Antoinette Lattouf

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Antoinette Lattouf
Born1983 (age 40–41)
NationalityAustralian
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • author
  • columnist
  • presenter
  • host
  • diversity advocate
Known forDiversity advocate
Websiteantoinettelattouf.com

Antoinette Lattouf (Arabic: أنطوانيت لطوف) is an Australian journalist, host, author and diversity advocate.

Throughout her career, Lattouf has worked at Network Ten, ABC, SBS, Southern Cross Austereo, Triple J, and as a social commentator for various online and broadcast publications.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Since early 2022, Lattouf has been a permanent co-host of the daily LiSTNR podcast The Briefing.[8] She is also known for her work as a columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.[9]

Early life and education[edit]

Lattouf's parents came to Australia as refugees from Lebanon in the 1970s.[10] She was born in 1983 in Auburn, New South Wales. She attended various public schools in Western Sydney and studied Communications (Social Inquiry) at the University of Technology, Sydney.[11]

Career[edit]

Lattouf co-founded Media Diversity Australia (MDA) in 2017, a not-for-profit organisation which seeks to increase cultural and linguistic diversity in Australia's news media.[12] The MDA's advisory board members include Stan Grant, Waleed Aly, Hugh Riminton, Monica Attard, Talal Yassine and Tim Soutphommasane.[13] In 2020 MDA released their report in regards to the lack of diversity in Australian television news and current affairs. Lattouf was a co-author of Who Gets To Tell Australian Stories, Australian-first research led by MDA and conducted by Macquarie University, University of Sydney, Deakin University and Western Sydney University with partners Google and the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance.[14]

In 2019 a comment made by Kerri-Anne Kennerley to Lattouf on Studio 10 was criticised by feminists and media commentators who accused Kennerley of 'slut-shaming'. Kennerley had asked Lattouf "Did you forget your pants today?" in reference to a playsuit Lattouf was wearing. Kennerley later suggested Lattouf was 'thirsty' a few minutes after the Studio 10 panel had discussed the word as a synonym for 'horny'.[15]

In 2020 Lattouf spoke out about bullying and racism she experienced whilst working at SBS at the start of her career.[16][17]

Her first book How to Lose Friends and Influence White people was published by the Penguin Random House in 2022.[18][19] That same year, Lattouf delivered her first TEDx Sydney talk.[20]

Dismissal from ABC[edit]

In December 2023 Lattouf began presenting ABC Radio Sydney's Mornings program as a fill-in host for Sarah Macdonald. She subsequently posted on social media a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report alleging that Israel was using starvation as a weapon of war during the Israel-Palestinian conflict.[21][22] A co-ordinated campaign by a pro-Israel lobbying group called "Lawyers for Israel" pressured ABC management, including ABC chair Ita Buttrose, to sack Lattouf and attacked Lattouf's Jewish lawyer Josh Bornstein as a traitor.[23] Messages were later leaked from a Lawyers for Israel WhatsApp group chat with 156 members. In the messages Sydney lawyer Nicky Stein suggested targeting Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, saying “I know there is probably no actionable offence against the ABC but I didn’t say I would be taking one — just investigating one.”[24]

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation sacked Lattouf on 20 December 2023. The stated reason for her dismissal was reportedly that she had posted a reference to the HRW report.[23] The ABC had itself covered the release of the same HRW report.[21] Al Jazeera said that Lattouf was one of "a growing list of journalists across the globe to have been dismissed for expressing views supporting Palestine or calling for Israel to end its bombardment of Gaza".[21] Lattouf responded to her sacking by saying she believed she had been terminated unlawfully and that it was "not a win for journalism or critical, fair thinking".[25]

Lattouf's sacking prompted ABC members of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) to pass a vote of no-confidence in ABC's managing director, David Anderson, on 22 January. The MEAA motion read "Our leaders have consistently failed to protect our ABC’s independence or protect staff when they are attacked. They have consistently refused to work collaboratively with staff to uphold the standards that the Australian public need and expect of their ABC".[26][27]

Lattouf lodged a claim for unfair dismissal with the Fair Work Commission (FWC).[21] Her claim said that she was dismissed for expressing a political opinion and that her race was a contributing factor.[21][28] An attempt at mediation in the FWC failed.[29]

In its submission to the FWC on 15 January, the ABC said Lattouf was warned about posting about controversial topics prior to her dismissal. The ABC wrote it did not need Lattouf to perform the last two of her five shifts as a casual presenter because she had "failed or refused to comply with directions that she not post on social media about matters of controversy during the short period she was presenting". It argued that Lattouf could not make an unlawful termination application because it did not sack her.[30]

On 5 February 2024 the case was featured on the ABC's Media Watch program.[31] Host Paul Barry attributed the ABC's actions to "weakness and incompetence - incompetence for not doing its homework, and for not thinking it through, and weakness for not sticking with Lattouf for two more days".

Lattouf asked the FWC to release emails received by the ABC related to her dismissal. These had been mentioned in the leaked WhatsApp messages. The FWC refused her request on 16 February.[28]

Recognition[edit]

In 2019, she was listed in the Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence.[32]

In 2021, she was awarded a Women’s Agenda Leadership Award and B&T Women in Media Champion of Change.[33]

Personal life[edit]

Lattouf is married and has two daughters.[34][35]

Lattouf advocates for more support and awareness for perinatal mental health after struggling with post natal depression and sharing her journey in a Marie Claire article.[36]

She is also an ambassador for the Australian Thyroid Foundation after a Studio 10 viewer noticed a lump on her neck and contacted Network 10. As a result, Lattouf had surgery to remove the lump and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "'It's tricky': Antoinette Lattouf on Sam Armytage's Sunrise replacement". au.lifestyle.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b Khalil, Shireen (21 January 2020). "TV reporter alerted to throat cyst by viewer undergoes surgery and discovers another health issue". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  3. ^ "How do you talk to your NESB parents about their COVID vaxx hesitancy?". ABC Radio. 4 August 2021. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Duo shine a light on diversity". The Australian. 23 April 2017. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  5. ^ ""Damaged Us And Left Scars": Former Journalists Call Out SBS For Racism & Bullying". B&T. 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Ten reporter and high-profile diversity advocate Antoinette Lattouf isn't shy about making very public take-downs of her fellow journalists". The Australian. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  7. ^ "2019 Women of Influence are champions of reinvention". Australian Financial Review. 9 September 2019. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Antoinette Lattouf joins LiSTNR podcast The Briefing". Mediaweek. 2 March 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Antoinette Lattouf Sydney Morning Herald Column". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  10. ^ Lattouf, Antoinette (12 March 2016). "Postnatal Depression: Why couldn't my mother feel my pain?". ABC News. ABC. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Journalist, influencer, ambassador, advocate". University of Technology Sydney. 24 October 2019. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  12. ^ "'I had to shoulder barge or kick my way in': Antoinette Lattouf's fierce pursuit for media diversity". Women's Agenda. 22 June 2021. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Advisory Board". Media Diversity Austraalia. 2023. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  14. ^ Ma, Wenlei (16 August 2020). "Australian audiences are let down by TV networks' lack of diversity". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  15. ^ "Kerri-Anne Kennerley accused of 'slut-shaming' female colleague live on Studio 10". news.com.au. 14 December 2019. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  16. ^ Meade, Amanda; Zhou, Naaman (30 June 2020). "SBS staff urge leadership change as former journalists air claims of racism". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  17. ^ "'Rubbish': Cricketers urged not to kneel". The Daily Telegraph. 12 July 2021. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  18. ^ "PRH acquires Lattouf's 'How to Lose Friends and Influence White People' | Books+Publishing". Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  19. ^ Touma, Rafqa (17 May 2022). "Antoinette Lattouf on writing a guide to anti-racism: 'I was sitting there and sobbing'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  20. ^ "Reverse Discrimination? It doesn't exist…but 'tokenism' does". TEDxSydney. 5 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d e "Strike threat over claim pro-Israeli lobby forced out Australian journalist". Al Jazeera. 16 January 2024. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  22. ^ Keoghan, Sarah (20 December 2023). "ABC radio presenter axed after Israel-Hamas conflict posts". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  23. ^ a b Michael Bachelard, Calum Jaspan, Messages show push to oust Lattouf, Archived 15 January 2024 at the Wayback Machine The Age 16 January 2024 pp.1-3.
  24. ^ Iqbal, Soaliha (16 January 2024). "Leaked Texts Reveal 'Coordinated Campaign' To Get Antoinette Lattouf Fired From The ABC". PEDESTRIAN.TV. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  25. ^ Shepherd, Tory (21 December 2023). "Antoinette Lattouf says she is considering 'legal options' after losing ABC radio role over Israel-Gaza social media posts". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  26. ^ Jaspan, Calum; Bachelard, Michael (22 January 2024). "ABC staff pass no-confidence vote in boss as senior journalist lashes leadership". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  27. ^ Bruce-Smith, Alex (22 January 2024). "'Something Needs To Be Done': Secret WhatsApp Chat Messages Show Coordinated Campaign To Get ABC Journalist Fired". PEDESTRIAN.TV. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  28. ^ a b Roe, Isobel; Thorpe, Andrew (16 February 2024). "Antoinette Lattouf loses bid to force ABC to produce emails calling for her dismissal". ABC News. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  29. ^ "ABC to hold emergency board meeting as Lattouf saga escalates". The New Daily. 22 January 2024. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  30. ^ Cassidy, Caitlin (23 January 2024). "ABC denies sacking Antoinette Lattouf and attempts to have termination case thrown out". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  31. ^ ABC, Lattouf & lobbyists Archived 7 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine ABC Media Watch, 5 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  32. ^ "2019 Women of Influence are champions of reinvention". Australian Financial Review. 9 September 2019. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  33. ^ "Announcing The Women's Agenda Leadership Awards Winners 2021". B&T. 30 April 2021. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  34. ^ Taouk, Maryanne. "Channel 10 presenter shares her depression struggles after her second child". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  35. ^ "ANTOINETTE LATTOUF: 'I couldn't stop thinking about death'". dailytelegraph.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  36. ^ Lattouf, Antoinette (12 May 2017). "What I Never Knew About Post-Natal Depression". Marie Claire. Archived from the original on 8 March 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
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