The ABC director who dismissed journalist Antoinette Lattouf from her post as an informal radio presenter, initially warned that his bosses would remove her 'phenomenal recoil'.
The outgoing capacity of the broadcaster, Chris Oliver-Taylor, says that he was 'between a rock and a hard place' as a pressure mounted by ABC chairman Ita Buttrosis to remove Lattouf about her views on Israel's war in Gaza.
Lattouf was hired to fill a five -day time slot on the morning show on ABC Radio Sydney in December 2023.
But after three days the 41-year-old was fired in the broadcast after sharing a Human Rights Watch post in which it was said that Israel had used hunger as an 'weapon of war' in Gaza.
She suggests the ABC at the federal court for unfair dismissal, looking for fines and damage.
Oliver-Taylor told the court on Friday that he did not like comments from Mrs Buttrose about Lattouf in an e-mail of 19 December to the director David Anderson of the Omroep.
“Has Antoinette been replaced? I am too -mails to get over her, “the court was told that Mrs Buttrose said in the e -mail.
'Why can't she come down with flu or covid or a stomach complaints?
Chris Oliver-Taylor (Photo of the ABC (photo) says that he was 'between a rock and a hard place' as busy from chair Ita Buttrosis to remove Antoinette Lattouf
Lattouf, 41, arrives at the court on Friday
“We don't owe her anything. We criticize because she was not fair when she was appointed. '
At that time it was the position of Mr Oliver-Taylor that Lattouf would stay in her role until the end of the week, the court was told.
He responded with an e -mail to Mr Anderson who said: 'The recoil will be phenomenal. I recommend that we will hold on Friday (to). '
“I didn't like the comments of the chair, but I don't have a context for them,” Mr. Oliver-Taylor told the court.
The situation was 'managed' and he believed that Lattouf was told not to post anything with regard to the war and performed well in the broadcast.
“I was very confused and worried about what we should do,” said Oliver-Taylor.
He denied being aware that the ABC had received lobbyists about Lattouf at the time, and added that he did not know that she had a Lebanese background.
After the e-mail exchange, Mr Anderson sent Screenshots from some of Lattouf's earlier reports to Mr Oliver-Taylor, and told him that the ABC had an “Antoinette issue” and her feeds on social media contain “anti-Semitic hatred.”
“Has Antoinette been replaced? I am no more than e -mails about her, 'The court was told that ABC chairman Ita Buttrose (photo) said in an e -mail of December 19
Oliver-Taylor agreed that the posts were a matter that could bring the ABC to a position of biased, but he said he had not viewed many of the posts himself.
“My reaction was, I think this is extremely problematic,” he said.
“He uses words like” full of anti -Semitic hatred “and I have the decision to take around, I didn't check someone with those views in the air within 10 hours?”
In an e-mail on December 20, Mr Oliver-Taylor said that it was 'poorly informed' that the ABC Lattouf had hired, referring to her position on the Gaza war and signing a petition to ethical reporting on Israel and Palestine to call.
“It was her published views that meant that there could be a perception of bias,” he told the court.
The social media guidelines of the ABC distinguish between the use of official accounts by employees and their personal profiles, which are not subject to editorial policy.
Oliver-Taylor said the ABC did not demand that his employees were impartial in every aspect of their lives, but there were circumstances in which that requirement could grow further.
Since then he has resigned and will leave ABC at the end of February.
The hearing continues before Justice Darryl Rangiah.
