SEN Radio has parted ways with prominent cricket journalist Peter Lalor midway through Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka over his social media activity related to Gaza.
Lalor, who had been a long-time commentator for SEN, was informed of his dismissal on the final morning of the first Test by SEN CEO Craig Hutchison. Lalor’s X (formerly Twitter) feed included re-posts about Israeli attacks in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, which, according to SEN, sparked a series of complaints about his conduct.
In a statement issued after the news broke, Lalor said he was informed by senior management that his posts were “insensitive” and ‘imbalanced,’ and that some people had accused him of antisemitism.
“I was told in one call there were serious organisations making complaints; in another I was told that this was not the case,” Lalor wrote. “Perhaps I misunderstood. I was told there were accusations I was antisemitic which I strongly objected to. I was told my retweeting was not balanced, and insensitive to one side and that many people had complained.
“I was asked by station boss Craig Hutchison, who was civil, if I didn’t care that my retweeting of events in Gaza made Jewish people in Melbourne feel unsafe. I said I didn’t want anyone to feel unsafe. Of course, I care. I have friends who are frightened and have heard the fear in their voices during conversations. It is an awful situation. But so is Gaza. It was a brief and cordial call.
“The following day Hutchison told me that because the ‘sound of my voice made people feel unsafe’ and that people are ‘triggered by my voice’, I could not cover the cricket for them any more.”
SEN confirmed shortly after that it had parted ways with the journalist. “Sports Entertainment Network confirms it has parted ways with Peter Lalor, a freelance commentator within SEN’s cricket coverage,” the statement said. “We’ve been in dialogue through the back half of the [first] Test about some of the commentary on Peter’s private social media feed. Peter and I have a different view of the impact of that in the Australian community.
“SEN Cricket is a celebration of differences and nationalities and a place where our SEN audience can escape what is an increasingly complex and sometimes triggering world.
“We respect Pete as a journalist and long-time contributor to the game but also acknowledge the fear that many families in our community feel right now, and we also need to respect that.”
Cricket star Usman Khawaja voiced his support for Lalor, condemning accusations of antisemitism and stressing that standing up for Gaza was about justice and human rights, not a critique of the Jewish community.
“Standing up for the people of Gaza is not antisemitic, nor does it have anything to do with my Jewish brothers and sisters in Australia, but everything to do with the Israeli government and their deplorable actions,” Khawaja posted on Instagram.
“It has everything to do with justice and human rights. Unfortunately hatred towards the Jewish and Muslim community will always exist. Pete is a good guy with a good heart. He deserves better.”
The news comes as Antoinette Lattouf faces her time in court for her unlawful termination case against the ABC. Lattouf’s dismissal followed her social media post about the Israel-Gaza war, which the ABC argued was a breach of editorial policy. However, Lattouf and her supporters have maintained that her post—based on a Human Rights Watch report—was factual and did not violate ABC guidelines.
Newly released court documents have shed fresh light on the internal discussions at the ABC surrounding journalist Antoinette Lattouf’s abrupt dismissal from a casual radio hosting role in December 2023. The documents, released ahead of the federal court trial in Sydney, include a list of emails exchanged between then-ABC chair Ita Buttrose and managing director David Anderson in the critical hours leading up to Lattouf’s sacking.
Within the emails, Buttrose wrote: “I have a whole clutch of complaints. Can’t she come down with flu, or COVID or a stomach upset? We owe her nothing,” the court was told.
After explaining Lattouf would finish up on the Friday of that same week as part of a “managed exit”, Buttrose said: “Managed exit, really? We should be in damage control, not managed exits, David.”
The agreed statement of facts published by the court noted that “Between 11.04 am and 11.31 am on Wednesday, 20 December 2023, Ms Buttrose sent a series of emails.” The content of these emails remains undisclosed, but their existence highlights how senior ABC leadership was directly engaged in the decision-making process.
Lattouf revealed in court that she didn’t care if the “facts” she shared were deemed controversial. “Facts are never controversial. I don’t share facts worrying if somebody might think it’s controversial,” she said in court.
The newly released documents also reveal a key point of contention: whether Lattouf had been explicitly told by her ABC radio manager not to post anything about Israel and Palestine or whether she was simply advised to ensure that her posts were factual.
Lattouf argued that her post was in line with ABC’s editorial guidelines, but ABC leadership viewed her actions as potentially compromising the broadcaster’s impartiality.
Antoinette Lattouf will be appearing at the Cairns Crocodiles in May 2025.
