Royal Prank Call Nurse Commits Suicide

[Silkie]

Silkie, I assume you're east of the Atlantic, then.  I don't think they'd be criminally liable anywhere in the Western Hemipshere.

And why should they?

What law did they break?  What did they do wrong, other than the most awfulest of impressions of royalty since, well, ever?

It was a radio stunt, a prank.  In the US, there have been thousands, if not tens of thousands of radio shams and prank calls over the years (until the rules changed) and no one's gone and off'd themselves.  What happened was sad, maybe even a tragedy, but this nurse lady obviously had some larger issues at play if she let a couple of half-arsed Aussie DJs drive her to suicide.  If not them, it would have later been a bent syringe or a flat tyre on her car that sent her over the edge.  Trust me, it's the little things that eventually do us in.

No, most states have criminal impersonation laws on their books.

[Bongwater]

It wasn't so much the prank itself Zach (though it IS a HUGE factor), but the protocol surrounding it.

"What happened was sad, maybe even a tragedy, but this nurse lady obviously had some larger issues at play if she let a couple of half-arsed Aussie DJs drive her to suicide.  If not them, it would have later been a bent syringe or a flat tyre on her car that sent her over the edge....."

And you also have to remember this nurse, albeit unwittingly, broke some SERIOUS hospital confidentiality rules. This could have gotten her fired. Perhaps she was expecting it. And this was also the royal couple.

The nurse NEVER had any prior indications of any problems. She was very well liked and was a good and hard working nurse. The shame may have been too much for her to bear. So to assume she was merely unstable is simply not seeing the entire picture. There's something else.     

Yes. There are some Australian radio hosts who feel HORRIBLE right now. They (and their producers) have also been fired from 2DAY. On top of that, Southern Cross Austereo now has to face possible license revocation of 2DAY from the ACMA.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/radio-station-risks-losing-licence-over-tragic-prank-call-20121213-2bclw.html

And secondly, if you intend to record a phone call, you HAVE to let the other party know what is happening per New South Wales state law. And breaking this is very VERY bad juju.

The problem is while 2DAY lawyers cleared the stunt for broadcast, nobody can prove that the nurse at the hospital cleared the station on her part. Such a thing would be easy for the station to produce; Before broadcast, you tell the party that they are being recorded, get the name of the party you’re speaking to and maybe inform them that what they are saying is being broadcast over the radio. But I’m also sure if that happened, the nurse would have also flatly declined taking the call any further. She likely knew the confidentiality rules of her hospital.

And ALL indicators (namely the call itself) point to the unthinkable. They didn’t.   

I understand this was a prank gone HORRIBLY wrong. And I understand the intent of the skit and had the hosts known what they know now, they NEVER would have done it. But there was a potentially FATAL breakdown somewhere. And it all comes back to them: Where is the clearance recording? THIS ALONE would bring this fire to a manageable level.

I honestly don't think there is any. Because 2DAY’s remedial actions point to some MAJOR ass-covering by some VERY frightened radio executives at Southern Cross Austereo. They canceled all advertising from the 7th until today and pledged to donate all advertising revenue from advertising from now until the end of the year to the family of the nurse.

This is also Christmas advertising - the BIGGEST, most profitable season for radio advertising anywhere. THAT probably illustrates just how frightened they really are. 

But there’s another angle: Who WANTS to advertise on 2DAY now? Even if all the proceeds were to go to the family of the nurse, most Australians don’t hold 2DAY in a very good light now. And their advertisers KNOW it.

The scorn of 2DAY is not only in Sydney, not only nationwide across Australia, but WORLDWIDE. Why the hell would an advertiser want to advertise on such a vilified radio station? I'm not sure if 2DAY can even recover. And while I don't think it's the fault of the entire radio station, the entire radio station may be the collateral damage. This is THAT HUGE.

This story has been front and center in the Australian media for the last week and it’s not going away. I think what Australians really want is Southern Cross Austereo, 2DAY and all those involved to pony up THEIR OWN pounds of flesh for this.

And that may very well happen before this is over....   

And let's face it, when you're deliberately invading ANYONE'S privacy, you're not being "edgy", you're being a jerk......

[Bongwater]

One more thing....

"In May, ACMA found that 2Day FM had breached the ''decency provision'' of the broadcasting code when breakfast presented Kyle Sandilands called a female journalist a ''fat slag'' and a ''piece of s--t'' on air.

ACMA made decency a condition of 2Day FM's licence for the next five years...."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/2day-fm-suspends-all-advertising-amid-royal-prank-backlash-20121208-2b1zy.html#ixzz2Eta7Hom9

If 2DAY has this and they were already under a decency condition from the ACMA for their license, it doesn't look good for 2DAY. I can understand how nervous they must be.....

[Zach]

Bongwater, you put this in perspective for me.  Thank you.

That said, I still find it odd that now after this Sandy Hook horror in Connecticut today, we have people who are saying that guns don't kill people, but DJs do.  Food for thought.

[Lee Anderson]

That said, I still find it odd that now after this Sandy Hook horror in Connecticut today, we have people who are saying that guns don't kill people, but DJs do.  Food for thought.

I generally like to see myself as a glass half full sort of person, but after the tragic events in Sandy Hook, I don't think anything will change.

As for Southern Cross Austereo, I think change is in the wind...

[Bongwater]

That said, I still find it odd that now after this Sandy Hook horror in Connecticut today, we have people who are saying that guns don't kill people, but DJs do.  Food for thought.

As for Southern Cross Austereo, I think change is in the wind...

That is IF they are even given a chance for a third strike. The ACMA will not be coming empty handed.

I think the fairest solution is for the ACMA to revoke 2DAY's license and keep Southern Cross Austereo on a VERY short leash with the rest of their stations. ONE MORE gross violation of any law and/or provision of the broadcast code and it's OVER. Plus, double the probation period at 10 years during which time, they cannot acquire, transfer or construct any new radio stations.

[Zach]

But why should 2DAY be punished for anything other than whatever local broadcasting rules they broke?  They shouldn't be screwed just to make the British feel better.  The nurse left three suicide notes and now it's coming out that perhaps she had been harassed a bit by the hospital staff after this incident.  Maybe the hospital administrator should be the one facing the virtual guillotine instead of these DJs.