The Guardian had a story to tell about anti-Palestinian bias in the Australian media, and the ‘undue influence’ of pro-Israel lobby groups, and facts clearly weren’t going to get in the way of that narrative.
The article (“ABC staff shelve plans for immediate industrial action over sacking of journalist Antoinette Lattouf”, Jan. 17) by Guardian Australia reporter Josh Taylor, claims that Antoinette Lattouf a journalist for ABC, the nation’s national broadcaster, was axed from her gig as a fill-in radio presenter due to her reposting, on Instagram, of a Human Rights Watch video about the war’s impact on Palestinians. The Guardian reporter also suggested that ABC’s decision was at least partly the result of her being “targeted” by pro-Israel lobbyists, while Lattouf herself, whose of Lebanese descent, claims that she was the victim of racism.
However, even leaving aside the toxic Guardian dog-whistle imputing the ‘undue influence’ of the ‘pro-Israel lobby’, it’s simply not true that the only social media post in question is the lone HRW video. A look at both her X and Instagram accounts shows a pattern of pro-Palestinian advocacy prior to her termination.
First, as Israelycool has documented, Lattouf drew intense criticism after she has repeatedly claimed that videos of pro-Palestinian protesters chanting “gas the Jews” at the Sydney Opera House in October were unverified – a narrative she continued to peddle even after new evidence emerged proving that the antisemitic chant could clearly be heard.
This was ignored by the Guardian reporter.
Lattouf also has shared her strongly anti-Israel views on her personal Instagram account. In late October, she posted a video claiming that “many journalist friends…are being intimidated behind the scenes by pro-Israel lobby groups”, and the accusation that Israel engaged in the “indiscriminate killing of [Palestinian] children”.
That incendiary Instagram post was ignored by the Guardian reporter.
Lattouf also has engaged in anti-Israel advocacy on TikTok, including the posting of a video in which she engaged in a one-sided rant alleging pro-Israel Wester media bias. She also evoked charges of apartheid and genocide against Israel, and suggested that Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre didn’t happen in a vacuum, citing Israeli oppression of Palestinians since 1948.
7 *hot tips* for Hollywood actors, politicians and media commentators to show the Israeli Defence Force unconditional support.#gaza #CeasefireForGaza #FreeHostages #releasehostages pic.twitter.com/fgz0VmK3Sp
— Antoinette Lattouf (@antoinette_news) November 10, 2023
This was ignored by the Guardian journalist.
Lattouf also posted on countless occasions since Oct. 7 on her X (formerly Twitter) account smearing Israel. In fact, her first post after the terror group’s mass murder, mutilation, torture, incineration, rape and kidnapping of Israelis was this re-post, on Oct. 8, which appeared to partly justify Hamas’s barbarity by citing the ‘context’ of putative Israeli oppression.
We were unable to find any posts by Lattouf (on X or anywhere else on social media) condemning Hamas for the antisemitic massacre they committed on Oct. 7.
The X re-post highlighted above and others were similarly ignored by the Guardian journalist, who clearly didn’t bother to do any real research before publishing his defence of Lattouf and attack on the ‘Israel lobby’.
Such lies by omissions are still lies, something the Guardian specialises in their coverage of Israel and antisemitism.
