Antoinette Lattouf Instagram – An honour to share that I’m the 2024 recipient of the Voltaire Human Rights award for my work as a journalist, broadcaster and advocate for human rights, diversity and mental health.
Previous winners include tennis player/disability advocate Dylan Alcott, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Sophie Trevitt advocate for raising the age of criminal responsibility and Children of Tanya Day (the Yorta Yorta woman who tragically died in police custody).
ANNOUNCEMENT:
“The Liberty Victoria Voltaire Human Rights Award honours a person who has made an outstanding contribution to human rights, free speech and/or civil liberties, with particular emphasis on progressing freedom, respect, equality, dignity and action. Antoinette’s body of professional work evidences a dedication to these ideals and a willingness to defend them despite significant external pressure and the personal price required.
As a woman from a Lebanese and working-class background working in the Australian media, Antoinette has used her voice to speak in support of a range of causes. Some of these are deeply personal and painful for her and reflect her perspective which comes from a place of difference from most of the faces seen in mainstream media. Her book ‘How to Lose Friends and Influence White People’ aims to help people effectively champion change and racial equality. She’s also an ambassador for the parent’s mental health through the Gidget Foundation, following debilitating post-natal depression. She has particularly championed diversity & inclusion in media as a co-founder of Media Diversity Australia.
Antoinette has recently come to national & international attention after she was sacked by the ABC for resharing a post by Human Rights Watch which reported starvation being used as a weapon of war against civilians in Gaza. She responded to this by reaffirming her views that “a journalist is meant to stand up and expose abuses of power…A journalist is meant to report without fear or favour.” Antoinette has ignited a conversation on free speech, the importance of an independent public broadcaster, the way race & political opinion can be weaponised against some Australians.”
📸 @hughstewart_ | Posted on 02/Jul/2024 04:30:00
