David Anderson said he reviewed Antoinette Lattouf's social media and grew concerned prior to her removal from her role at ABC Radio Sydney. Ms Lattouf brought an unlawful termination case against the ABC. Mr Anderson is in his second day of giving evidence and former ABC chair Ita Buttrose is expected to appear at a later date.
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TVTranscript
00:00This was David Anderson's second day being cross-examined by lawyers for journalist Antoinette
00:07Latouf.
00:08And one of the main themes was what was going through his mind back in December 2023 when
00:13he reviewed her prior social media activity.
00:17Now Ms. Latouf had been hired on a five-day casual radio presenting contract on ABC Radio
00:22Sydney.
00:23And the ABC had received complaints after her first show had been presented from pro-Israeli
00:29lobbyists.
00:30Mr. Anderson told the court he was worried about her prior social media activity because
00:35to him it added up to elements of anti-Semitism.
00:39The issue for Mr. Anderson was that Antoinette Latouf was presenting a live local radio program
00:46and there was the potential for the Israel-Gaza conflict to be raised there.
00:50That, according to the managing director, was a potential risk where there could have
00:54been a breach of the ABC's obligation of impartiality.
00:59Now later in the week Antoinette Latouf shared an Instagram post from Human Rights Watch
01:05which said that starvation was being used as a tool of war in Gaza.
01:10Now according to her this was after a conversation with her direct manager in which she was advised
01:15to perhaps keep a low profile on contentious issues.
01:19But Antoinette Latouf says that both she and her manager agreed that reputable sources
01:23would be okay and that wasn't a directive to not post at all on social media.
01:30Today David Anderson told the court that he was surprised when midway through this week
01:34he was told of the decision to take her off air for the last two days of this contract.
01:40Now according to the ABC's defence case that was a decision made by Chief Content Officer
01:45Chris Oliver-Taylor.
01:47Mr. Anderson today denied that he was happy for the journalist to be gone and he also
01:52said that engaging her on this temporary contract was a mistake because it put the
01:58ABC in a difficult position given she was working in live radio.
02:03Towards the very end of David Anderson's cross-examination Ms. Latouf's lawyer asked him if the ABC's
02:09dealing with Ms. Latouf has undermined the ABC's reputation for integrity and independence.
02:17To that he replied, I don't believe it's undermined its reputation for independence.
02:22I think the outcome of this trial will determine whether or not it's affected the ABC's integrity.
02:28We're now approaching the end of the first week of these hearings and it still has a
02:32number of days to go.
02:33It's running quite behind schedule.