Controversial ex-ABC broadcasters set to debate identity politics

A few days after ABC presenter Josh Szeps abruptly departed his Sydney radio afternoons show in December 2023 – following disagreements with management over the direction of his program – the same station sacked mornings fill-in presenter Antoinette Lattouf after sharing a Human Rights Watch post on Instagram.

On Saturday, the pair will be joined by American journalist Andy Mills and chair Louise Adler at a Festival of Dangerous Ideas event, “Speaking Bluntly: Identity Politics in Journalism”. The discussion will focus on two important questions: does it matter who journalists are – and what they think?

Journalists and ex-ABC broadcasters Antoinette Lattouf and Josh Szeps will debate identity politics in news media at a Festival of Dangerous Ideas event on August 24 in Sydney.Credit: Stephen Kiprillis

“There’s a generational divide I’ve witnessed, most pronounced among Gen Y and Gen Z journos who are sceptical of so-called gatekeepers of ‘truth’ and ‘impartiality’,” says Lattouf, a broadcaster, columnist, co-host of The Antoinettes podcast and co-founder of Media Diversity Australia.

“There’s a massive trust deficit and audiences are increasingly hostile towards the media, so perhaps we need to stop lying to ourselves about objectivity and impartiality. Diversity of thought, age, geography, class and cultural background [are vital]; I’m in favour of seeking ‘moral clarity’, where news outlets subscribe to a set of beliefs [such as the threat of climate change, abuse of power and gendered violence] and are transparent about it.”

Lattouf – who was terminated three days into a five-day contract – describes her ongoing litigation against the ABC as “physically, psychologically and emotionally exhausting”.

“Exposing abuses of power, sharing facts without fear or favour and ensuring the media is safe and inclusive for journalists, irrespective of their ethnic background, is essential for our democracy,” she says, adding that she’d prefer to focus on reporting instead of defending herself in a legal battle.

The ABC declined to comment.

‘It’s a mistake to think membership of historically disenfranchised minority or identity groups automatically brings diverse outlooks.’

Josh Szeps

Szeps, who has hosted Lattouf on his own podcast, Uncomfortable Conversations, says his job at the ABC became untenable when he realised his bosses “don’t mind presenters taking positions, it just has to be management’s position”.

In February 2023, he submitted an opinion piece to The Sydney Morning Herald questioning the contemporary relevance of Sydney WorldPride. Szeps, a gay man and self-described “card-carrying lefty”, wrote: “At what point are the upsides of pridefulness outweighed by the downsides of promoting a constraining, corporatist, conformist vision of sexuality?”

Management vetoed his column.

“The reason they gave is that public faces of the ABC are not allowed to take positions on controversial events,” Szeps says. “But this was at a time when the ABC was the official broadcaster of WorldPride and the lobby was festooned with multistory-high rainbow flags.”

Antoinette Lattouf (centre) at a Fair Work Commission hearing against the ABC in March.Credit: Kate Geraghty

Eyebrows were raised among some colleagues when he questioned COVID-19 lockdowns and interviewed a prominent psychiatrist who urged caution in treating gender-dysphoric children.

While Szeps sensed discomfort when expressing views that might cause management headaches, he never felt pressured to take a certain editorial stance and insists the ABC has many journalists committed to the ideals he cherishes: questioning groupthink, playing devil’s advocate, and wrestling with complex or controversial ideas.

He believes the kind of freewheeling programs he and Lattouf hosted – spanning breaking news to cooking – do not require the pretence of “a view from nowhere”. However, he suggests a firewall between news and opinion in all media, and still sees value in journalists suppressing their opinions while striving to be objective truth-seekers.

“Some say objectivity has always been a cloak by which cisgender, white, straight males have imposed their worldview on everybody and called it objective,” he says. “There’s truth to that but also a more nuanced point, which is that their worldview made everybody rich, invented science and created democracy.

“That approach needed updating because it wasn’t sufficiently diverse and created blindspots. It’s a good thing we’re bringing in more diversity, but it’s a mistake to think membership of historically disenfranchised minority or identity groups automatically brings diverse outlooks.”

Speaking Bluntly: Identity Politics in Journalism, on August 24, is part of Sydney’s Festival of Dangerous Ideas.