Jewish American columnist Thomas Friedman says he was uninvited from 2024 Adelaide writers’ week over ‘timing’

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 1 min read 100% complete by Kelly BurkeJanuary 15, 2026 at 07:36 AM

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Jewish American columnist Thomas Friedman stated he was uninvited from the 2024 Adelaide Writers' Week after initially agreeing to participate in a video link session. Friedman, a New York Times columnist, confirmed he was informed that the "timing would not work out" after his initial agreement. The controversy follows accusations of hypocrisy leveled against Louise Adler and Randa Abdel-Fattah, former festival board members, regarding freedom of speech. The Adelaide Writers' Week is an annual literary festival held in Adelaide, South Australia. The reason for the change in plans regarding Friedman's participation remains unclear.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

New York Times 40% Nine newspapers 50% Randa Abdel-Fattah 70% Louise Adler 70% Tony Berg 70% Adelaide writers’ week ×280% Thomas Friedman 90%

Keywords

adelaide writers’ week 100% thomas friedman 90% uninvited 80% controversy 70% jewish american 60% freedom of speech 50% louise adler 40% randa abdel-fattah 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

85%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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adelaide writers’ week thomas friedman uninvited controversy jewish american freedom of speech louise adler randa abdel-fattah

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