I was surprised at some of the answers to the question concerning the prank call to the royal hospital room.
While I do not think the station or DJs are responsible for the suicide of the nurse I do think they did something heartless and cruel. I saw them on the news last night and the segment mentioned other "pranks" the station has played. It seems they've been in hot water before.
The pranks below are all mentioned in the abc segment and can be found on thier website abc.com:
"after the station broadcast a lie-detector test with a mother and a daughter regarding the girl's sexual activity, despite the girl's protests. In the segment, which was part of the "Kyle and Jackie O Show," the 14-year-old girl revealed to her mother that she had been raped when she was 12, according to the Sydney Morning Herald."
"Also that year, the station staged a prank in which it raised funds for the parents of a disabled child. The station claimed to have raised $150,000 for the family but when the parents contacted 2Day FM to claim the money, the station gave them the names of listeners who had pledged donations. The parents were only able to collect $50,000."
"ABC Australia's program "Media Watch" recalled one of the "Kyle and Jackie O Show" pranks in which it told a Cambodian-Australian woman, Saveth, it would bring her niece, Dana, to Australia. But the day before the station was to fly Dana to the country, it told Saveth that it would put Dana behind one of three doors when she arrived and if Saveth didn't choose the right door, Dana would be flown home. When Saveth picked the wrong door, the women pleaded and cried until the station finally told them Dana could stay."
None of these situations seem particularly funny to me and all seem to touch nerves within a person's private life that could set off an emotional chain reaction. I believe in free speech and that we are all as adults responsible for our own well being but to me this kind of thing crosses the line for public radio.
What do you think?
No, everything is not fair game for a laugh. If it is then we have become a very heartless and cruel world. People's right to privacy regarding their health care (regarless of how well or not well known they are) is not and should never be subject matter for pranks. I stand by my answer to the other question you referred to....these two people were wrong, wrong, wrong and I hope their radio careers are over, over, over.
The thing is, I don't like to laugh at other people's embarrassment, sadness, or fear. In general, it's just not funny to me.
The only time that I consider "pranks" acceptable is when all parties involved are aware that and agree to pranks being a part of their relationship - such as a husband and wife team who prank each other. If that works for them, I won't judge.
But personally, I don't see a difference between pranking unsuspecting people and bullying.
Those are cruel and beyond the definition of a prank. I suggest that even pranks are never appropriate because they have the possibility of hurting someone. The purpose of a prank is to make someone feel foolish. How is that funny?
Pranks should not be cruel. When they're cruel, it's a form of bullying. If it's going to harm the person being pranked in any way at all or any of the unknowing participants, it's cruel.
I don't feel badly for the DJ's that pranked the nurse who was found dead. They deserved to lose their show and get fired. They've apparently deserved it for a long time. NOW is when they feel angsty? When someone has died and it might possibly be linked to their prank (it hasn't been confirmed, by the way... the autopsy results have not been completed or released)?
What they're doing is deliberately creating situations where they're causing people pain. They're 100% aware of the drama and pain they're causing someone/several people and yet THAT PAIN is what they think is funny and worthy of being mocked. That's bullying. The bullies don't get to become the victims when they see the results of what they've done. "Oh my gosh! I CAUSED that! I'm in so much PAIN!" Yeah, get in line, assholes.
Some pranks just aren't funny.
Obviously.
America has HIPAA privacy laws. You can't just call and get information about a patient. This nurse was duped into basically betraying the royal family and violating whatever privacy confidentiality and laws were in place. Having worked in the medical field myself, the weight of that type of mistake might have sent me off a bridge.
The DJ's knew they were misrepresenting themselves. They knew they were recording the conversations with the intention of leaking them.
Again, the fury for personal information about the British Royal Family has resulted in disaster. And another death.
In this instance, I can't even accept that this was a "prank".
Misrepresenting yourself in order to obtain confidential information should be a criminal offense. The nurse who divulged the information without confirming who she was speaking with could have been found legally liable as well. She took the only way out that she could think of.
Very, very sad.
So many people are thrilled about a new royal baby. Kate became ill and her pregnancy had to start out this way. It's unconscionable for this to be relegated as a prank or a joke.
I don't buy that.
Bluntly-- I think these people are assh*les.
Having nothing better to do with one's time than think up 'pranks' on strangers (and I don't think these are pranks, these are invasive intrusions into other people's lives) is pretty sad and pathetic. And incredibly sociopathic, in my opinion. Or narcissistic, take your pick. (this does fall under the clinical explanation, too-- NO recognition of the feelings or needs of others, No recognition of the consequence of their actions, NO remorse for what's been done, just the desire to be the center of attention and 'in on it' no matter what the cost to the people affected.)
Yet, let's also put some of the accountability into the hands of those that listen to the show, cheer it on, and think these so-called pranks are awesome. Morons, too. Great if you are in high school, but if you can think for yourself, it's pretty appalling to target random strangers for a cheap,unimaginative laugh.
Wow, Kari. Some of these scenarios you have discussed here are just terrible - especially the one with Dana. What is wrong with people like this? Have they no conscience or shame?
What they need is to lose their jobs and not be hired again by another radio station.
These are lies told to people and cruelty. They aren't just pranks. The radio station should be sued in my opinion for some of these acts.
Wow. When the time comes that these people have trouble in their lives, perhaps they should have to live with what it feels like for someone to be cruel in kind to them.
Dawn
If you do a prank and it all goes bad, take responsibility for your actions..
I would hope people that watched this and saw the terrible outcome will learn from this, but after reading the other post, As usual, people blame the victim and think it was just an unfortunate event.. They just have no idea, or do not care that not everyone reacts the way we would..
I really feel like we must be careful with peoples feelings.
we have no idea what is going on in their lives and how our behaviors can affect them.
Treat others the way you want them to treat your own loved ones. Your mother, grandparents, your spouse, your children.. Everybody is loved by someone and none of us wants to hurt others..
No, I don't think everyone is fair game for a prank. Should we prank 911 to see if we can get a laugh?
I must say I saw the footage of the DJ's apologizing, and I don't believe they are actually sorry. They seem more concerned about getting the message across that they didn't think the prank would result in anyone getting hurt. I think they are more sorry that they have lost their jobs and are being skewered by the public at large. At no point did they say that they felt that they had gone too far and realize that their livelihood depends on making fun of people. The male DJ said, "We're people too." What kind of defense is that? Stop qualifying your apology and just say you're sorry without any reservations.
By the way, I hate morning radio. I'm already grumpy in the mornings, and I don't find any of that stuff funny.
These DJs are responsible for her death. She was humiliated internationally. She didn't go to a talk show to get herself notice, she was working at a hospital. She was a private person doing her job. Maybe, she pride herself as a nurse and now everyone knows her mistake. These DJs were proud of themselves for making the nurse feel bad. Even though the hospital states that she was not reprimanded for the mistake, don't you think it might effect her evaluation report, getting a raise or even a promotion? Isn't it humiliating that anyone can google you and listen to the pranks over and over again. Thus, this is not a minor prank where everyone can forget about it. It made the news and she was an unwilling participant.
I wish some people wouldn't downplay what the DJs did. I also wish people wouldn't say she must be mental before this because who would commit suicide over a prank? Everyone is different and we react differently to the same incident.
I agree this isn't funny. Its mean and cruel. Again, that is why I don't listen to radio stations like this. Unfortunately, there are people in our society that will listen, laugh and enjoy this stupid stuff. Hello, "Jersey Shore". "Kardashians". That stuff is stupid. Those people make asses out of themselves. I don't enjoy that type of programming.
Unfortunately, this prank had a very tragic end. Maybe next time, another radio station out there will think twice. No, probably not. Ratings.
Hurting others is never funny. It's too bad that these on air bullies are allowed to continue their counterfeit humor.
I think all the examples you cited in quotations in your post are not at all funny, and are beyond the line of decency. Even cruel.
But, I think the call they made to the hospital faking the Queen's voice was just a big nothing. I mean, not funny (I guess if you were listening on the radio and the fake Queen voice was comical, that might be funny, but the actual conversation and content probably weren't), but nothing crass or cruel, either.
I do think lines were crossed with some of the examples given, but not with the Queen/hospital nurse. That was just lame, not wrong.
Well, some people like Howard Stern too. Both seem pretty crass and only popular due to crude behavior that appeals to people who are afraid to put themselves out there and do the same things themselves.
It's just horrible that this woman did what she did. She should have lost her job and so should the one who passed the call on to the 2nd person. But to take her own life is beyond...just way beyond anything that should have happened.
In our country if a person calls and asks if XX is there the operator is supposed to say "I don't see that name, please call back when you have the room number to be transferred to". If a person wants phone calls while they are in the hospital they can call their friends and say Hey, I'm in room XXX at XXX Hospital, come see me!
What if that person was on the mental health floor or on a hospice wing where they were dying or sitting with someone who was taking their last breath.
We have laws about privacy and I would like to think that if this were to happen again anywhere concerning anyone then it would be handled very differently.
All I can say is that people that pull tasteless/hurtful/harmful stunts have to look at themselves in the mirror.
Really, that's pretty much the litmus test for most stuff, if you think about it.
I think there is a definite line of what is funny vs cruel and not funny at all. I don't find any of these scenarios funny. I find it to be cruel and unusual punishment for all the people involved. I would never listen or support this radio station or anything similar.
This definitely crosses the line.
I agree. They seem to be desperate for ratings, and the sad thing is that people tune in to hear it. The radio station should hold itself to higher standards. If listeners changed the channel when they played these pranks, they would stop. Their listeners who were tuning in and laughing along are just as much to blame.
That being said, I wonder about the woman's mental state to commit suicide and leave her children motherless over this. Let me repeat, it is NOT her fault, but a stupid radio show would not make me take myself out of my children's life.
wow thats messed up.. i will say though i like the pranks they do on, damn i cant remember which station it is z100 maybe .. i think they call it a phone tap.. but they do it about stupid things and when the person on the phone gets pisssed off they tell them what theyre really doing.. the last one i heard was something like the radio guy pretended to be a teacher from the daughters school and they called the father with her on the line and said she did something she got in trouble for .. basically the daughter and the radio guy egged the guy on through the whole conversation until he got mad and then at the end theyre like guess what? youve just been phone tapped this is so&so from z100... those i like but the ones u mentioned above are totally crossing the line, how could anyone think any of that is funny?? ... i will say though the whole thing about princess kate.. i mean had that nurse not committed suicide, it still wouldnt have been funny but it wouldnt have been as big of a deal.. but considering that the poor nurse commited suicide, it was soooo wrong .. please tell me these people are off the air now?? theres some things that u just dont joke about
