Court finds journalist unfairly fired over Gaza post

A journalist won his file against the Australian national broadcaster, with a court decision that she was unjustly dismissed on an article on social networks on the war in Gaza.

Antoinette Latttouf said that Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) had dismissed it without “appropriate base” or “regular procedure” when its five -day contract as a radio presenter to be completed was interrupted in December 2023.

A few hours earlier, Latttouf shared a post by Human Rights Watch (HRW) which criticized Israel, a decision that the ABC said it had violated its editorial policy.

Latttouf continued for an unjustified dismissal, saying that she had been dismissed because of her political opinions, her race and her lobbying from pro-Israeli groups.

His dismissal triggered a wave of public indignation and has created public broadcasting disorders – raising questions about his independence and reviving concerns about how he supports staff, in particular those who are culturally diversified.

Lattouf – which has been the Lebanese heritage – has regularly contributed to the Australian media for years, but has also made a name for itself as an activist on issues such as racism, discrimination in the media and mental health.

ABC challenged that she had been dismissed because they had paid for her contract in full.

On Wednesday, judge Darryl Rangiah ruled that the ABC had limited Ms. Lattouf, for reasons including her opinions on the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. He rejected the allegation she was dismissed because of her race.

Ms. Latttouf has received damages of $ 70,000 (£ 33,400, $ 45,400), but Judge Rangiah said he would hear the arguments on both sides for new penalties.

Before she started a week’s visit as a presenter of the ABC Mornings radio program in Sydney, the broadcaster asked Latttouf to limit his use of social media and she accepted.

But she said that her manager also said that she could share information from “renowned” sources, so the second day of her contract, she reflected the Instagram post of HRW which accused Israel of using famine as a tool in her war in Gaza – something that the ABC itself had pointed out. Israel denies the accusation.

Shortly after leaving the air the next day, Lattouf was invited to pack her things and to leave, with the decision to withdraw her from the waves quickly disclosed the media. It left its reputation in tatters, says Lattouf.

She brought her case to the equitable work committee of Australia last year, which, after the failure of the mediation, judged that it had been dismissed, paving the way to its action before the Federal Court.

There, the Latttouf team argued that the ABC had been influenced by external pressure on its appointment as a presenter of temporary radio, even before she started the short contract.

Elizabeth Green, Director of Lattouf, told court that there had already been the pressure of “higher” to dismiss Latttouf before the HRW position was shared.

The court learned that the former president of ABC, Ita Buttrose, had transmitted several emails complaining from Lattouf to senior executives.

The BBC has also seen dozens of WhatsApp messages from two groups that show a concerted letters’ writing campaign against Lattouf in the days preceding its dismissal.

ABC lawyer Ian Neil SC, argued that Lattouf had not been dismissed and that she was simply told that she would not need to work the last two days of his contract, saying “we are talking about two quarters of work, two programs”.

Neil also argued that the reduction of the contract did not concern Lattouf, but rather to protect the reputation of the diffuser.

“Remove someone from the air is designed to protect the ABC, not to punish the employee,” said Neil in the closing arguments.

The Israeli army launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the attack by Hamas against southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 55,706 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including more than 15,000 children, according to the Ministry of Health in the territory.

Additional Tiffanie Turnbull report.