00:00This was David Anderson's second day being cross-examined by lawyers for journalist Antoinette
00:07Latouf.
00:08And one of the main themes was what was going through his mind back in December 2023 when
00:13he reviewed her prior social media activity.
00:17Now Ms. Latouf had been hired on a five-day casual radio presenting contract on ABC Radio
00:22Sydney.
00:23And the ABC had received complaints after her first show had been presented from pro-Israeli
00:29lobbyists.
00:30Mr. Anderson told the court he was worried about her prior social media activity because
00:35to him it added up to elements of anti-Semitism.
00:39The issue for Mr. Anderson was that Antoinette Latouf was presenting a live local radio program
00:46and there was the potential for the Israel-Gaza conflict to be raised there.
00:50That, according to the managing director, was a potential risk where there could have
00:54been a breach of the ABC's obligation of impartiality.
00:59Now later in the week Antoinette Latouf shared an Instagram post from Human Rights Watch
01:05which said that starvation was being used as a tool of war in Gaza.
01:10Now according to her this was after a conversation with her direct manager in which she was advised
01:15to perhaps keep a low profile on contentious issues.
01:19But Antoinette Latouf says that both she and her manager agreed that reputable sources
01:23would be okay and that wasn't a directive to not post at all on social media.
01:30Today David Anderson told the court that he was surprised when midway through this week
01:34he was told of the decision to take her off air for the last two days of this contract.
01:40Now according to the ABC's defence case that was a decision made by Chief Content Officer
01:45Chris Oliver-Taylor.
01:47Mr. Anderson today denied that he was happy for the journalist to be gone and he also
01:52said that engaging her on this temporary contract was a mistake because it put the
01:58ABC in a difficult position given she was working in live radio.
02:03Towards the very end of David Anderson's cross-examination Ms. Latouf's lawyer asked him if the ABC's
02:09dealing with Ms. Latouf has undermined the ABC's reputation for integrity and independence.
02:17To that he replied, I don't believe it's undermined its reputation for independence.
02:22I think the outcome of this trial will determine whether or not it's affected the ABC's integrity.
02:28We're now approaching the end of the first week of these hearings and it still has a
02:32number of days to go.
02:33It's running quite behind schedule.
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