‘Inappropriate To Fire Her:’ Former Human Rights Watch Head On Antoinette Lattouf’s ABC Sacking

The former executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, has criticised the ABC for its decision to sack journalist Antoinette Lattouf last month.

Lattouf, who co-hosts LiSTNR’s The Briefing, was dismissed by the ABC in December after day three of a five-day stint filling in on the national broadcaster’s radio program Sydney Mornings.

The ABC said she was terminated because she shared a Human Rights Watch video to her Instagram story which it deemed “controversial” and in breach of its employee social media policy.

The video accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. The same story was published by the ABC that same week.

Lattouf has since taken the national broadcaster to Fair Work Australia, claiming wrongful termination.

On Thursday afternoon’s episode of The Briefing, host Sacha Barbour Gatt spoke with Kenneth Roth, who is now a visiting professor at Princeton School for Public and International Affairs, to unpack the ABC’s decision and the wider implications for journalism.

“It was inappropriate to fire her,” Roth said.

“If she had posted something highly critical of Hamas, I can’t imagine anybody would have said ‘that’s controversial and you’re fired’,” he added.

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