Antoinette Lattouf

Antoinette Lattouf
Antoinette Lattouf
Nationality	Australian
Citizenship	Australia
Alma mater	University of Technology, Sydney
Occupation	Journalist; Advocate; Author;
Children	2

Antoinette Lattouf is an Australian award-winning journalist, diversity advocate and author.

She has worked in television, radio and online at Network 10, ABC, SBS and triple j. She’s also been a regular commentator on Q&A, Sky Australia, The Project ABC radio, Fairfax newspapers and The Guardian.

Antoinette co-founded Media Diversity Australia, a not for profit organisation that’s working to make news media more reflective of multicultural Australia.

In 2021 Antoinette was awarded a Women’s Leadership Award. In 2020 she was a B&T Women in Media 'Champion of Change' finalist. In 2019, Antoinette was named among AFR's 100 Women of Influence. She’s won multiple United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Awards and has been a Walkley Finalist.

Antoinette’s first book ‘How to Lose Friends and Influence White People’ will be published by Penguin Random House Australia in early 2022.

In 2020, Lattouf joined the Judith Neilson Institute For Journalism and Ideas' International Advisory Council. She is also an Ambassador for the parents mental health charity the Gidget Foundation and the Australian Thyroid Foundation.

Education[edit]

Lattouf attended various public schools in Western Sydney, she studied Communications (Social Inquiry) at the University of Technology Sydney, Sydney.

Early Life[edit]

Lattouf's parents came to Australia as refugees from Lebanon in the 1970s.

Advocacy[edit]

Lattouf co-founded Media Diversity Australia (MDA) in 2017. The not-for-profit organisation seeks to increase cultural and linguistic diversity in Australia's news media. Advisory board members include Stan Grant (journalist), Waleed Aly, Hugh Riminton, Monica Attard, Tala Yassine and Tim Soutphommasane. Lattouf is a preiment voice for the need for greater diversity and inclusion in newsrooms.

In 2020, MDA released their damning report about the lack of diversity in Australian television news and current affairs . Lattouf was a co-author of 'Who Gets To Tell Australian Stories', Australian-first research led by MDA and conducted by Macquarie University, University of Sydney, Deakin University and Western Sydney University with partners Google and the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

Lattouf advocates for more support and awareness for perinatal mental health after struggling with debilitating post natal depression and sharing her journey.

She is also an ambassador for the Australian Thyroid Foundation after a Studio 10 television viewer noticed a lump on her neck and contacted Network 10. As a result Lattouf had surgery to remove the lump and was diagnosed with hashimoto's disease.

Lattouf has spoken out about bullying and racism she experienced whilst working at SBS at the start of her career.

Controversy[edit]

In 2019, a comment breakfast television vetran Kerri-Anne Kennerely made to Lattouf was criticised by feminists and media commentators as 'slut-shaming'. Kennerely asked colleague Lattouf ``Did you forget your pants today?" in reference to a playsuit Lattouf was wearing. Kennerely later suggested Lattouf was 'thirsty' a few minutes after the Studio10 panel had discussed it was another word for horny.

Feminist Clementine Ford and media commentator Jan Fran were among many to publicy criticise Kennerely. Kennerley later apologised to Lattouf.

Personal Life[edit]

Lattouf is married and has two daughters.