Media union criticises ABC’s decision to sack radio host Antoniette Lattouf

The media union has demanded the ABC back its employees when ‘under attack’, following Antoinette Lattouf’s dismissal over her social media use.

The media union has labelled ABC radio host Antoinette Lattouf’s sacking over her social media use as “disturbing” and claimed staff from “diverse backgrounds” are “disproportionately” attacked from the public.

The fallout at the national broadcaster continues after management axed Lattouf just hours after she finishing hosting the ABC Sydney mornings program on Wednesday morning and sources have told The Australian there was serious concerns not only over her social media use – which includes many anti-Israel posts which are against the ABC’s impartiality guidelines – but also her commentary on her radio program relating to the Israel-Hamas war.

On Thursday the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance’s acting chief executive Adam Portelli said in a statement the “ABC should back its employees when they are under attack”.

“Australians expect and deserve an ABC that is home to a range of ideas and opinions reflective of the diversity of Australian society,” he said.

“The ABC should be backing its own employees when they come under attack.

“It is also disturbing if – as has been reported today – the ABC chairperson or other board members are dictating staffing decisions in breach of editorial independence.”

In the statement it said Lattouf had been sacked after she shared a social media post from a “reputable human rights organisation”.

The post she shared was by Human Rights Watch which said, “The Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war in Gaza.”

A social media post sacked ABC presenter Antoinette Lattouf shared on her Instagram account.

Lattouf added on the post, “HRW reporting starvation as a tool of war”.

Lattouf, a Lebanese-Australian woman, has also repeatedly rejected the legitimacy of the “gas the Jews” footage from Sydney’s Opera house and attacked Israel numerous times including accusing Israeli forces of committing rape.

Lattouf posted on social media that she was considering her legal options following her sacking.

ABC chair Ita Buttrose is “furious” over the situation involving Lattouf and concerns have been raised internally as to how she was appointed to the role to fill-in for Sarah Macdonald in the first place.

Sources have told The Australian that there was not only concern about Lattouf’s conduct on social media but also some commentary on her mornings program on Monday where she discussed with a university expert on second-hand trauma and she read out a comment from a listener, Dianne who said: “Perfectly timed topic … it was the images just now on the news of Palestinian people running out of food and water in Gaza that sent me over the top. I don’t think the images should stop.”

I am very disappointed by the ABC’s decision today. pic.twitter.com/2evCSUbmPn

— Antoinette Lattouf (@antoinette_news) December 20, 2023

Lattouf then asked the expert, “you might have a bit of a different view as to whether those images should stop?”

During the same program she also discussed an advertising campaign “which looks a bit like a war zone, complete with a corpse wrapped in a white cloth reminiscent of a Muslim burial cloth in which many of us have seen thousands of because of the mounting death toll in Gaza and it has a lot of people really upset.”

Clothing brand Zara removed the controversial advertising campaign after pro-Palestinians activists urged people to boycott the retailer.

The ABC’s house committee said colleagues from diverse backgrounds were often the subject of unfair attacks and “often feel unsupported from ABC management and the board”.

“To our culturally and linguistically diverse colleagues: you are not alone, we have your back,” the MEAA said.

Lattouf is among hundreds of journalists who signed a controversial open letter calling for all newsrooms to treat unverified information from the democratically elected government of Israel and terror group Hamas with the same “professional scepticism”.

Lattouf was contacted for comment but did not respond.

The ABC also has refused to comment after its news division deleted a controversial TikTok video by a Palestinian journalist that presented a one-sided report about boycotting businesses linked to Israel.

The ABC News TikTok account posted a video from a Palestinian reporter outlining the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions scheme.

The one-minute now-deleted ABC News Australia TikTok video which was published this week and discussed the controversial Palestinian BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) scheme and told viewers “organisers say changing sentiment among customers is powerful”.

The Anti-Defamation Commission’s chair Dr Dvir Abramovich said the TikTok video is “beyond belief and is a kick in the stomach of every Australian Jew”.

“The evil BDS bandwagon is reminiscent of 1933 Nazi Germany when Hitler’s regime initiated a “Don’t buy from Jews” day, and to have our public broadcaster run a story that champions a malevolent cause that advocates for the destruction of Israel dishonours and taints the ABC,” he said.