Resurfaced video shows ABC presenter Fauziah Ibrahim in heated interview with Anthony Albanese

Resurfaced video shows ABC host Fauziah Ibrahim in a heated interview with Anthony Albanese, which sparked an onslaught of angry social media comments.

ABC presenter Fauziah Ibrahim’s heated interview with Labor leader Anthony Albanese drew nasty comments on social media months before she was criticised for her anti-Labor activity.

The ABC Weekend Breakfast host is currently taking a break from her on-air duties while the ABC investigates her Twitter activity.

It comes after Ms Ibrahim drew criticism this month for two controversial Twitter lists created on her personal account labelled “Labor Trolls/Thugs” and “Lobotomised Sh**heads”.

However, it seems Ms Ibrahim was already under fire for a January 6 interview she conducted with Mr Albanese where she was accused of constantly talking over him.

Ms Ibrahim grilled the Labor leader over his plan to provide free rapid antigen tests, saying he had changed his tune as he had previously only wanted to provide subsidised tests, something Mr Albanese disputed.

She went on to question the plan, given “there is such a shortage of supply”. She then tried to bring the conversation back to July last year when Labor “joined the chorus to get the nation vaccinated”.

Mr Albanese attempted to cut in at least six times, saying “with respect” and “if you’ll just wait a minute” but Ms Ibrahim continued, talking over the Labor leader as she continued with her question.

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Ibrahim interview with Anthony Albanese

“Labor did not stress the need to assure there is an adequate supply for rapid antigen tests after the pandemic following the nation having been mostly vaccinated. Labor did not call for that either,” she said.

Mr Albanese finally answered: “With respect, that is complete nonsense. More than a year ago, we were talking about, this time if you go back at the end of 2020, we were talking about, making sure that you fix up the supply of the vaccines. That is the first thing we were saying.”

The interview attracted criticism on Twitter with one user saying it was “disappointing beyond belief”.

“Were you instructed to interrupt and talk over the top of him? That’s not journalism. Stop trying to get Morrison re-elected,” they added.

Others described it as the “rudest, most aggressive ‘interviews’ I have ever heard”

“Ms Ibrahim’s ‘interview’ was an absolute disgrace and should cost her her job. She will have offers aplenty from the far-right media,” the person wrote on YouTube.

The ABC said it had reviewed the interview and assessed its compliance with the ABC’s editorial standards for impartiality.

@fauziah_ibrahim Just caught your “interview” with Anthony Albanese. It was disappointing beyond belief. Were you instructed to interrupt and talk over the top of him? That’s not journalism. Stop trying to get Morrison re-elected. #auspol2022

pic.twitter.com/1KAKwN0eRs

— Tony (@trohar4) January 7, 2022

It said Ms Ibrahim employed the “adversarial or ‘devil’s advocate’ approach to interviewing”, which involves putting other points of view to the interviewee.

“It is Ms Ibrahim’s duty to conduct a testing interview that does not allow the interviewee to use the occasion as a political platform, and to interject and make reasonable efforts to ensure that the questions that were asked are answered,” the statement from ABC read.

Posing testing questions and then allowing the interviewee to respond to those questions is a recognised standard of objective journalism.

“On review, we are satisfied the interview with Mr Albanese was suitably rigorous and informative, the questions posed by Ms Ibrahim were relevant and based strictly on news value, and Mr Albanese was afforded ample opportunity to respond to the questions in detail and at length.

“While rigorous, Ms Ibrahim demonstrated a consistently civil and objective approach. The interview was conducted with due impartiality and complied with the ABC’s editorial standards.”

Originally published as Resurfaced video shows ABC presenter Fauziah Ibrahim in heated interview with Anthony Albanese