Antoinette Lattouf makes shock admission about the ABC as she sues the national broadcaster over her sacking

Sacked ABC journalist and radio presenter Antoinette Lattouf has said she ‘still loves the public broadcaster’ and hopes to return to air.

Lattouf was dumped by the ABC in December over her reporting on the Gaza conflict. She was just three days into a week-long stint as a substitute on Radio Sydney’s morning show.

She has since taken legal action against the ABC at the Fair Work Commission, claiming the decision was political based on her position on Palestine and her Lebanese heritage.

Lattouf appeared on Abbie Chatfield’s It’s A Lot podcast on Tuesday morning, with the presenter joking that she had lost the ABC ‘as a friend’.

The journalist was quick to clarify that she “still loves the ABC” and said she “plans to get back on air.”

“An organization is only as good as the people who lead it, and if they are fearless, and I would say at this point they are not,” Lattouf said.

‘But as an institution I will always continue to argue for the ABC, because that will make our democracy better.’

Discussing the legal action taken, Lattouf said she would “stick with it.”

“As long as it’s going to last, because I think it’s so much bigger than me, and so much more important than me,” she said.

Lattouf claims she was fired after sharing a post from Human Rights Watch on her Instagram page alleging that the Israeli government was using famine as a weapon of war in Gaza.

When podcast producer Lem Zhakaria asked Lattouf if she was “hesitant” to take her case to Fair Work, the journalist replied with a resounding “No.”

Lattouf was dumped by the ABC in December over her reporting on the Gaza conflict

“There was already a front-page news story about me when I got home, so I thought, everybody’s watching, and it’s going to set a precedent,” she said.

Chatfield also asked if she thought the reaction to her views would have been different if she had been a “white man.”

“I definitely think things would be different,” she said.

Ms Lattouf has claimed she was ordered to go because she “had a political opinion and also because of her race”.

But the ABC has denied this, saying a decision has been made not to ‘claim’ her for the final two days of her five-day contract.

It is alleged that she ‘failed or refused to comply’ with directions not to post on social media about controversial matters during the time she was presenting.

Hours after the podcast aired Tuesday, Lattouf’s legal representatives met for the first case management hearing.

The Federal Court was told that both parties were interested in entering into mediation as soon as possible.

Abbie Chatfield interviewed Lattouf on her podcast It’s A Lot on Tuesday