Re: [Serious] Nurse who transferred prank call commits suicide
quote:The Australian DJs who posed as the Queen in a prank call to the hospital where Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, was being treated have said they are "gutted and heartbroken" after the nurse who took the call was found dead.
quote:"It was meant to be a silly little prank that so many people have done before. The accents were terrible, it was designed to be stupid. There were corgis barking in the background, it was meant to be a joke.
"We couldn't foresee what would happen."
"It wasn't about trying to get a scoop. We assumed we would be hung up on and that would be that. We were meant to be told off and that was the gag, the joke was on us."
And what happens when you make assumptions?
But a clue as to what may have caused this. Cultural factors may have been strongly in play.
quote:Ms Saldanha's family believe she died because of overwhelming "shame", it was reported.
She was a "proper and righteous person" who would have been "devastated" about what happened, her brother Naveen told the Daily Mail.
He said: "She would have felt much shame about the incident."
But a clue as to what may have caused this. Cultural factors may have been strongly in play.
quote:Ms Saldanha's family believe she died because of overwhelming "shame", it was reported.
She was a "proper and righteous person" who would have been "devastated" about what happened, her brother Naveen told the Daily Mail.
He said: "She would have felt much shame about the incident."
Shame is so toxic to a person's well being. In fact, it may be the most destructive emotion out there. A culture of shame doesn't do anybody any good ever.
i think shaner has a good point though...i agree the suicide is a tragedy, but i don't think the DJs should be crucified for it...it was a nothing prank call.
good thing you guys haven't seen these pranks yet:
So do you blame the DJs for her death? The Star thinks not.
quote:Blame, however, is a proportional thing, and it’s important to get the proportions right. Two morning DJs were doing their job in a way that has become not only accepted but expected; has anyone listened to morning radio in Toronto? It’s not long since Howard Stern was the boor-du-jour in this city. Greig and Christian crowded the line of good taste, and they crossed the line of confidentiality with respect to the Duchess of Cambridge’s condition. For those infractions, guilty as charged.
But did they cause the death of Jacintha Saldanha? Absolutely not.
We have no idea of all the factors — familial, cultural, social, personal, professional — that led to Saldanha’s death. Suicides are complicated, and there’s usually more than enough blame to go around. Greig and Christian will wear their share of guilt, but pinning the death solely, or even primarily, on two people who couldn’t possibly have foreseen this outcome is not just simplistic — it’s vindictive.
If either of them were next to commit suicide, who would we blame then?
I disagree. These guys should be thrown to the wolves. Just watched the dj interviews and it was full of crocodile tears saying they feel bad that they played a "part"(!?) They can't even bring themselves to admit what they did.
Now they are lying and saying that they tried to call the hospital ahead of time to let them in on the prank call. Anyhow looks like there will be an investigation and these guys are likely done ever working in the industry again.. Luckily Australia has some lax civil suit laws, so hopefully they can hit these guys in the pockets too. This is just like online bullying but more shameful because it's at someone's expense for people's entertainment.
Imo any articles giving the dj's a pass is just trying to help the industry sweep this under the rug.
So do you blame the DJs for her death? The Star thinks not.
Sorry, that's not "The Star". That's the opinion of ONE writer, a columnist, a former colleague of mine. And his position is much more finely parsed than you say. He points out that the DJ's are not solely to blame for the nurses death. I agree. He does agree that they have some culpability. How much is a matter of discussion.
I happen to believe they share more responsibility than the columnist suggests. They and their bosses made a serious error in judgement. The moment they received confidential medical information they should have shut the whole thing down. That it was not, shows the complete ethical depravity of the broadcaster.
quote:In truth, it was never remotely funny, that moronic prank pulled by a couple of jester Australian radio disc jockeys on a London hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for acute morning sickness.
The real sickness here is what passes for humour these days: The snark, the mean poke, the gotcha gouge, the juvenile punking. We are, it seems, endlessly captivated by the embarrassment inflicted on others, the shamier the better.
