ABC tweeter deletes account

An ABC spokesperson has told The AJN the national broadcaster has begun a review of the social media activity of a Jerusalem-based news producer who compared Israeli actions to Nazis and tweeted about a Zionist domination plot.

Earlier this year Fouad Abu Gosh, who has worked as a news producer for the ABC for eight years, posted an image of Israeli police detaining a civilian with the comment: “This is how the Nazis treated the Jews, maybe it’s time for….!!!!”. In October of last year he posted, “There is a great Zionist project to dominate and control all Arabs in the region!!”

His Twitter bio read “Middle East producer for Australian Broadcasting Corporation, opinions are mine and ABC’s” as recently as last week. He has since deleted his Twitter account.

“The fact that a proponent of antisemitic conspiracy theories was able to play any part in the ABC’s reporting on Israel is deeply concerning,” Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said.

“His comments about Jewish global domination and Holocaust inversion are plainly antisemitic,” he said, adding, “It certainly raises questions of impartiality and professionalism.”

Zionist Federation of Australia director of public affairs Bren Carlill said, “Time and again the ABC produces biased content when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is thus no surprise that an ABC contractor with such abhorrent personal views has been exposed.”

Carlill said the issue goes beyond hiring practices, “to the refusal by ABC management to take decisive action to end the anti-Israel bias that repeatedly manifests itself in ABC output”.

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) executive director Colin Rubenstein said AIJAC is “very disturbed” by the revelations “of extreme views expressed on social media by a key ABC employee”.

“Abu Gosh’s online activities appear to have been in clear contravention of the ABC’s social media policy. But even more concerning is his potential influence over ABC Middle East correspondents and the ABC reporting, which has come under frequent criticism for lacking objectivity and balance,” he added.

Rubenstein urged the ABC editorial management to “urgently” investigate this matter, “to ensure the national broadcaster can meet its statutory obligations to ensure news and current affairs content is fair and balanced”.

An ABC spokesperson told The AJN that they are “reviewing the social media activity”.

“The ABC has clear policies on employees’ personal use of social media, and if a breach of the policy is found to have occurred a range of actions can be taken,” the spokesperson said.