Australian Media Fires Journalist over Pro-Palestinian Post

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A report issued on Tuesday revealed that a collective campaign coordinated by an Israeli group lobbied for the sacking of an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) journalist.

This incident provoked internal staff and prompted threats of a walk-out in the face of arbitrary dismissals. 

Antoinette Lattouf, an award-winning author for ABC, was fired after the Australian-Lebanese journalist shared a post on how "Israel" weaponized starvation against Palestinians in Gaza, originally posted by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

"The ABC sacked broadcaster Antoinette Lattouf after a high-level and coordinated letter-writing campaign from pro-Israel lobbyists that directly targeted the corporation's chair, Ita Buttrose, and managing director David Anderson," The Sydney Morning Herald tabloid stated, adding that dozens of leaked WhatsApp messages from the Israeli group chat were presented as evidence. 

The report added that lobbyists threatened to take legal action against ABC if Lattouf's contract was not terminated. 

Lattouf, on the other hand, is taking legal action against the organization for wrongful termination. She said actions taken against her were not "a win for journalism or free thinking."

ABC defended Anderson, rid him of all accusations, and claimed that Lattouf was fired for not complying with corporation instructions and sharing the "controversial post from HRW."

Following the incident, about 80 staff members requested to meet with Anderson in opposition to ABC's policies. 

The HRW's director in Asia, Elaine Pearson, condemned ABC's policies and took to X, formerly Twitter, to defend Lattouf and ethical journalism. 

Pro-Palestinian voices muffled

Pro-Palestinian voices have been silenced with unlawful terminations across the globe. 

Just recently, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed concerns regarding the discomfort felt by members of the Muslim and Arab communities within the tech industry when discussing their recent experiences, seemingly alluding to the impact of the ongoing war on Gaza. 

"Muslim and Arab (especially Palestinian) colleagues in the tech community I've spoken with feel uncomfortable speaking about their recent experiences, often out of fear of retaliation and damaged career prospects,"  Altman said in a post on X. 

According to The Guardian, many attempts to suppress pro-Palestinian views have been taking place in the US after the initiation of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.

Major conferences were canceled, workers who expressed sympathy for Palestinians were fired, and intimidation efforts targeting Arab American voices critical of Israeli policy were launched.

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