Joined: Feb 17 2002 Posts: 28357 Location: MACS0647-JD
What a sorry episode.
It was intended to be a prank call. I don't think that they or anyone would have believed that the reception at the hospital would think it was actually the Queen. The prank, and the amusement, (if any) would have been in the conversation.
No doubt to their amazement, they did actually con the receptionist, who was in fact a nurse, covering reception in the early hours. And got put through to the nurse actually caring for the patient.
They then shamefully got this nurse to divulge to them confidential patient data. It doesn't matter who the patient was, this was bang out of order. They had no right at all to the information, and it is on a par with the illicit information obtained by phone hacking - accessing totally private information by deception.
I can see that having unexpectedly fooled reception, and found themselves improbably speaking to Kate's nurse, they got a bit giddy and didn't think it through. But pretending to be teh Queen in a call to the hospital switchboard may have potential for humour; tricking a nurse into releasing confidential patient data does not. Still, at this stage it was only on tape.
What I find hard to believe is that then, the radio station management, having reviewed the call, made the staggering decision to put it out over the airwaves. They are older and wiser heads, and no doubt had access to legal advice if they needed it too, and it is they, more than the novice presenters, who are to blame. They could have congratulated the presenters on their "scoop", but gently explained why they had gone too far, and deleted the tape and sent a private apology to the hospital. Instead, they unbelievably decided it was a fit piece to broadcast.
I have no time for morons who claim this was a prank call just like thousands of other prank calls. It wasn't. The "joke" in most prank calls is that at the end of the call, the truth is revealed, and the humour for the listener is in the reaction of the pranked person. Here, though, the pranked person was never considered. They never gave a moment's thought to her. She was bypassed as pure collateral damage. If they had thought for a minute what position they would put her in, and how mortified she would be that she had been taken in, and put a radio station through which was as a result broadcasting Kate's personal info around the world, maybe they would have taken a different decision.
Of course, it was not predictable that the receptionist would take her own life. It was just predictable that she would be utterly humiliated, mortified and extremely distressed. Not to mention the risk of being involved in data protection and employment consequences. And this is where the morons just don't get it. A "prank" is just that. It's an easy word to understand. So all you need to ask yourself before you choose your victim is, will the victim agree that this was just a prank, and see the funny side? If the answer is a plain "no", then it isn't a prank, but something else. It might have just about been, if when she was taken in, they had immediately disclosed who they really were, in typical prank-show style, and declined to be put through, although I don't see what would have been funny about it myself, but they chose to abandon the "prank" aspect and move on to the new target.
The people who took the decision to broadcast clearly have appalling judgment. I'm sure offences must have been committed and if so they must be prosecuted. They aren't fit to be in charge of a broadcast station and should resign or have their licence pulled.
Last edited by Ferocious Aardvark on stardate Jun 26, 3013 11:27 am, edited 48,562,867,458,300,023 times in total
It was intended to be a prank call. I don't think that they or anyone would have believed that the reception at the hospital would think it was actually the Queen. The prank, and the amusement, (if any) would have been in the conversation.
No doubt to their amazement, they did actually con the receptionist, who was in fact a nurse, covering reception in the early hours. And got put through to the nurse actually caring for the patient.
They then shamefully got this nurse to divulge to them confidential patient data. It doesn't matter who the patient was, this was bang out of order. They had no right at all to the information, and it is on a par with the illicit information obtained by phone hacking - accessing totally private information by deception.
I can see that having unexpectedly fooled reception, and found themselves improbably speaking to Kate's nurse, they got a bit giddy and didn't think it through. But pretending to be teh Queen in a call to the hospital switchboard may have potential for humour; tricking a nurse into releasing confidential patient data does not. Still, at this stage it was only on tape.
What I find hard to believe is that then, the radio station management, having reviewed the call, made the staggering decision to put it out over the airwaves. They are older and wiser heads, and no doubt had access to legal advice if they needed it too, and it is they, more than the novice presenters, who are to blame. They could have congratulated the presenters on their "scoop", but gently explained why they had gone too far, and deleted the tape and sent a private apology to the hospital. Instead, they unbelievably decided it was a fit piece to broadcast.
I have no time for morons who claim this was a prank call just like thousands of other prank calls. It wasn't. The "joke" in most prank calls is that at the end of the call, the truth is revealed, and the humour for the listener is in the reaction of the pranked person. Here, though, the pranked person was never considered. They never gave a moment's thought to her. She was bypassed as pure collateral damage. If they had thought for a minute what position they would put her in, and how mortified she would be that she had been taken in, and put a radio station through which was as a result broadcasting Kate's personal info around the world, maybe they would have taken a different decision.
Of course, it was not predictable that the receptionist would take her own life. It was just predictable that she would be utterly humiliated, mortified and extremely distressed. Not to mention the risk of being involved in data protection and employment consequences. And this is where the morons just don't get it. A "prank" is just that. It's an easy word to understand. So all you need to ask yourself before you choose your victim is, will the victim agree that this was just a prank, and see the funny side? If the answer is a plain "no", then it isn't a prank, but something else. It might have just about been, if when she was taken in, they had immediately disclosed who they really were, in typical prank-show style, and declined to be put through, although I don't see what would have been funny about it myself, but they chose to abandon the "prank" aspect and move on to the new target.
The people who took the decision to broadcast clearly have appalling judgment. I'm sure offences must have been committed and if so they must be prosecuted. They aren't fit to be in charge of a broadcast station and should resign or have their licence pulled.
I'd like to nominate this as post of the year....
And so you aim towards the sky, And you'll rise high today, Fly away, Far away, Far from pain....
Joined: May 25 2002 Posts: 37704 Location: Zummerzet, where the zoider apples grow
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It could be this place mate:
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Joined: Nov 29 2008 Posts: 1318 Location: Kirkstall, Leeds
Ferocious Aardvark wrote:The people who took the decision to broadcast clearly have appalling judgment. I'm sure offences must have been committed and if so they must be prosecuted. They aren't fit to be in charge of a broadcast station and should resign or have their licence pulled.
Perhaps they could use the Gary McKinnon excuse - "you actually owe us one for demonstrating how rubbish your security is."
FWIW I think that the biggest can should be picked up and carried by the station management. With power comes responsibility.
Good article. And I'd agree with where the greatest responsibility lies as well.
I feel that some of the reaction, at least, has been OTT. And on the radio this morning I heard that there are now fears that the female DJ could harm herself as a result of the responsibility she feels. I think it would be better for everyone to draw breath and stand back a little before this spirals completely out of control.
Gerald Weaver wrote:Here's another take on the situation from a disinterested spectator:
FWIW I think that the biggest can should be picked up and carried by the station management. With power comes responsibility.
Good article. And I'd agree with where the greatest responsibility lies as well.
I feel that some of the reaction, at least, has been OTT. And on the radio this morning I heard that there are now fears that the female DJ could harm herself as a result of the responsibility she feels. I think it would be better for everyone to draw breath and stand back a little before this spirals completely out of control.
Hold on to me baby, his bony hands will do you no harm It said in the cards, we lost our souls to the Nameless One
Joined: Feb 17 2002 Posts: 28357 Location: MACS0647-JD
I would be pretty certain that the female DJ is experiencing emotions of a similar kind to those experienced by the deceased nurse. But if she is basically a decent person, and I have no reason to doubt it, the media shiitstorm won't have contributed even 1% more to how bad she will be feeling. Whatever the world's media make of it I shouldn't think would make much difference to her, and there's nothing anyone can do about that now.
Last edited by Ferocious Aardvark on stardate Jun 26, 3013 11:27 am, edited 48,562,867,458,300,023 times in total
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