Australian Journalist Wins $220,000 in Case Against ABC as UK Police Face Scrutiny Over Reporter Surveillance

September 24, 2025 – Australia – 

In Australia, the Federal Court has ruled that the national broadcaster, ABC, must pay journalist Antoinette Lattouf A$220,000 after finding her dismissal unlawful. Lattouf, hired on a short-term contract in December 2023, was terminated just three days in after she reposted a Human Rights Watch statement on Instagram about Israeli actions in Gaza. The judgment included A$150,000 in pecuniary penalties against ABC, added to the A$70,000 awarded earlier for non-economic loss. The court determined that ABC breached the Fair Work Act and its own enterprise agreement by failing to give Lattouf an opportunity to respond, while also bowing to external pressure from pro-Israel lobbyists.

In the UK, a separate inquiry has exposed troubling practices by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), which repeatedly searched journalists’ phone records in leak investigations. The independent review, conducted by Angus McCullough KC, found 21 cases where covert powers were used unlawfully to trace journalists’ sources—more than double what the force previously acknowledged. While PSNI halted the “blanket searching” of reporters’ data in May 2024, the review raised concerns about inadequate oversight and recommended 16 reforms, including consolidating covert authorization procedures. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has pledged to implement the changes.

The two developments illustrate how institutions in democratic states can still undermine press freedom. In Australia, the ruling reinforced that journalists’ rights to expression and fair treatment must be protected even within public broadcasters. In Northern Ireland, revelations about unlawful surveillance underscored how easily police powers can infringe on press independence. Both cases highlight the importance of accountability, transparency, and strong legal safeguards to ensure journalism can continue to serve the public interest without intimidation or retaliation.

Reference – 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly6dlpd332o

https://www.aol.com/articles/australia-national-broadcaster-ordered-pay-083028166.html