To feel sorry for the Australian DJs?

[andapartridgeinaRowantree]

Obviously more sorry for the nurse's family. I wonder how long she was having suicidal thoughts for? I can't think this could have been the only cause,

But these pranks have been going on for such a long time and those DJs could not have predicted such a result and are going to have to live with it for the rest of their lives.

It's such a tragedy and I feel very sad for all concerned.

[Nancy66]

verylitte - yes the station issued an apology after the prank but prior to Jacintha's suicide.

[EverlongLovesHerChristmasRobin]

' a fair and balanced commentary ' how? People have different views.

If I hadn't mentioned my sons suicide but had the same stance I doubt you would be singling me out. That's the bit I find despicable.

Hundreds of posters have said they have no empathy for them. Where are your replies to them?

[mindosa]

My father committed suicide so I do understand it to an extent, but am no expert. However I know enough to know that in very few cases is anyone else ever responsible for anothers suicide.

These DJ's are absolutely not to blame and unless the hospital came down ridiculously hard, then they are not to blame either. The woman clearly had some very deep psychological issues or else she wouldnt have done this. How many people have taken their own lives after a work issue - many I imagine but most people dont blame the workplace that disiplined them, or the client that dropped them etc.

The DJ's performed a silly prank that was a tad cruel to Kate Middleton but thats about it.

Its very sad on that womans poor family

[GoldQuintessenceAndMyhrr]

Mindosa just gave a fair and balanced commentary. It is possible.

[EverlongLovesHerChristmasRobin]

quint I posted yesterday on one of these threads. I said that even if my son hadn't taken his life I'm pretty sure I would feel the same.

I'm allowed to.

[verylittlecarrot]

Don't agree that was balanced Quint. I think what they did is worse, and "a silly prank that was a tad cruel to Kate Middleton but thats about it" isn't a fair or balanced viewpoint; it's a limited and apologist viewpoint.

I don't think they are solely responsible for her death, and I'm not frothing to see them hung drawn and quartered. I do think the management at the station have more accountability than the DJs.

But ignoring the very real distress they caused the nurses and dismissing it as a "tad cruel" to Kate Middleton only, is how they seem to be justifying it to themselves.

Do you think they gave the nurses a thought? Genuine question, truly. When they excitedly broadcast the nurses' voices around the globe? What do you imagine the DJs thought about those nurses? What do you think got discussed before they went to air?

[Yellowtip]

In response to Everlong a little way back: I don't think there's a great deal wrong with being sympathetic to more than one person, or set of people, in this whole horrible situation. In terms of causation, one could rattle on endlessly. Clearly there are different factors in the mix which led to this terrible outcome, but quantifying them is ludicrously artificial and above all won't bring Jacintha Saldanha back.

As for the fund, I disagree. In the short term the fund will help take the family to India for the burial, will enable travel between the two countries for family members, will help bridge the sudden gap in earnings, will help provide practical homemaking support and emotional support as required. On a different level it will show the family just how many people want to demonstrate sympathy in their loss. And if there's a huge surplus in the fund, as there might well be, then it could bring the family real comfort to create a trust or set up a charitable project in Jacintha's name. Getting practical at times of crisis is one of the most effective healers. So for those reasons I think a fund will help. Of course it also helps all those who so far have had no tangile way of expressing their sadness, sympathy - call it what you will. The fund creates an outlet even if one can only give a few pence or a pound- the amount doesn't matter.

[Nancy66]

....in fairness to the DJs - they didn't broadcast the nurse's voices around the globe. They broadcast them to a relatively small audience in Melbourne.

Other media outlets picked up on the story, they didn't really have any control over that

[Janeatthebarre]

That's the point though verylittlecarrot I don't think they did give those nurses a thought. I think what they did was completely thoughtless and irresponsible and they deserve to be sanctioned for that. But that is very different from being treated as if they understood and deliberately ignored a real possibility that someone would commit suicide. They are guilty of 'not thinking' and hopefully have learnt a very sad lesson from this.

[EverlongLovesHerChristmasRobin]

verylittle I like your posts. They are reasonable.

I also agree that I wouldn't want the dj's hung drawn and quartered but feel that they and even more so the team behind them should be accountable.

That prank was never going to end well. Obviously it ended a million times worse than it could have but even without this lady's death there was always going to be some sort of trouble.

And that's what I feel strong about.

[PumpkinPositive]

Do you think they gave the nurses a thought? Genuine question, truly. When they excitedly broadcast the nurses' voices around the globe? What do you imagine the DJs thought about those nurses? What do you think got discussed before they went to air?

Nope, I doubt they wasted much though on the nurses, particularly the one they only spoke to for a nanosecond. And they probably didnt give much thought to the repurcusions for the nurses jobs after the fact - I think they were high on success (it was only a 2 day old prank after all, and arguably approaching the end of its cycle even then).

That said, I think this prank was at the tamer end of the scale. I can think of far, far nastier ones - imo the Sachs one was downright vile. I read something that said Sachs himself would had to have given permission for that to air?(seems unbelievable!)

[Yellowtip]

tangible, not tangile.

[GoldQuintessenceAndMyhrr]

Mindosa presented her viewpoint in a balanced way.

[Janeatthebarre]

I agree. I thought Mindosa's post was excellent.

[EverlongLovesHerChristmasRobin]

jeanette answer me this please. Honestly.

Do you think you would be so reasonable and fair if one of your children killed themselves?

[Janeatthebarre]

No, of course I don't. I'm not expecting you to feel reasonable and fair towards the DJs. But that doesn't mean that the rest of us cannot come on here and try to defend them from some of the comments that have been made about them.

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

We know how high feelings are running here, but we'd be really grateful if people could refrain from personally attacking other posters.

Thanks
MNHQ

[LtXmasEve]

Umm Rowan, what did I say that was a personal attack?

[mindosa]

verylittle What I dont understand is why this prank is different to the millions of others that are done on radio stations worldwide but come to nothing or different to a show like Punk'd.

What the DJ's did is not different but how the nurse reacted was.I am aghast that they fell for it in the first place - particularly at 5am - but they did and sure its embarrassing but not enough for anyone to ever imagine that they would get that reaction.

In my professional life I have been responsible for;
losing the company an amount of money due to a system error I should have caught
left the company exposed to negative PR because of a somewhat risky strategy
in my early twenties sent out a press release that led to a columnist in a national newspaper (not UK) naming my release and me as the worst PR of the week.
I was picked up on all these things yet am still well thought of professionally and have never considered harming myself.

Yes we are all different but why would the DJ's have even considered that their prank should be blamed for someones suicide
Personally I do think that these calls can be a tad cruel but certainly not enough to drive someone to suicide.

[LtXmasEve]

What I dont understand is why this prank is different to the millions of others that are done on radio stations worldwide but come to nothing or different to a show like Punk'd

For me the biggest difference is that they phoned a HOSPITAL. They should NEVER have done that. Hospitals, funeral homes, schools etc should NEVER be a target for pranks. I am astounded that anyone could have sanctioned this and I am disgusted that they did.

[mindosa]

She had morning sickness,I dont think anyone is saying that its in good taste but fgs she wasnt seriously ill.

Do you really think that those DJ's can be blamed for a suicide. Well wow, then really my whole family must be to blame for my fathers suicide - all the thoughtless comments etc.
Be realistic, the actions did not lead to those consequences.

[EverlongLovesHerChristmasRobin]

I am not sure I blame them for Jacintha's suicide. But do I think she would still be alive today if they hadn't made the call, yes I do.

What I don't feel is any empathy for them now. In my eyes they don't appear genuinely sorry. More frightened for their careers.

And I am entitled to that opinion.

eve wouldn't have thought mnhq were directing their post at you. Hope not!