Image: David Anderson, ABC Managing Director. ALEX ELLINGHAUSEN
by GRACE JOHNSON
Members from the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) at the ABC have passed a vote of no confidence in managing director David Anderson for failure to protect staff.
The vote was passed at 125 to 3 during an online meeting on Monday afternoon, which saw more than 200 MEAA members attend.
The meeting was prompted by the sacking of journalist Antoinette Lattouf in December from her casual radio role.
Ms Lattouf had shared to her personal Instagram account a post by Human Rights Watch (HRW), which reported that Israel was using starvation as a weapon of warfare, a story that the ABC itself had posted.
She had allegedly been told by her manager not to post anything while working there, lest she appear biased and unbalanced.
Ms Lattouf has claimed unlawful termination on the grounds of “political opinion or a reason that included political opinion”, which the ABC has denied.
The ABC reportedly received pressure from pro-Israel lobbyists to take Lattouf off air, igniting calls for the ABC to protect their independence and resist external threats.
MEAA members in the meeting called on Mr Anderson to regain the confidence of staff, “following a series of incidents which have damaged the reputation of the ABC as a trusted and independent source of news,” according to a statement.
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Cassie Derrick, MEAA Director, Media, said, “The concerns raised by staff were not about the ABC’s reporting on the situation, but actually on the ABC’s capacity to support journalists to report difficult stories like this one without fear or favour.”
Divisive stories have led to members of the community attacking ABC journalists, who are trying to do their jobs.
“This is felt particularly potently and happens more often to journalists of colour and to indigenous journalists,” said Ms Derrick.
“And when that’s been occurring,” continued Ms Derrick, referencing attacks on working journalists, “management has not been supporting these staff and has not been doing its job to protect the independence of the ABC it seems, and to ensure that staff are supported and protected in doing their job and telling those stories well.”
The motion passed at the meeting detailed the following:
Winning staff and public confidence back will require senior management:
- Backing journalism without fear or favour.
- Working collaboratively with unions to build a culturally informed process for supporting staff who face criticism and attack.
- Take urgent action on the lack of security and inequality that journalists of colour face.
- Working with unions to develop a clearer and fairer social media policy.
- Upholding a transparent complaints process, in which journalists who are subject to complaints are informed and supported.
Mr Anderson has agreed to a meeting but is yet to confirm a time. He has instead deferred commitment to sometime “in the coming weeks”, after the ongoing dispute with Ms Lattouf has ended.
The dispute could go on for a long time, with Ms Lattouf saying “I am willing and prepared to fight for as long as it takes.”
