Prank Call Kills?

[stevz]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

It amazes me that in this day and age with OH&S you CAN NOT play any prank's or form of bullying in the workplace, but yet social media is a blaze with it and thrive on it.

Don't we already have another thread here that is about a boss assulting his employee and many have said get onto OH&S ????.


It is no different no matter what form of harrasment or bullying, in this day and age it is outlawed and the workplace take thing's very seriously,

So why on earth do social media do not have to answer to the same legislation ?.

Social media = Cancer of society.

[Ford_The_Win]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

I think we all need to hold our assumptions until some FACTS come out.

We don't know why she's taken her life, for all we know its a completely un related cause.

Exactly. This girl obviously suffered with mental illness (probably major depressive disorder or bipolar). When somebody believes the only solution to their problem is to end his or her life and then acts on that belief, that person is clearly not of sound mind. We have so many survival instincts built into us, so to go against that is a pretty powerful thing. There are so many different things that could have acted as a catalyst for her suicide and now that she's no longer with us, we won't ever know what it was.

We need to look at what we do know though. Given the media coverage and uproar over this inicident in Britain, and given her role in the incident, I'm gonna take a guess and say that her suicide was triggered by the prank call fiasco. It's something that would make a mentally healthy person upset and stressed, so it's a fair call to make I think.

[MWTB]

Originally Posted by CJR09

people need to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions...

...really?

What is the probability that someone is going to neck themselves because you prank called them? I'd say close enough to 0%. Every kid made a prank call or ten back in the day; I know I sure did, nd as far as I know no one died. You can't put that on the radio presenters. They were having a laugh with no real malice and something completely unthinkable happened.

It is tragic that she ended her life, but putting the blame on the radio presenters for her death due to prank calling her is like trying to suggest that egging someone's house is will make them jump in front of a train.

R.I.P,

[usernametaken]

Ford The Win; You do realise what you are agreeing with and what you say in your first line are somewhat contradictory, dont you? ;)

[usernametaken]

.....

[Ford_The_Win]

Originally Posted by usernametaken

Ford The Win; You do realise what you are agreeing with and what you say in your first line are somewhat contradictory, dont you? ;)

I didn't explain myself very well the point I'm trying to make is that yes, there are million and one things that could have led to her suicide but given the situation, it's a fair call to say the phone prank was the trigger. Given what we do know, it seems like the most likely inference.

[sbcb]

Interesting to hear the "this person wasn't of sound mind" type comments. The reality is mental health is very very common. Most people suffer depression at some stage in their lives. All it takes is a certain combination of events to push them too far. Most workplaces are usually unaware of people's personal stress and don't go out of their way with employees until they put their hand clearly up themselves. This poor lady was at that point and what some define as harmless tipped her over the edge. Maybe the forums people could find more sympathy if they stop to consider a time of stress in their own lives, money/debt, relationship breakup, poor work conditions. Who knows what else was on this lady's plate and then this happened. Just some thoughts.

[brydie76]

Find these "it wasn't intended to be bullying, we were just having fun" comments interesting. Just had to do our annual refresher training at work, and bullying was one of the topics. This topic was heavily covered- it doesn't matter what your intentions were, if the target feels as if they are being harassed/bullied (and a reasonable person may in the same situation), then it's harassment/bullying. I was a target of heavy bullying at school, and the "they were just having fun with you" justification was pedalled madly by the school, parents, etc. It can be just as hard to hear that as the bullying, you feel as if you are in trouble for speaking up.

Not having a shot/go at anybody here, just trying to provide an "other side" story to those who may not have experienced this first hand. I agree there are definitely those out there who will take offence to the slightest thing, but there are a lot of people in the world, a lot of different societal standards, cultures and ideas of what is ok and what isn't. People (nobody on here!!) need to remember this, and exercise some judgement IMO.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by brydie76

Well, 2dayFM finally did it. Hope somebody takes some proper action over this and the presenters, producers, etc are sacked at least. Then again, this is the mob that continues to employ Kyle Sandilands....

(Personal opinion here only BTW, don't represent anybody else/any organisations, etc etc)

Hey, they never felt embarrassed or shut down the shows after they got that 14 year old girl to admit on air she had been raped and made a joke about it...why would this event change their ways? They'll just keep on going because they're "edgy" don'tcha know...

[TC200six]

Knew nothing about it until now. Sounds like all hell is breaking lose. Sponsors are pulling out in assumption the call led to the suicide.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment...-1226532724014

SUPERMARKET giant Coles and Telstra have pulled advertising from Sydney radio station 2Day FM as the fallout from the royal prank call continues.

Coles announced on Saturday morning it had informed the station's management it would be removing all its advertising from the station as soon as possible.

A spokesman for Telstra said the telco has suspended "advertising on the station until an investigation into the issue has concluded''.

It is believed Optus is reviewing the situation and will seek a explanation from 2Day FM.

In a separate move, Australia's broadcasting regulator says it will be quizzing the owners of 2DayFM over the incident.
Nurse found dead after prank call kate Middleton pregnancy

"We understand Australians are clearly angry and upset by what appear to be tragic consequences of the 2Day FM UK hospital prank,'' Coles said on its Facebook page.

"We have instructed 2Day FM to remove all Coles group advertising from the station.''

Sydney 2Day FM presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian have been taken off air after their prank call to London's King Edward VII Hospital was linked to the death of respected nurse and mother Jacintha Saldanha, 46, on Friday.

The hospital was treating the Duchess of Cambridge for acute morning sickness.
Hoax call tragedy

Ms Saldanha's apparent suicide provoked a massive social media backlash against Greig and Christian, with many on Twitter and Facebook accusing the pair of "having blood on their hands".

But the chairman of Beyond Blue, Jeff Kennett, has expressed concern for the presenters, and said Australians should support rather than crucify the pair for a prank made in good faith.

The Coles move comes as the broadcasting regulator says it will be talking to the licensee of the radio station which broadcast the prank call.

The call by Sydney 2Day FM presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who pretended to be the Queen and Prince Charles, has been linked to the death of the nurse they first spoke to, Jacintha Saldanha.
Mel Greig and Michael Christian

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Ms Saldanha's death and it's believed she took her life.

The chairman of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), Chris Chapman, issued a statement on Saturday saying the authority "does not propose to make any comments at this stage, but will be engaging with the licensee, Today FM Sydney (sic), around the facts and issues surrounding the prank call''.

Mr Chapman added: "These events are a tragedy for all involved and I pass on my heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased nurse in London.''

Ms Saldanha, 46, a mother of two, was unable to be revived after being found unconscious at a nurses' accommodation block near London's exclusive King Edward VII Hospital.

Police said the death was "unexplained" and have launched an investigation, but "the death is not being treated as suspicious at this stage".

Her husband, Ben, and two children - a boy, 16, and girl, 14 - have been informed.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said in a statement they were "deeply saddened" by the news, adding: "Their Royal Highnesses were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by everybody at King Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha’s family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time."

A Palace spokesman said the couple had not made a complaint about the prank call.

The grieving family said: "We as a family are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Jacintha."



Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

[gtxb67]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/...-nurse-s-death
and now the hypocrites from coles have pulled their advertising - either the prank call or broadcasting it was immoral or it was not. recent events do not change that fact, but pretending to be a conscientious company, they now decide to care


i don't have a problem with the call as such - just the fact it was broadcast. they idiots had no way of knowing how much it would affect the nurse/receptionist but they did not care

the call itself was harmless enough, because no one would have expected it to be successful. i personally hate gotcha calls and shows like pranked for the reason jim gave earlier. there is no way matt tilley, ashton kuncther, sandilands and the like can know how close to the edge someone may be. sure we cannot wrap people in cotton wool, but deliberately raising their heart rate and blood pressure and potentially exposing them to such ridicule is lower than low to say the least

[gcg2503]

Deleted.

[Dave R]

I'm enjoying many of the comments in social media. People are quick to preach about how terribly insensitive the hosts are, then they'll exercise their sensitive values in calling the hosts murderers. Love it.

[LG17]

What a joke - Coles and Telstra pulling their advertising.
Maybe Telstra are sick of being the butt of so many telecom jokes.

It is such an outlandish over-reaction to the situation.
As I said earlier, have a good look inside, people!

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by gtxb67

... and now the hypocrites from coles have pulled their advertising.

Don’t you just love the way that corporate thugs like Coles and Telstra take the moral high ground by pulling their advertising because they fear that being connected to the radio station could cost them sales.

It’s OK to be part of a duopoly that rips money out of every single Australian, have different sets of OH&S rules for different people and where contractors are nothing but second class citizens, yeah, that’s OK but a prank call, that’s a bloody outrage.

This could be a really good thing for people who listen to the radio. Coles and Telstra adds really **** me so I should start listening to stations that don’t play their adds.

[SM1DY]

I'm still trying to understand what the radio presenters did wrong?

It's not like they called in a bomb threat to the White House

[brydie76]

Originally Posted by SM1DY

I'm still trying to understand what the radio presenters did wrong?

It's not like they called in a bomb threat to the White House

Don't think the presenters did a whole lot wrong, it's more the people in the background who allowed this to go to air despite having to know that people would potentially suffer negative consequences as a result.

Then again, everybody has the ability to say no to stuff like this and walk away. Whilst they may have thought the initial prank call wasn't the worst idea, they are the ones talking on the radio, and announcing it to thousands of people. Feel sorry for them though, at the end of the day the producers and other people behind the scenes should have taken responsibility, and the presenters are the ones who are being publicly harassed and threatened.

[supershifty]

All this heartache because "the media" reported that some bloke most Aussies don't give a rats about, shagged a shiela most Aussies don't give a rats about, and said shiela got hospitalised for morning sickness that most pregnant Aussie women deal with everyday without getting hospitalised?

Kill me - I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

[LG17]

Originally Posted by supershifty

All this heartache because "the media" reported that some bloke most Aussies don't give a rats about, shagged a shiela most Aussies don't give a rats about, and said shiela got hospitalised for morning sickness that most pregnant Aussie women deal with everyday without getting hospitalised?

Kill me - I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

Sorry can't do that because the world's media will go into meltdown

[karj]

Originally Posted by SM1DY

I'm still trying to understand what the radio presenters did wrong?

It's not like they called in a bomb threat to the White House

To my mind, they did a few things wrong.

1) Prank call a hospital. Who the hell would think that is a good idea, or clever, or funny?

2) Impersonated a relative to garner confidential medical information.

3) When they realised the prank went too far and were put through to the nurse, they didn't stop the prank.

4) Then they broadcast it to the world.

5) At no point in time did they consider (or they didn't care about) the effect their prank would or could have on the patient, or the nurses who stuffed up.

I would also mention that it was 5:30am in the UK.

[SM1DY]

Oh FFS, cry me a river. Unless there prank call was "HELP ME, I'M ON FIRE", it's no big deal. The whole world is so focused on being too politically correct, things are going too far the other way.

[flappist]

According to the news tonight there appears to be quite a bit more to this than was first reported.

I am closing the thread for a while until the full story is available.

Ok re-opened now that more info is available.

[flappist]

My thoughts on this:

It is a tragedy when a young lady, Jacintha Saldanha, who was employed as a nurse in a hospital appears to have taken her life after passing a prank call through to another nurse caring for a high profile patient.

My questions:

1) This is a hospital. Why did none of the trained professionals and admin staff notice that this lady was fragile?

2) How did the lady listen to 2Day FM in UK? Or did she see/hear this in the UK media, the same media who are now scrambling for high ground and blaming the presenters.

3) All of these death threats etc. from outraged do-gooders. The presenters had no malice or evil intent with the call, the do-gooders are creating the same situation for the presenters but ARE doing it with malice and evil intent. If one or both of the presenters suffer harm because of this is that fair? Or should the do-gooders then be hounded.

4) Why do radio stations do prank calls if EVERYONE thinks they are wrong and dangerous and should be banned? After all the ratings would be less than zero and high profile advertisers like Coles and Telstra would have withdrawn their money years ago.

My wife is a Prep teacher. The kids do all sorts of silly things but one thing never changes, if an accident happens they all go into a frenzy blaming someone else, anyone else, just to take any focus off them. Little kids are all instinct and very little thinking. Some things don't change as you get older.

So to sum up:

Who is to blame for this tragedy?

I AM TO BLAME FOR THIS TRAGEDY.

I listen to the radio and enjoy it.
I laugh at presenters antics.
I shop at Coles and use Telstra.
I watch the media going bezerk on "A current today sun-minutes".
I talk about it on the internet.
I watch clips on youtube.

And I suspect there may be a few more people who do the same........

What I do not do is grab a pitchfork and join a lynch party to destroy the lives of two young people just so I can feel better about myself and pretend that some form of revenge might bring Jacintha Saldanha back to life or make her family forget how this tragic event robbed them of her.

[cs123]

Originally Posted by flappist

3) All of these death threats etc. from outraged do-gooders. The presenters had no malice or evil intent with the call, the do-gooders are creating the same situation for the presenters but ARE doing it with malice and evil intent. If one or both of the presenters suffer harm because of this is that fair? Or should the do-gooders then be hounded.

This has me in disbelief, especially the hospital condemning the presenters. There is not a chance that those 2 people will come out of this intact, it is very sad.

Their employer should also be doing more to protect them by making it clear the buck stops with the CEO, not the presenters.

I've never found this stuff funny, as a matter of fact I rarely listen to radio stations that do it. But it's been happening since Candid Camera and nobody had any issues with it.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by flappist

My questions:

1) This is a hospital. Why did none of the trained professionals and admin staff notice that this lady was fragile?

Hospital staff aren't trained psycologists.... Go to any busy hosptial and youll see plenty of doctors and nurses who are burnt out from stress. Over worked, underpaid, abused by patients, treat like crap by their bosses...

Originally Posted by flappist

2) How did the lady listen to 2Day FM in UK? Or did she see/hear this in the UK media, the same media who are now scrambling for high ground and blaming the presenters.

She couldnt have heard it on radio as it only went to air here in Australia, the UK media wouldve picked it up and replayed it there... who know what comments they made about it unless we dig up some internet history?

Originally Posted by flappist

3) All of these death threats etc. from outraged do-gooders. The presenters had no malice or evil intent with the call, the do-gooders are creating the same situation for the presenters but ARE doing it with malice and evil intent. If one or both of the presenters suffer harm because of this is that fair? Or should the do-gooders then be hounded.

Quite right, the pitch fork mentality here in this case has gone overboard, it was a joke (and a poor one at that).... no malice intended.

Originally Posted by flappist

4) Why do radio stations do prank calls if EVERYONE thinks they are wrong and dangerous and should be banned? After all the ratings would be less than zero and high profile advertisers like Coles and Telstra would have withdrawn their money years ago.

Because people like a laugh at other peoples expence... human nature... until someones looses an eye.

[Tucool]

Having fun at some one elses expense is bullying cut and dried, pranks are preying on the weak.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Tucool

Having fun at some one elses expense is bullying cut and dried, pranks are preying on the weak.

What you mean like posting things like this on the internet?

Originally Posted by Tucool

He's a hand bag, self centered under preforming whinger,I can't wait to see the back him.
Slightly of subject I hope Matt White goes with him, all he does play a parrot and undermine the broadcast.

[Nikked]

Tragic no doubt, but all this scrutiny on the host's is just ridiculous.


Next thing they'll be blaming Judas Priest for suicides...

[LG17]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

Hospital staff aren't trained psycologists.... Go to any busy hosptial and youll see plenty of doctors and nurses who are burnt out from stress. Over worked, underpaid, abused by patients, treat like crap by their bosses...

King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes

London's foremost private hospital

We deliver the highest standards of private medical care in London, supported by outstanding nurses, first class staff and hand picked consultants, all of whom are recognised leaders in their fields.

They have 7 highly trained and vetted Psychologists and Psychiatrists.

[Geez Louise]

Originally Posted by gcg2503

We had a member of AFF member commit suicide a few years back.

A lot more compassion was shown then.

Dont recall anyone making any comments about their state of mind or them not being normal.

Exactly!

A family has just lost their mother. No one here can say how much pressure this poor woman was under or indeed what sort of person she was. May her soul RIP!