Journalist Antoinette Lattouf speaking to the press after winning the case she filed against the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Screenshot from YouTube video of Guardian Australia. Fair use.
An Australian court has ruled that journalist Antoinette Lattouf was unfairly removed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in December 2023 after she reposted an Instagram video from Human Rights Watch (HRW) about the use of starvation as warfare in Gaza.
Lattouf was hired to fill in for five days for Mornings on ABC Radio Sydney, but she was told not to report for work after her second day when she shared a post of HRW about Israel’s actions in Gaza. ABC management said she violated the company’s social media guidelines, but Lattouf, who has Lebanese heritage, claimed she was targeted by pro-Israel lobbyists.
HRW wrote a letter to ABC in January 2024 expressing concern that their report was cited as an excuse to remove a journalist.
It is troubling that factual Human Rights Watch material has been deemed “controversial”. This could have a chilling effect on the ability of Australian journalists to share human rights content from reputable organizations.
A judge ruled on June 25, 2025, that ABC breached the Enterprise Agreement and the Fair Work Act when it abruptly terminated Lattouf’s contract. “The policies she was alleged to have breached were not identified, nor was she given any opportunity to defend herself against the allegations,” the ruling stated.
The case decision mentioned the circumstances that led to the firing of Lattouf.
Soon after Ms Lattouf presented her first program, the ABC began to receive complaints from members of the public. The complaints asserted she had expressed antisemitic views, lacked impartiality and was unsuitable to present any program for the ABC. It became clear that the complaints were an orchestrated campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to have Ms Lattouf taken off air.
Lattouf said she was “punished” for her political opinion. After her court victory, she posted a selfie with her lawyer on X (Twitter).
We stand up for worker’s rights.
We stand up for press freedom.
We stand up for human rights.
We win. @JoshBBornstein pic.twitter.com/xgSXW4Z4QE— Antoinette Lattouf (@antoinette_news) June 25, 2025
ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks, who was not yet part of the management in December 2023, acknowledged the court decision and apologized to Lattouf.
The ABC acknowledges today’s Federal Court decision in the matter involving Antoinette Lattouf. Despite the Corporation’s best efforts, the matter was not able to be resolved before Court proceedings, which is regrettable.
The values of the ABC must be reflected in how we work. In this case the judge found the correct processes weren’t followed and, consequently, errors were made. We regret how the decision to remove Ms Lattouf from air was handled and the distress occasioned her. We extend our sincere apologies to Ms Lattouf and wish her well in her future endeavours.
The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance welcomed the verdict and called out the ABC management for bowing to “political pressure and pro-Israeli lobbyists at the cost of its own staff, values, and the public’s trust.” It's statement read:
ABC decision makers failed in their duty to push back against outside interference, racism and bullying.
They failed every Australian who counts on the ABC to shine a light in dark places fairly, bravely, and without fear or favour.
Instead of defending its journalists, ABC management chose to appease powerful voices, undermining editorial independence and wasting more than USD 1 million of taxpayer money so far in the process.
In an op-ed piece, Vivienne Kelly, a journalist with ABC's Medialand, summed up the public disappointment with ABC’s decision to fire Lattouf.
It's clear that the ABC acted unlawfully. It's clear that its previous management was willing to cave to pressure from lobbyists. It's clear audiences and taxpayers feel let down by the ABC once again becoming the story, the amount of money spent defending the action, and the dark truths it has exposed about the ABC's operations.
Paula Kruger, chief executive of Media Diversity Australia, reminded newsrooms to take a different approach in dealing with controversial issues instead of silencing particular viewpoints.
Building trust with our communities means nurturing inclusion and calm reasoning around our most contested and controversial news stories. Silencing one side of the story isn’t success. Shutting down voices is not ‘social cohesion.’ But silencing and shutting down were the preferred responses of senior ABC management under pressure from pro-Israel lobbyists. We need a different approach to our most difficult conversations.
