Antoinette Lattouf, 41, was hired on a casual basis to present the Mornings show on ABC Radio Sydney over five days in December 2023.
She was dismissed three days into her role after sharing a Human Rights Watch post saying Israel had used starvation as a "weapon of war" in Gaza.
Antoinette Lattouf said she had received death threats and an arrest was imminent over one email. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
Six months after launching her Federal Court lawsuit against the ABC, Lattouf posted an Instagram video saying she was recognised publicly but had not signed up to be the "poster girl" for humanity, justice and press freedom.
Under questioning by the ABC's barrister Ian Neil SC as a hearing continued on Tuesday, Lattouf said she had been hired to speak on air about cats and Christmas pudding but had shared a post that came at a significant cost.
"Ongoing litigation, continually lied about, defamed, derided by the new chair of the ABC at the National Press Club, I've had the most horrible mischaracterisations about me in the Murdoch press," she told the court.
"I don't want any of this. I shared a Human Rights Watch post."
Lattouf blamed the ABC for making her sacking public after an article in The Australian was put out before she had even returned home the day she was fired.
She said she had received death threats, with an arrest "imminent" after notifying NSW Police about one abusive email.
She described feeling unemployable after leaving because the ABC, as Australia's most credible news organisation, could not withstand the baseless accusations of lobbying groups.
"What hope would I have that any other news organisation wouldn't capitulate in the same way?" she asked.
The 41-year-old recounted a phone call with ABC Radio Sydney content director Elizabeth Green two days before she was let go.
Ms Green allegedly described the ABC receiving a flood of complaints from pro-Israel lobbyists about the decision to put Lattouf on air.
"I said 'If the sky was blue, they'd probably have a problem with it'," Lattouf told the court.
"(Green) said 'Yes I agree, it's angering me that I have to have this conversation'."
Lattouf said she pushed back on a suggestion she keep a low profile on social media and refrain from posting anything during her stint with the ABC.
"I said 'I don't think it's fair that I don't post'," she told the court.
Lattouf said Green eventually agreed she could post facts from reputable sources but not conjecture or misinformation.
A key issue in the case is whether the ABC directed Lattouf not to post anything on social media.
Antoinette Lattouf said she pushed back against arbitrary use of the ABC's social media policy. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
The public broadcaster is defending the case, saying that the freelance journalist was let go after breaching this direction as well as its editorial policies of impartiality.
From the witness box, Lattouf denied being given any orders, saying Ms Green had offered a suggestion they then discussed.
She said she had pushed back against what she saw as an arbitrary use of the ABC's social media policy.
"I've been a journalist long enough to know that it's a bit strange just to pick and choose which presenters can share facts about what topics," Lattouf said.
Consultant psychiatrist Nigel Strauss was also grilled by Mr Neil about his diagnosis that Lattouf's symptoms of persistent depressive disorder with high levels of anxiety had been exacerbated by her dismissal.
Dr Strauss admitted there were multiple triggers for her mental state, including her exposure to distressing images from Gaza, the shouldering of responsibility as a poster girl for humanity and justice, and the hatred and death threats she had received.
Lattouf was a very vulnerable person at the time she was let go from the ABC, he said.
The hearing continues on Wednesday.
