green denied telling Ms Lattouf that the order to sack her had come directly from Mr Anderson.

Presenter and former ABC journalist Antoinette Lattouf arrives at Federal court, Sydney. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

“I said there was pressure for her to be removed from the Monday,” Ms Green said. “And I understood it had been referred up.”

On the day before she was fired ABC head of audio content Ben Latimer sent an email to ABC Radio Sydney Manager Steve Ahern instructing him to tell her not to post anything on the conflict in Gaza for the week.

“We were protecting Ms Lattouf ensuring that she made it to the end of the week and ensuring the ABC’s impartiality was not compromised,” he said.

She was fired with two days remaining on her contract after sharing the Human Rights Watch report. Mr Latimer said he did not believe the post was in contraventions of ABC policy but that she had failed to “adhere to the direction” to not post.

ABC acting editorial director Simon Melkman said “the HRW allegation that starvation was a tool of war was absolutely a matter of controversy”.

He said executives had reached a “consensus view” that Ms Lattouf’s posts “amounted to a potential breach of social media guidelines”.

Mr Melkman was shown a raft of posts on X by ABC Q&A presenter Patricia Karvelas on topics including violence against women, abortion and Australia Day and asked if they breached any policy.

“It is difficult to judge in isolation,” Mr Melkman said. “It is possible that conduct could be in breach … you would need to look at the specifics.”

He conceded that her previous social media activity meant he did not object to her being taken off air.

Closing submissions will begin on February 27.