Exclusive: pro-Israel activists go after ABC journalists John Lyons and Laura Tingle
A new email campaign is targeting the respected journalists for withdrawing from the Adelaide Festival
Senior ABC journalists John Lyons and Laura Tingle have become the latest targets in a relentless pro-Israel campaign disrupting the arts and media sectors.
A new email campaign shared in a pro-Israel WhatsApp group is urging users to send a complaint letter to the ABC regarding the withdrawal of Lyons and Tingle from the Adelaide Festival.
The two ABC journalists were among 180 writers and artists who pulled out of the festival after it cancelled the appearance of Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah.
The world-renowned Adelaide Writers’ Week has since collapsed, with the board apologising to Abdel-Fattah “for how the decision was represented and reiterate this is not about identity or dissent”.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Abdel-Fattah rejected the apology.
“It is clear that the board’s regret extends to how the message of my cancellation was conveyed, not the decision itself,” she wrote.
Lobbyists shift focus to ABC journalists
The email campaign targeting the two ABC journalists was shared this week in a pro-Israel WhatsApp group.
Following the link in the WhatsApp group opens an automatically composed email addressed to the ABC board, managing director Hugh Marks, news director Justin Stevens, editorial director Gavin Fang and executive producer Patrick Emmett.
The email condemns Lyons and Tingle for withdrawing from the Adelaide Festival and states that their “conduct raises serious questions about [the] ABC’s commitment to impartiality, editorial responsibility, and ethical standards”.
It goes on to demand the ABC:
“Firstly, clarify how Lyons and Tingle’s withdrawal aligns with the ABC’s editorial standards on impartiality and conflicts of interest.
“Secondly, publicly address the implications of their conduct, particularly their alignment with someone who glorifies symbols of terror and delegitimizes Israel’s existence.
“Thirdly, ensure that ABC journalists, especially in senior roles, are held to clear and enforceable standards of neutrality, with real consequences for breaches.”
It concludes by saying that: “Failure to address these matters transparently will cause lasting damage to the ABC’s reputation”.
The lobbying effort is similar to another campaign revealed by Deepcut targeting the scheduled performance of Palestinian DJ Sama’ Abdulhadi at WOMADelaide in March.
Reminiscent of Antoinette Lattouf
The co-ordinated attempt to flood ABC inboxes with like-for-like complaints, planned in pro-Israel WhatsApp groups, is a scenario all too familiar to Antoinette Lattouf.
Lattouf was unfairly sacked by the ABC in December 2023 as a casual radio presenter after a similar pro-Israel campaign sought to have her removed from the broadcaster. The ABC defended an unfair dismissal case brought to them by Lattouf, and lost in June 2025.
“One would hope, at the very least, that [ABC] management has learned to recognise copy-and-paste intimidation dressed up as editorial concern, especially when it comes bundled with factual errors and a demand that journalists abandon evidence and professional judgement,” Lattouf, who has since co-founded Ette Media and co-hosts the We Used to be Journos podcast, said.
“In my case, the lack of backbone cost the ABC more than $2.6 million. What cannot be costed is the damage to its credibility, or the lingering doubt over whether its reporting on Israel, Gaza, and related domestic issues including the Royal Commission, and changes to protest and hate speech laws can occur without fear,” she told Deepcut.
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) threw its support behind Lyons and Tingle, calling on ABC management to “learn from past mistakes and stand up to protect both its workforce and the public interest against political lobbying.”
“Media employers have a duty of care to protect journalists from the psychosocial hazards they face, both online and out in public, as well as an obligation to protect the brave public interest journalism that shines a light on truth and holds power to account,” Cassie Derrick, MEAA media director, told Deepcut.
Deepcut sent questions to ABC management, including whether it will “publicly support Lyons and Tingle in the face of the campaign”. The ABC did not reply.
Former Adelaide Festival director slams pro-Israel lobbyists
Louise Adler, a widely respected arts figure who has resigned as Adelaide Festival director, excoriated pro-Israel lobbyists in an open letter published in the Guardian.
“The increasingly extreme and repressive efforts of pro-Israel lobbyists to stifle even the mildest criticism has had a chilling effect on free speech and democratic institutions,” Adler wrote.
“The new mantra ‘Bondi changed everything’ has offered this lobby, its stenographers in the media and a spineless political class yet another coercive weapon. Hence, in 2026, the board, in an atmosphere of intense political pressure, has issued an edict that an author is to be cancelled,” she wrote.
Pressure is mounting on South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, who confirmed on January 10 that he informed the Adelaide Festival board “that the state government did not support the inclusion” of Abdel-Fattah. It was then revealed that pro-Israel lobbyists had also written to demand the author’s removal.
Malinauskas was unapologetic at a press conference on Tuesday, insisting it was “a reasonable position for me to have”, despite his intervention ultimately unravelling the Adelaide Festival. South Australia is set to lose out on millions of dollars generated by the festival, which brought in $62.6 million last year to the state’s economy.
“When institutions flinch often enough,” Lattouf says, “the intimidation no longer needs to shout because it operates in anticipation of when the next lobbyist will clear their throat.”
In what now seems prescient, given the new campaign against two respected ABC journalists, Adler finished her letter with a warning:
“[Adelaide Writers’ Week] is the canary in the coalmine. Friends and colleagues in the arts, beware of the future.
“They are coming for you.”
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Thank you for this article grouping evidence of the organisation, fear tactics and arrogance of a foreign power interfering in our country. As it does right around the world. Read also today Patagonia is now being infiltrated by Zios claiming land through fire ,after the repeal of environmental laws there.
We watch as “leaders” crumble to their demands. SA should be on the streets protesting the capitulation of the Premier and his apparent lack of education and awareness of what is occurring in Gaza and around the world. Keeping his life and name sweet at the cost of so much.