Aussie hoax call DJ's

[Guest guest8040]

Been shocked to the core at the tragic climax to this event this afternoon, so sad for everyone involved most predominantly the nurse and her family

[minty]

Very sad ending but I am going to go out on a limb and say the calls for the DJs to be charged/sacked and some of the more severe comments towards them are pretty discussing too. They did a prank a hoax no maliciousness intended and some people are saying there act was despicable and then saying they deserve to have bad things happen to them. Typical pot, kettle, black behavior. I wonder if this lady got in trouble for putting the call through and pressure/disciplinary from employers after.

 

Full sympathy to the family but I won't be jumping on the lynch the DJ bandwagon as well.

 

Chris.

Edited December 8, 2012 by minty

[Diane]

It's a very important lesson about actions having consequences - sometimes extremely tragic ones - and I'd really like to think this is one that will be learnt by all so-called shock-jocks in Australia, but unfortunately I doubt it will be

 

The only presenters I have any time for on the radio here are Fifi Box and Jules Lund - and even they irritate me sometimes. They do however seem to be fairly professional at what they do, unlike so many of the others.

[jim and adel]

Been shocked to the core at the tragic climax to this event this afternoon, so sad for everyone involved most predominantly the nurse and her family

 

 

I've missed this - I heard something about a hoax call, but a tragic climax? Did someone kill themselves over it? What's happened?

 

Jim

[Guest Guest6899]

I've missed this - I heard something about a hoax call, but a tragic climax? Did someone kill themselves over it? What's happened?

 

Jim

 

The nurse who answered the phone initally (she then put it through to the nurse who spoke to the DJ's..) has been found dead in the nurses accomodation!! hope that makes sense...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20645838

[Anne B]

On the news this morning someone said that normally the radio station has to get the permission of the person being hoaxed before they are allowed to broadcast anything. However because this hoax was overseas the normal rules don't apply.

 

Haven't the press learnt anything from the death of Princess Diana or the Leveson enquiry? The way the press constantly hound the royal family and other celebrities is absolutely awful, this poor nurse, who was only trying to do her job was obviously under tremendous pressure. I am surprised that there was no filter on phone calls (via royal security guards or police) or no method in place to check who were valid callers (via a simple codeword or something). This nurse was let down by the hospital administration and the pathetic radio show pranksters (who really need to grow up) and I feel really sorry for her and her family.

[Toni]

Haven't the press learnt anything from the death of Princess Diana or the Leveson enquiry? The way the press constantly hound the royal family and other celebrities is absolutely awful, this poor nurse, who was only trying to do her job was obviously under tremendous pressure. I am surprised that there was no filter on phone calls (via royal security guards or police) or no method in place to check who were valid callers (via a simple codeword or something). This nurse was let down by the hospital administration and the pathetic radio show pranksters (who really need to grow up) and I feel really sorry for her and her family.

 

Spot on, Anne.

[jim and adel]

That's truly dreadful - shame on the idiots. Not that I'm surprised given what passes for entertainment on the radio over here.

 

Jim

[moggies2]

It's a very important lesson about actions having consequences - sometimes extremely tragic ones - and I'd really like to think this is one that will be learnt by all so-called shock-jocks in Australia, but unfortunately I doubt it will be

 

The only presenters I have any time for on the radio here are Fifi Box and Jules Lund - and even they irritate me sometimes. They do however seem to be fairly professional at what they do, unlike so many of the others.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head Diane - its about being professional and they obviously weren't. Much as I think there has been a lot of 'witch-hunting' on some other websites and totally hysteria on others, I do think the so called 'prank' was ill conceived and unprofessional considering the media fury that has hit the UK recently. Don't these people do their homework or look at the wider picture? Isn't there any accountability for the media in Australia? The nurse in question may have had other 'issues' - we will never know - but at the end of the day if they hadn't made the call she would still be alive. I hope they can live with themselves.

 

Mariane

[Rich & Chit]

but at the end of the day if they hadn't made the call she would still be alive. I hope they can live with themselves.

 

As moggies 2 has just posted, these idiots who made the call are ultimately responsible. The hospital admin and/or security forces may have put pressure on this nurse but if the call hadn't happened then she would still be alive. The DJ's and radio station should be held to account.

[Diane]

Bottom line - and lesson I hope is learned by the Australian and International media - is that humiliating someone without their consent IS NOT entertainment. Makes me ashamed to be Australian.

[minty]

I wonder if the 2 DJs committed suicide today how many talking crap about them would be able to live with themselves.

 

Come on people get real it was a joke with no maliciousness intended. We've all carried out practical jokes before.

 

Can anyone prove that the 2 incidents are linked together? The nurses name was never released and they were not being ridiculed so why would someone take there own life JUST because they got pranked. No doubt there are other underlying causes.

[Guest Guest5035]

probably one of the hospitals management went ballistic at her for transferring the call, for all we know she had other problems and this was the icing on the cake, i'm sure the inquest will reveal things.

 

stevo

[Guest Helchops]

Wow...if its this easy to kill somebody, I'd better start walking on egg shells.

Having a laugh and a prank is part of my nature and it's so sad that more and more 'characters' are being battered into submission with political correctness.

[Guest Helchops]

Rich and Chit...words escape me. It really is unfortunate, but drag that soapbox away for a second and think about what you just said...'I hope they can live with themselves'.

 

Wow. Never made a dumb remark? Never Hurt someone's feelings by accident? How about intentionally? You know schadenfreude is built in to every Brit...

 

I think these DJ's must feel pretty darn sick if you ask me. I really feel sorry for them. I genuinely hope that they can learn to live with themselves in time.

 

The bottom line, this was a mistake. If you knew someone that had committed suicide, you'd be constantly worrying about whether that innocent, 'have you put on weight' or,'how's the career' if they'd just been fired was the straw that broke the camels back...would that make you responsible?

Edited December 9, 2012 by snifter

[Guest Dazzlin]

Tough one this. I thought it was hilarious listening to Nova DJs ringing around other news stations revealing that Barack Obama has won the election two days after the whole world knew. That was clearly a joke and the recipients immediately got it. Nobody would have foreseen such a tragic conclusion to this latest prank but this was a planned act to publicly embarrass someone. This lady must have been an highly competent nurse to be working in a position of trust at such a reputable hospital, and she possibly felt she had contributed to the global humiliation of the Royal Family, the hospital, her profession, her family and herself. That is a huge weight to bear and a pressure most of us wouldn't understand. Irrespective of what side of the debate you sit on, children have lost their mother and a man has lost his wife as the result of a considered decision to air the phone call in the name of 'entertainment'. This lady's reaction seems disproportionate and irrational and it's very difficult to legislate for, but the key thing missing was her explicit consent which should have been obtained before it was aired. I don't blame the DJs as it's difficult to know the boundaries when you're under pressure to be entertaining, but I do think the management of the radio station are culpable for lack of process and very poor judgement. Heads must roll.

[Diane]

Hear, hear Dazzlin. And although they were the ones broadcasting the segment, the DJs are not the final decision-makers at the station. I am sure like any media outlet they have to get the go-ahead from higher up to broadcast something like this, so whoever is paid big bucks at the station should put their hand up and take responsibility. He/she has not only let down the listening public but two of the station employees too by continuing to let the press and public think it was the fault of the DJs. The British media is like a rabid dog sometimes, and I feel these two unfortunates have been hung out to dry and thrown to said dogs by their employers.

 

No-one comes out of it well, and we can only hope that after this lessons are taken on board, and in future the same courtesy is extended to overseas victims of such "pranks" as would be extended to those within Australia. (I read that within Australia, a broadcaster needs to get permission from the victim before broadcasting, but this does not currently extend to people overseas).

[Rich & Chit]

Thanks Hellchops - but it's Rich & Chit - sure it was just a typo!

[jim and adel]

They're idiots, pure and simple. Some will say (and have done) that it was only a joke and ask the rest of us if we've never pulled a prank etc, but to this I say no, I suspect most of us have ever rung a hospital pretending to be someone else, asking personal questions about the condition of a patient then broadcasting such an intrusion. Of course they didn't realise it would end like this, but it was always likely to end up with some innocent at the other end landing in hot water because of two imbeciles' attention seeking.

 

If that's a joke, then I'm glad I don't see the funny side of it.

 

Jim

[Guest Guest5035]

quote

 

People need to get a serious grip here. Yes this is a tragedy and something that the deejays concerned could never in a million years have foreseen. However, the way the public are baying for ‘the blood’ of these two deejays is worse – the public are doing so with intent.

 

I’ve listened to radio pranks on a daily basis since I was a child and this is the first one with such consequences. Until then – everyone loved them. For someone to have made such a drastic decision to end their life, means that there was much more going on in her world than we will ever know. Even Prince Charles joked about it yesterday. That decision was not made due to ‘a little bit’ of embarrassment.

 

Instead of people pointing fingers, maybe now – especially before Christmas, would be a good time to contact and check on some family members and friends, who may themselves be going through some issues and let them know you’re there for them. Maybe if this woman had some positive support, we might not be discussing this now.

 

unquote

 

stevo

[minty]

Some people just have to have blood though Stevo. Bloody hypocritical idiots.

[Anne B]

 

Wow. Never made a dumb remark? Never Hurt someone's feelings by accident? How about intentionally?

 

I think we've all made dumb remarks, played jokes on people etc, but planning and then broadcasting a hoax to the general public and then having it re-broadcast by all the world's media is so totally different. They positively gloated about the whole thing and loved being in the limelight. Broadcasters have huge power in our global media/internet society and they have a code of ethics which they are aware of and should follow. The fact that this was an international hoax obviously put it into a bit of a grey area legally. If they had got the permission of the hospital to broadcast the hoax then fine, but they didn't.

[Guest guest8040]

My opinion is, although I agree with all points of view to a greater or lesser degree, consent to broadcast is the key here. They should have asked, they probably didn't because they knew they wouldn't get it and that poor lady because of her mental make up could not cope with the consequences. I'm pretty sure with 90% of hoax calls and recordings the people involved give their consent. I think the publicity the radio station knew they would get with it being the royal family and gaining the information they had was too tempting for them to act responsibly and although they certainly got the coverage they wanted initially, it has backfired big time. I do feel for the dj's as they are the scapegoats in a process that will have involved a lot of people.

[robeaves]

Here here Stevo.

[catherine.c]

When anyone 'important' is in hospital, there are a lot of journalist's etc trying to get information from the hospital in any way they can. With this in mind, the hospital should have / would have put measures in place to deal with all enquiries to ensure confidentiality. For instance all calls would be diverted to a senior manager. I know this as I have worked at a hospital in the UK where there was a VIP.

2 DJ's rang the hospital pretending to be royalty for a joke. No intent to harm just trying to be 'entertaining'.

It does not appear that any personal information was given out, so confidentiality was maintained by the nurses'.

No one knows for sure why the nurse committed suicide, we are making assumptions.

These appear to be the facts and my heart goes out to all of those involved. I for one will not be casting any stone...