ABC Middle East correspondent Tom Joyner is under investigation over ‘bullsh..’ beheaded baby comment

The ABC’s Middle East correspondent is under investigation by the public broadcaster after he disputed stories about babies being beheaded in Israel.

ABC managing director David Anderson has revealed its Middle Eastern correspondent Tom Joyner is under investigation after he labelled reports about babies being beheaded by Hamas terrorists as “bullshit” in a WhatsApp group with international media.

At Senate estimates on Tuesday, Mr Anderson said the public broadcaster is “certainly looking into it, investigating it.”

ABC Reporter Journalist Tom Joyner. Picture: Instagram

“I am sorry that happened, and I am sorry that event occurred and that was then distressing to other people as well, it shouldn’t have happened,” he said.

“He was at the time doing what journalists were doing, and that was trying to verify what sources could back up what claims are being made at the time.”

Joyner, who has been reporting on the conflict between Israel and Palestine, told a WhatsApp chat group earlier this month – in comments that have since been deleted – that he disputed reports from around the world about babies being beheaded being true.

Mr Anderson was questioned about the incident by Senator Hollie Hughes who said: “It’s embarrassing, as a country, that our representative at our national broadcaster referred to horrific war crimes as bullshit.”

Mr Joyner posted on the WhatsApp group: “The story about the babies is bullshit.”

The comments were made on the group chat to the more than 600 media representatives sharing information about the attacks in Israel by Hamas terrorists.

Joyner was met with condemnation from many members of the media group, which was set up shortly after the conflict in Israel began.

Mr Anderson acknowledged that Joyner’s comments “distressed” people by the language he used in the messages that were leaked to The Australia.

“We will be investigating as it was on social media, and it was reported,” he said.

“He has a right to procedural fairness, and we’ll go through that.”

After the incident was revealed by The Australian, the ABC said management had spoken to Joyner and he had shown remorse.

“Tom recognised the language of his comment was inappropriate and apologised to the group,” the ABC said at the time.

Israel later confirmed the reports of babies being burnt and decapitated in Hamas’s assault on the Kfar Aza kibbutz and photographs were also shown to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Mr Anderson also said at Tuesday’s hearing said he doesn’t think the ABC is “anti-Semitic in any way.”

After Joyner’s comments were made public, the Zionist Federation of Australia’s president Jeremy Leibler wrote a letter to the ABC’s director of news Justin Stevens and outlined that he was left “stunned and appalled” by the reporter’s remarks.

“He was immediately and rightly condemned by the other journalists to whom he made the comment,” Mr Leibler said in the letter.

“He must now promptly be denounced and disciplined by the ABC,” Mr Leibler said.

Joyner continues to report on the war in Israel.