'Disturbing': Australian Journalist Fired After Push by Pro-Israel Lobbyists

Leaked text messages obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday show that the government-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation fired radio host Antoinette Lattouf last month following a pressure campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists.

Lattouf, a Lebanese-Australian journalist who was working in a short-term contract position for an ABC morning radio program, was terminated shortly after she shared a December 18 Human Rights Watch Instagram post accusing the Israeli government of "using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war in Gaza"—an accusation that ABC covered at the time.

The Herald reported Tuesday that "dozens of leaked messages from a WhatsApp group called Lawyers for Israel show how members of the group repeatedly wrote to the ABC demanding Lattouf be sacked, and threatened legal action if she was not." One Lawyers for Israel member called Lattouf's lawyer, who is Jewish, a traitor.

The letter-writing campaign reached ABC chair Ita Buttrose, who responded to one message saying that she had "forwarded your email on to Chris Oliver-Taylor, the ABC's chief content officer, who is dealing with this matter."

Lattouf has filed a wrongful termination claim against ABC over her firing, alleging that she was unlawfully ousted because of a "political opinion or a reason that included political opinion."

Lattouf's complaint says she was fired for "breaching the ABC's social media policy." ABC said in response that it had "received some complaints" about Lattouf "in relation to her perceived stance on the Gaza conflict" and advised her to avoid posting to social media anything that could be deemed "controversial."

"Journalists should be encouraged to amplify human rights reporting, not penalized for doing so."

According to the Herald, the lobbying campaign against Lattouf "became intense in the week starting December 18," the day she shared the Human Rights Watch post.

"A stream of letters were sent on her second day, and on the third day—the day she was sacked—one of the group's administrators, Sydney conveyancing lawyer Nicky Stein, sent a message at 6:54 am entitled 'Action of the day: call to action,'" the Herald reported. "This post urged group members to target Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and copy in the ABC ombudsman, the board, and [managing director David] Anderson, adding: 'It is important ABC hears not just from individuals in the community but specifically lawyers so they feel there is an actual legal threat.'"

Elaine Pearson, director of the Asia division at Human Rights Watch, called Lattouf's ouster "disturbing" and said that "journalists should be encouraged to amplify human rights reporting, not penalized for doing so."

"This could have a chilling effect on the ability of Australian journalists to share human rights content from reputable organizations which is deeply troubling," Pearson added. "ABC should clarify the circumstances when staff are or are not permitted to repost the work of HRW, the policies that underpin those determinations, and whether staff have faced dismissal or other disciplinary action for sharing Human Rights Watch's work."

Following the Herald's reporting, ABC journalists in Sydney threatened to walk off the job over Lattouf's firing, which came amid broader concerns over the censorship of journalists critical of Israel's assault on Gaza.

"On Tuesday afternoon, about 80 staff members demanded a meeting with Anderson, who is currently on leave," The Guardianreported.

Cassie Derrick, media director of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance—an Australian trade union that represents ABC employees—told The Guardian that "working journalists are the ones who are holding the line on public interest journalism, and telling the stories we need to hear without fear or favor."

"And at the ABC, the management is letting these journalists and the public down," Derrick added. "Management needs to work with the staff to ensure that the trust in the ABC can be maintained."