Australia’s public broadcaster is facing a storm of backlash after ABC News Director Justin Stevens launched an unprecedented attempt to intimidate rival journalists into killing stories critical of his network.

In a blistering letter sent to Sky News CEO Paul Whittaker, The Australian’s Editor-in-Chief Michelle Gunn, and News Corp Executive Chair Michael Miller, Stevens demanded retractions and even an apology from Sky host Chris Kenny — all because Kenny dared to discuss Rebel News journalist Avi Yemini’s confrontation with ABC correspondent Matthew Doran in Israel.

The ABC are not happy with @OzraeliAvi or Chris Kenny who had the temerity to hold them to account. https://t.co/B6QINCESj0

— Daniel (@VoteLewko) October 23, 2025

Stevens — who takes home more than half a million dollars a year in taxpayer-funded salary — accused Kenny of enabling “harassment and abuse” by merely referencing the Rebel News footage, which showed Doran refusing to answer basic questions about the ABC’s notoriously slanted coverage of the Hamas-Israel war.

🚨 ABC’s Anti-Israel Bias Finally Confronted — at Hostage Square LIVE!

WATCH & SHARE what happened when I confronted ABC’s top propagandist, Matthew Doran — the man who’s been lying to Australians about Israel and Hamas for the past two years.

👉 https://t.co/raxd1KkxQK pic.twitter.com/bd2XQjs7HX

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) October 13, 2025

Kenny didn’t hold back in his response.

“A low point. Chasing someone with a camera and asking questions,” he mocked on-air. “Care to tell us how often the ABC has done that? Give me a break.”

He called Stevens’ letter “pathetic,” “peurile,” and proof that the ABC is in “total denial” about its systemic bias.

Stevens also whined that Sky’s reporting suggested the ABC team was “chased out” of Hostage Square, insisting instead they “moved to get data reception.” Kenny fired back that his column said “chased through” — and that the hair-splitting “only makes him look more ridiculous.”

But the meltdown didn’t stop there. Stevens demanded an apology and ordered Sky bosses to remove parts of Kenny’s coverage altogether. Kenny’s response?

“What on earth would I apologise for? For exposing the ABC’s systemic bias? For showing an ABC reporter dodging tough questions? I will not apologise for doing my job — even if that means exposing how badly Justin Stevens does his.”

Even former ABC director Joe Gersh has had enough. He told Sky News he’s “deeply concerned” about the broadcaster’s Middle East coverage, accusing it of vilifying Israel and fuelling antisemitism in Australia.

“Every time I turn on the ABC, I ask myself, ‘What has Israel done wrong this time?’ And I’m almost never disappointed,” said Gersh.

He warned that the ABC’s culture of denial and defensiveness has turned it into “a taxpayer-funded echo chamber,” adding that if it continues to ignore criticism, its mandate to exist is at risk.

Meanwhile, Avi Yemini — whose reporting triggered the ABC tantrum — summed it up bluntly:

“Australia’s state broadcaster is now trying to bully Sky News because they aired my reporting. DEFUND. THE. ABC.”

This is WILD.

Australia’s state broadcaster is now trying to BULLY Sky News because they aired my reporting from Israel — where I confronted their biased “journalist” at Hostage Square.

DEFUND. THE. ABC. pic.twitter.com/6crsQQcdPk

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) October 24, 2025

For an organization that never misses a chance to lecture others about “press freedom,” the ABC’s attempt to muzzle criticism has exposed what it really fears: independent journalism that fights back.

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In the wake of the horrific shooting at a synagogue in Manchester, Tommy Robinson — the leading voice in the UK against Islamic fundamentalism — was officially invited to Israel by its Minister for Diaspora Affairs.

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