A journalist won his case against the national operator of Australia, with the judgment being unjustly fired from a social media publication on the Gaza War.
Antoaneta Latuff said that the Australian broadcasting corporation (ABC) fired it without a “appropriate base” or “proper process” when its five -day contract as a completed radio presenter was abbreviated in December 2023.
Hours before he was fired, Latin shared a post from Human Rights Watch (HRW), which was critical of Israel, a move that ABC said it was violating its editorial policy.
Latuff filed a case of mislaid, claiming that she had been fired because of her political views, his race and after lobbying the pro-Israeli groups.
Her dismissal caused a wave of public outrage and created a trouble of public television operator – raising questions about his independence and reviving her concerns about how she supports staff, especially those in cultural diversity.
ABC challenged that she was fired because they paid her contract entirely.
On Wednesday, justice Daryl Rankya decided that ABC had fired d -Lattouf for reasons, including her opinions on the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. He rejected the claim that she was fired because of her race.
He awarded compensation for G -JA Lattouf of $ 70,000 ($ 33,400, $ 45,400), but said he would hear arguments from both sides for additional penalties.
Lattouf – who is from the Lebanese heritage – has been a regular associate in Australian media for years, but also makes a name as an activist on issues such as racism, media discrimination and mental health.
Before starting his weekly stay as a host for the ABC Mornings radio programs in Sydney, the television operator asked Lattouf to limit the use of his social media and she agreed.
But she claims that her manager also said she could share information from “reputable” sources, so on the second day of her contract, she revised HRW's publication on Instagram, which accused Israel of using a hunger as an instrument in his Gaza war – something that ABC itself reported. Israel denies the charge.
Shortly after the next day he came out on the air, Latuff was told to pack his things and leave, with the decision to remove her from the air, which quickly leaked to the media. This left her reputation in Tatters, Latuf says.
She brought her case to the Australian Fair Work Commission last year, which, after mediation failed, ruled that she was fired, making the way to her actions in the federal court.
There, the Lattouf team claims that ABC was influenced by external pressure on its appointment as a temporary radio presenter, even before the short contract began.
Elizabeth Green, Lattouf manager, told the court that he had already had pressure from “higher up” to fire a Latin before sharing the HRW publication.
The court heard that former ABC ITA Buttrose chairman has sent several emails that complain about Lattouf to senior managers.
The BBC also saw dozens of WhatsApp messages from two groups showing a coordinated letter writing campaign against Lattouf in the days before it was fired.
ABC's lawyer, Ian Neal SK, claims that Latof was not fired and just said he would not have to work for the last two days of his contract, saying that “we are talking about two shifts, two programs.”
Neil also maintains that the contract cut is not about sanctioning Lattouf, but rather more to protect the reputation of the television operator.
“The removal of one of the air is intended to protect ABC rather than punish the employee,” Neal said in final arguments.
Additional reporting from Tiffanie Turnbull.