2Day FM Phone Hoax

[Tigers of Old]

Tragic circumstances. Whilst this may have been a catalyst, the nurse must have had some issues to take her own life.
I actually really feel for the DJs. They'll carry this with them forever.

 

[Baloo]

The radio phone prank is as old and institutionalised as Candid Camera and the various spinoff shows on TV.

The alt here lies solely with the hospital administration for not having trained receptionists on duty when they had the biggest news story in the world in one of their beds.

As much as I think 2DayFM as a station are attention seeking low life's with some of te stuff they let Sandilands do, in this case I think the DJs are copping some massive over reaction.

 

[Tigers of Old]

Prank calls may have been around since forever but I think this experience will lead to less of them in the future.
Basically it's fraud for entertainment.

 

[Baloo]

Prank calls may have been around since forever but I think this experience will lead to less of them in the future.
Basically it's fraud for entertainment.

Don't disagree, but if you ban them then the candid camera shows need to be banned too.

 

[Rosy]

The alt here lies solely with the hospital administration for not having trained receptionists on duty when they had the biggest news story in the world in one of their beds.

What you say about the hospital is probably true for all hospitals. I'm sure protocols will change following this and rightly so. However to say the fault (I assume that's what you meant) lies "solely" with the hospital is rubbish. No matter how poor their dealing this was they wouldn't have had anything to deal with if some attention grabbing egos didn't see a sick woman in a very perilous situation as a means of getting attention/boosting ratings. At least part of the responsibility, if not the majority that I feel, lies with the people who initiated this despicable incident.

 

[Tigers of Old]

Ultimately it's just a combination of tragic circumstances. The deceased woman too has to take responsibility for her decision. I doubt many would take that course of action.

 

[tigergollywog]

Silly games end in tears.

never heard the radio hosts, but i think all they are guilty of is being another pair of gen Y dicks trying to be funny.

How where they to know the poor nurse was hanging on by her finger nails? just bad luck.

Who here hasnt done a practical joke before? An essendon player messed with the address book of a team mates phone and switched his girlfriend and Sheeds contacts. When Sheed got a text from his player that said "U R sooooooooo hot, I cant wait to see you tonight", everyone, including the media, thought it was hilarious. If the player was having a breakdown and went and jumped of the west gate bridge, it would have been a different interpretation. Its a game of millimetres.

 

[Baloo]

What you say about the hospital is probably true for all hospitals. I'm sure protocols will change following this and rightly so. However to say the fault (I assume that's what you meant) lies "solely" with the hospital is rubbish. No matter how poor their dealing this was they wouldn't have had anything to deal with if some attention grabbing egos didn't see a sick woman in a very perilous situation as a means of getting attention/boosting ratings. At least part of the responsibility, if not the majority that I feel, lies with the people who initiated this despicable incident.

In a country where they've just had massive investigations into the media using all sorts of means to get news stories, with many declared illegal, I find it incredulous that a hospital that the Royals use did not have proper staff in place to deal with the attention and inquiries they were obviously going to have. Absolutely,they are completely at fault here. The prank call wasn't abusive, didn't attempt to deliberately ridicule the person on the phone, and there was no malice intended.

I can only assume you've never chuckled at a candid camera type sketch or other radio prank call if you feel so strongly about it. But the fact f the matter is the gag and its variants have been around since Adam. It's not like te DJs did anything new or pushed any boundaries with what they did. In fact they didn't even think they'd make it past the first person on the phone with the over the top accents and comments about walking corgis.

 

[Ian4]

Anyone who posts about anything other than AFL on PRE

Hang your heads in shame

I had a really itchy bum this morning. The relieving scratch was pure quality. It's in my top 10 scratches of the century.

 

[Rosy]

Ultimately it's just a combination of tragic circumstances. The deceased woman too has to take responsibility for her decision. I doubt many would take that course of action.

A combination of tragic circumstances that began with an attention seeking grab at the expense of a woman in a perilous situation. Nobody could predict that outcome and we don't know what led to it. The hospital said she died after being "humiliated" by a "premeditated and ill-considered" hoax that can never be reversed. There doesn't seem to be a lot of doubt, no matter what her private circumstances were, that the actions of the hoaxers affected her deeply in a very negative fashion. They wouldn't leave the woman involved in the ideal situation to recuperate either.

 

[Rosy]

In a country where they've just had massive investigations into the media using all sorts of means to get news stories, with many declared illegal, I find it incredulous that a hospital that the Royals use did not have proper staff in place to deal with the attention and inquiries they were obviously going to have. Absolutely,they are completely at fault here.

The hospital is a separate situation. Unbelievable and unacceptable.

In fact they didn't even think they'd make it past the first person on the phone with the over the top accents and comments about walking corgis.

Maybe not but the fact is did make it past the first person and they chose to tape and air that conversation and merrily cash in on it on their radio station and on Twitville. They could easily have pulled the pin considering the circumstances rather than parade their mirth at the expense of others.

I can only assume you've never chuckled at a candid camera type sketch or other radio prank call if you feel so strongly about it. But the fact f the matter is the gag and its variants have been around since Adam. It's not like te DJs did anything new or pushed any boundaries with what they did.

You probably assume correctly. I have no interest in getting my amusement from candid camera or prank call situations. I don't watch candid camera shows and I don't recall ever hearing a radio prank call. It's not really the ABC's style. I don't know if people need to give permission to have their images on telly or their conversations recorded and aired publicly. I think there are laws protecting us from that kind of thing. I'd be furious if it happened to me without my permission. A gross invasion of privacy.

I assume you've never had a breakdown following others taking it upon themselves to get attention and cheap laughs at your expense?

 

[Baloo]

I assume you've never had a breakdown following others taking it upon themselves to get attention and cheap laughs at your expense?

You assume correctly.

 

[SfB_AkA._DeLiCiOuS]

Never been a fan of pranks at all, but she must have been pretty fragile mentally regardless.

They should fired for this.

 

[Baloo]

but she must have been pretty fragile mentally regardless.

Without a doubt. She wasn't even the nurse who gave the patient information out. She was the one that answered the call and forwarded it to another nurse who was caring for Kate.

 

[Rosy]

Never been a fan of pranks at all, but she must have been pretty fragile mentally regardless.

That's the point Jukes. Nobody knows what is going on at present, or in the past, in other peoples' lives or how their pranks might affect a person or send them over the edge. It's fact they can and sometimes do. I don't understand anyone getting cheap thrills at another's expense.

They should fired for this.

The station honchos are at fault here too. The conversation for the call was pre-recorded, legalled and approved. It wasn't even a spur of the moment decision to do it.

 

[TigerForce]

Totally agree with what Rosy says. These two duds had nothing better to do than make a childish prank call to an international hospital.

Is this what people want to hear on morning radio??

Imagine doing this to the CIA or FBI in the US.

The station honchos are at fault here too. The conversation for the call was pre-recorded, legalled and approved. It wasn't even a spur of the moment decision to do it.

Exactly right. It shows how fake these 'apology speeches' really are as they kept playing the conversation after this lady died.

It's the way to succeed these days, be a scumbag and you've got it made. FAME!!

 

[Elmer]

Semantics to me really. I think it was an extremely low act, and thought that before a woman took her life, but didn't think it worthy of a devoted thread so posted it here. Anyway taking your comments on board I shall split the discussion and make a separate thread. Hope that's more acceptable.

Clearly struck a cord with you Rosy but fact remains pranks like this happen all the time. There's been an entire genre built around it - "you've been framed"; "Beadles about" in UK and virtually everyday 'youth' commercial radio station around the world do it. The Sun in the UK is classless but also the No 1 selling paper/rag; happy for them to be classed lowlife; they put the 'Fake Sheikh' onto their national footy manager days before a world cup. This behavior is in the English culture. I'm no great fan of it but it happens everywhere.

Kate Middleton sick with baby is number one news in UK and big globally, it was always going to attract this sort of unwanted attention. The fact the nurse killed herself is tragic but doesn't make the DJ's lowlifes. Bet station management was joyous with coverage it got prior to her death. Now it's spun out of control with the typical media approach of first reporting this 'hilarious prank' to now admonishing the DJ's due to death of a nurse. Stinks of hypocrisy. (Not suggesting you thought it funny at any stage).

Finally, the hospital has done a good PR job moving the story from their terrible admin; this was the future Queen in their care not a Joan Public, the same protocols do not apply. As for the nurse, she got duped but no-one could fairly predict this outcome or her mental state.

 

[Baloo]

Imagine doing this to the CIA or FBI in the US.

I'm not sure what you mean by that. A quick google will lead you to YouTube where there are plenty of recordings of pranks calls to te CIA or FBI.

I still don't see what the fuss is about. What these DJs did is no different to what thousands of DJs before them have done all over the world.

It's very sad that a nurse has died as a result but that's the fault of the hospital for putting her in a position in which she wasn't trained to deal with.

 

[TigerForce]

I'm not sure what you mean by that. A quick google will lead you to YouTube where there are plenty of recordings of pranks calls to te CIA or FBI.

I still don't see what the fuss is about. What these DJs did is no different to what thousands of DJs before them have done all over the world.

It's very sad that a nurse has died as a result but that's the fault of the hospital for putting her in a position in which she wasn't trained to deal with.

The DJs weren't to blame directly but the fuss is making these stupid calls in the first place. If you or anyone in your family haven't experienced the outcomes, then you'd have no idea.

My aunt lives on her own and gets terribly nervous and worried when some pricks sometimes continue making stupid calls with horrific voices.

 

[Baloo]

The DJs weren't to blame directly but the fuss is making these stupid calls in the first place. If you or anyone in your family haven't experienced the outcomes, then you'd have no idea.

My aunt lives on her own and gets terribly nervous and worried when some pricks sometimes continue making stupid calls with horrific voices.

We had to change our home number once, to stop abusive anonymous calls, but that's not what these DJs did.