Nurse duped by Australian radio DJs found dead in suspected suicide

[The Bread Guy]

\What if someones kid was in the hospital and a DJ called pretending to be a family member and the nurse accidentally let it slip that the kid contracted HIV and it was broadcast over the air nationally?  Where's the line drawn.

Good point - how would you feel if it was your family member's health information shared with everyone?

 

[FJAG]

You beat me to it by a second. The nurse who is dead said nothing more than "Oh yes, just hold on ma’am." as she put the call through to the nurses' station. That's it. She didn't give any info up or anything.

No way to DJs could have predicted something like this happening. No way anyone could have, really. It's simply a tragedy with no good explanation.

I don't think the prediction of a suicide is the standard we should be focusing on when determining whether or not these types of calls are acceptable.

When they started out they should have reasonably foreseen two possible outcomes. One: they would not be put through in which case their stunt had no value to them as an "event" or two: they would be put through and thereby embarrass the hospital and the staff involved. It would be reasonable to assume that over and above the embarrassment to the staff they would be liable to disciplinary or administrative action as a result.

Why would any reasonable person proceed on a course of action where your desirable outcome will most probably result in embarrassment or discipline to caring junior staff at a hospital? Because they are unfeeling self-centred individuals for whom the fun and notoriety of a few minutes of air time is more important than what happens to other people. 

IMHO its one thing to punk some big political figure or movie star but when the victim can easily be seen to be junior employees then a big bold line in the sand has been crossed.

Colour me  with these two.

As an aside, there are laws about "personation" in most common law countries which effectively deal with some person passing themselves off as a public official. Not sure whether the crime happened in the UK or Australia or whether these circumstances can be stretched to be included but I presume someone is looking at that notwithstanding the "clearance" by the station's lawyers.

 

[garb811]

Why would any reasonable person proceed on a course of action where your desirable outcome will most probably result in embarrassment or discipline to caring junior staff at a hospital? Because they are unfeeling self-centred individuals for whom the fun and notoriety of a few minutes of air time is more important than what happens to other people. 

Because, at the end of the day, as has been discussed here ad nauseum, it is what today's "media" are paid to do.  They are paid to get ratings, at any cost in many cases, and they don't really care who is run over in the quest for the scoop.  The station doesn't care about the human engineering that allowed them to gain access to the personal nurse and obtain the initial scoop, they only care about the bad press and advertisers starting to pull their ads as a result of the subsequent suicide.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Why would any reasonable person proceed on a course of action where your desirable outcome will most probably result in embarrassment or discipline to caring junior staff at a hospital? Because they are unfeeling self-centred individuals for whom the fun and notoriety of a few minutes of air time is more important than what happens to other people.

Because, at the end of the day, as has been discussed here ad nauseum, it is what today's "media" are paid to do.  They are paid to get ratings, at any cost in many cases, and they don't really care who is run over in the quest for the scoop.  The station doesn't care about the human engineering that allowed them to gain access to the personal nurse and obtain the initial scoop, they only care about the bad press and advertisers starting to pull their ads as a result of the subsequent suicide.

I'm sure in light of this the public will turn these radio DJs into monsters. People LOVE a pile on like this and I could easily see their lives being made very uncomfortable over it.
I'm sure these radio DJs didn't foresee this happening and they're likely "good people" but I can't find any sympathy for them. They can suck up the public backlash over it. Maybe it will make people in their position think twice before doing this shit in the future.

Radio and TV shows need to ban this practice.

 

[Good2Golf]

I find the funniest comedians are those who find something particularly humorous that many people can relate to, but that isn't a particular slam of any one person.  So-called "humor" intended to deliberately come at the expense of another individual, particularly where the target individual is not away of their being targeted is not very funny at all...I like others don't find the "punk'd" style of practical jokes to be very funny at all.

My thoughts are with the woman's husband, two daughters and her colleagues.

To whatever degree the DJs' actions contributed to her death, they will have to deal with that on their own.

Regards
G2G

 

[The Bread Guy]

.... Why would any reasonable person proceed on a course of action where your desirable outcome will most probably result in embarrassment or discipline to caring junior staff at a hospital? Because they are unfeeling self-centred individuals for whom the fun and notoriety of a few minutes of air time is more important than what happens to other people ....

Because, at the end of the day, as has been discussed here ad nauseum, it is what today's "media" are paid to do ....

 

[Devo3733]

Are there any laws already on the books that would apply to this sort of thing?

I would imagine there must be some fairly hefty repercussions possible for impersonating the queen or any other member of the royal family.. But that would be UK law, possibly not Australia.

 

[ArmyRick]

I agree with Jim. Taking humour in a stupid prank or the ridicule of someone else is not on. Alot of people may find it funny...unless it was happening to them.

 

[garb811]

Yet everyone nodded their heads and laughed to Rick Mercer talking to Americans because, hey, it's Rick Mercer and showing the ignorance of American's towards Canada is always funny as hell! (to most Canadians anyways, I'm not so sure what those in the segments would actually think about being immortalized on YouTube in such a fashion...)

 

[Good2Golf]

Not everyone, garb811.  While I generally appreciate Rick Mercer's self-deprecating humour and his tireless support of the troops, I, and I'm sure many others, found his "talking with Americans" segment to be mean-spirited and arrogant and in fact showed an attitude that was actually the opposite of what Canadians generally espouse.  I didn't like it when he did it, and after thanking him for his support in general, I told him my disappointment in him on this issue when he visited our unit in Afghanistan.

Regards,
G2G

 

[ArmyRick]

My cousins (who were born and raised in Michigan) saw Rick Mercers talking to Americans stints and were very unimpressed. A lot of Americans living close to the border understand Canadians very well and have been here numerous times. I agree, I didn't appreciate Rick Mercers Talking to Americans stints. How would we appreciate someone from Texas or New Mexico having fun with us because we do not understand life in that part of the world.

Back to the point, this was not on, end of story. I will not support public or even private pranks. I have seen guys get way overboard with pranks.

 

[OldSolduer]

I find the funniest comedians are those who find something particularly humorous that many people can relate to, but that isn't a particular slam of any one person.  So-called "humor" intended to deliberately come at the expense of another individual, particularly where the target individual is not away of their being targeted is not very funny at all...I like others don't find the "punk'd" style of practical jokes to be very funny at all.

My thoughts are with the woman's husband, two daughters and her colleagues.

To whatever degree the DJs' actions contributed to her death, they will have to deal with that on their own.

Regards
G2G

And don't get me started on "Jackass" - what useless shenanigans that is.

 

[Devo3733]

And don't get me started on "Jackass" - what useless shenanigans that is.

True enough, atleast a good portion of that though is simply doing damage to themselves.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Typical media sensitivity.

Husband hasn't spoken publicly but the media is reading his facebook page and quoting from it.

 

[Blackadder1916]

Typical media sensitivity.

Husband hasn't spoken publicly but the media is reading his facebook page and quoting from it.

And I thought that posting comments to Facebook and Twitter (and the other idiot devices of communication) that anyone could view was "speaking publically".

 

[PMedMoe]

And I thought that posting comments to Facebook and Twitter (and the other idiot devices of communication) that anyone could view was "speaking publically".

Exactly.  If it's private, don't post it on the internet. 

 

[Sythen]

And I thought that posting comments to Facebook and Twitter (and the other idiot devices of communication) that anyone could view was "speaking publically".

Or maybe, like a lot of people (however erroneously), he believed it would only be seen by friends and family? I still can't get my mom to understand that anyone can see what she posts as she believes that if she doesn't "friend" them they can't see her.

 

[PMedMoe]

Or maybe, like a lot of people (however erroneously), he believed it would only be seen by friends and family? I still can't get my mom to understand that anyone can see what she posts as she believes that if she doesn't "friend" them they can't see her.

Depends on your privacy settings. 

 

[Jarnhamar]

And I thought that posting comments to Facebook and Twitter (and the other idiot devices of communication) that anyone could view was "speaking publically".

Fair enough.  It still bugs me that the media went out of their way to creep this guys facebook page and dig up comments he made (in all likelyhood to friends and family) about his wifes suicide then put it in the news.  The same thing happened to that single mom down in Trenton not too long ago.

More reasons to safeguard your privacy.

 

[PMedMoe]

Fair enough.  It still bugs me that the media went out of their way to creep this guys facebook page and dig up comments he made (in all likelyhood to friends and family) about his wifes suicide then put it in the news.  The same thing happened to that single mom down in Trenton not too long ago.

So, his wife killed herself a couple of days ago and he's posting on FB?  You know there's no level the media won't stoop to, to get a story...

More reasons to safeguard your privacy.

Or not post shit like that online.....just sayin'.....