When is a prank not a prank?

[ajapale]

It is worth noting that the receptionist who passed on the call and subsequently died did not give out any medical information, she simply put the call through.

She was a highly regarded professional nurse and not a receptionist.

Her voice and that of her nurse colleague on the wards was secretly recorded and effectively broadcast to the entire world without her consent. This was cruel, mean and heartless hoax perpetuated by simpletons for the commercial gain by the owners of a tacky Australian radio station.

 

[truthseeker]

She was a highly regarded professional nurse and not a receptionist.

She was manning reception and answering the phones at the time, she was the receptionist in the context in which I used the term.

Its hardly relevant anyway. She put the call through, that is all she did. I dont believe that 2 Australian DJs are responsible for her death. We are all responsible for our own actions. The are responsible for being eejits, but thats not a criminal offence as far as I can tell.

 

[Leper]

The Australian DJ's must shoulder most of the blame for the tragedy. If the call was not made would the nurse have died? Furthermore, the DJ's were media trained and veterans of such situations and they were dealing with people who were not media trained.

I saw their pleas on the internet last night. They are as shallow as a puddle in July. "We were expecting that the phone would be hung up, that's all we wanted" (not an accurate quote).

Later last night I listened to an Irish DJ (shock-jock, I think they call some of them) screaming the innocence of the Australian DJ's.

That nurse was literally a lamb to their slaughter.

 

[DerKaiser]

we are all responsible for our own actions. The are responsible for being eejits, but thats not a criminal offence as far as i can tell.

+1

 

[MrMan]

The Australian DJ's must shoulder most of the blame for the tragedy. If the call was not made would the nurse have died? Furthermore, the DJ's were media trained and veterans of such situations and they were dealing with people who were not media trained.

I saw their pleas on the internet last night. They are as shallow as a puddle in July. "We were expecting that the phone would be hung up, that's all we wanted" (not an accurate quote).

Later last night I listened to an Irish DJ (shock-jock, I think they call some of them) screaming the innocence of the Australian DJ's.

That nurse was literally a lamb to their slaughter.

Why should they shoulder the blame, can you cathegorically claim that they were the reason for her death? Would a 5 second phone call send you over the edge? If you are mentally balanced I would assume that such a call would not make an impact.
They were dealing with people who are not media trained, but if Ajapale is to be believed, then she was a highly regarded professional nurse, so surely she has seen actual trauma, and dealt with high pressure situations.

 

[Ceist Beag]

The Australian DJ's must shoulder most of the blame for the tragedy. If the call was not made would the nurse have died? Furthermore, the DJ's were media trained and veterans of such situations and they were dealing with people who were not media trained.

I saw their pleas on the internet last night. They are as shallow as a puddle in July. "We were expecting that the phone would be hung up, that's all we wanted" (not an accurate quote).

Later last night I listened to an Irish DJ (shock-jock, I think they call some of them) screaming the innocence of the Australian DJ's.

That nurse was literally a lamb to their slaughter.

What a load of hysterical twaddle! How many dramatic exaggerations can you introduce into one post Leper! A 30 and 25 year old are described as veterans while a 46 year old nurse is described as lamb to the slaughter.
You know for a fact that their pleas were shallow do you?
I certainly would not describe the DJs as veterans - as others have said, a pair of eejits would be more apt.
Hundreds of people are the butt of radio DJ pranks every week - a lot would come out of these pranks with a lot more egg on their faces than this nurse did.

 

[Purple]

I dont believe that 2 Australian DJs are responsible for her death. We are all responsible for our own actions. The are responsible for being eejits, but thats not a criminal offence as far as I can tell.

+1
I don't like prank calls or anything that makes fun of people by attacking their dignity but they didn't kill the woman.

 

[delgirl]

I dont believe that 2 Australian DJs are responsible for her death. We are all responsible for our own actions. The are responsible for being eejits, but thats not a criminal offence as far as I can tell.

I also don't believe that the 2 DJ's are responsible for her death, however, their prank did contribute to it.

They passed the recording on to management and the station's legal expert and they are the ones who gave the go ahead for the broadcast.

The Radio Station management is now saying that they tried to contact the hospital on 5 separate occasions, to get permission to broadcast the prank call.

As the station went ahead without permission and the nurses were recorded without their knowledge, this is apparently an offence in Australia and the Australian authorities are looking into it.

There's also the issue of shame and 'losing face' in Asian culture, particularly in South East Asia. It has to do with a combination of social standing, reputation, influence, dignity, and honor. Causing someone to 'lose face' lowers them in the eyes of their peers and, as this lady was internationally humiliated for believing that the Queen was on the phone, this may have contributed to her anguish.

 

[T McGibney]

What a load of hysterical twaddle! How many dramatic exaggerations can you introduce into one post Leper! A 30 and 25 year old are described as veterans while a 46 year old nurse is described as lamb to the slaughter.
You know for a fact that their pleas were shallow do you?
I certainly would not describe the DJs as veterans - as others have said, a pair of eejits would be more apt.

I guarantee you those "eejits" were each getting paid an awful lot more than the nurse they humiliated.

 

[Ceist Beag]

I guarantee you those "eejits" were each getting paid an awful lot more than the nurse they humiliated.

What has their salary got to do with it?

 

[ajapale]

This nurse was humiliated literally in front of the whole world and for what - the profit of a juvenile radio station.

I heard the clip of both nurses and was struck by their professionalism and their measured and kind words offered to what they thought was a concerned relative.

I would have thought that at the very least the radio station would have gained the consent of the individuals they sought to ridicule for profit.

 

[T McGibney]

What has their salary got to do with it?

With rewards come responsibilities.

 

[bullbars]

This nurse was humiliated literally in front of the whole world and for what - the profit of a juvenile radio station.

She wasn't the hospital was due to it's handling of issuing confidential information and not having the correct security protocols in place.

The nurse in question, was an unknown name until her death. The second nurse is unknown.

She made a mistake, a stupid one but fairly minor one that did not result in any real damage at the time.

Honestly, who picks up the phone and accepts the Queen is on the other end of the line? It's farsical.

I heard the clip of both nurses and was struck by their professionalism and their measured and kind words offered to what they thought was a concerned relative.

You were "struck" by nurses being professional? What did you expect?
Also in their mind it wasn't just a concerned relative on the phone, It was the Queen of England.

I would have thought that at the very least the radio station would have gained the consent of the individuals they sought to ridicule for profit.

Does Mario Rosenstock or the Apres Match team ask permission before the take the proverbial out of many high profile figures, no. Yet they are very popular acts on radio/television.
How many impressionists and TV/Radio pranksters have come and gone and only now it's an issue because one woman could not deal with the result of her actions?
If I made a mistake in work today, committes suicide tomorrow, can my family sue the company for causing my death?

 

[bullbars]

With rewards come responsibilities.

That still doesn't answer why levels of pay are to be compared though?

 

[truthseeker]

This nurse was humiliated literally in front of the whole world and for what - the profit of a juvenile radio station.

But no one knew who she was until she died. She was just a voice on a phone. Her name wasnt released as part of the prank. Nor was her image.

 

[liaconn]

The Australian DJ's must shoulder most of the blame for the tragedy. If the call was not made would the nurse have died? Furthermore, the DJ's were media trained and veterans of such situations and they were dealing with people who were not media trained.

I saw their pleas on the internet last night. They are as shallow as a puddle in July. "We were expecting that the phone would be hung up, that's all we wanted" (not an accurate quote).

Later last night I listened to an Irish DJ (shock-jock, I think they call some of them) screaming the innocence of the Australian DJ's.

That nurse was literally a lamb to their slaughter.

That's way OTT. How in the name of God could the DJs have foreseen that anyone would commit suicide as a result of being caught out by two pranksters.
I think, as Truthseeker said, they were a pair of eejits who should have foreseen the embarassment they could have caused and the fact that they could have got someone into a lot of trouble. But there is absolutely no way they could have seen that this nurse would actually take her own life. Everyone is stunned by that.

 

[TarfHead]

That nurse was literally a lamb to their slaughter.

The most absurd statement I have ever seen posted on AAM.

Literally

 

[ajapale]

She was just a voice on a phone.

Sad.

 

[delgirl]

2day FM have offered A$500,000 (approx. €404,000) to the family of the nurse who took her life after the prank call.

 

[truthseeker]

Sad.

Way to take something out of context. She was just a voice on a phone in terms of identification. Obviously she was far more than just a voice on a phone, seriously, does that need to be made explicit?