to feel even less sympathy for the Australian DJs after watching their interview?

[miamibeach]

Especially the guy.

The woman said she hopes the public respect the privacy of the nurses family.

Shame she didn't show the same respect of Kate's privacy.

[KatherinaMinola]

soundevenfruity I think your post of 16:34 is spot on, especially the last sentence. My first thought on reading about the case was that the hospital were protesting too much and pre-empting any criticism with their line about 'supporting their staff'. Something not right there.

(I still think the DJs behaved twattishly though).

[diddl]

Yes-they never meant it to go that far-how far is acceptable, then??

[Sallyingforth]

I'm glad to see that here at least there are people who weren't taken in by this performance, even though it was given by professionals who are used to putting on a public face. Naturally they were trying to gain sympathy in the hope that they won't have to suffer any further penalty.

I also think it strange that the management claimed they had tried many times to contact the nurses to get permission to broadcast the recording. By saying this they are admitting that they should have got that permission - but they went ahead anyway.

[OnwardBound]

Have just watched the clip.

I think he did come across badly [looked arrogant and defensive] and they both seemed focused on alleviating any blame on them by continually stating they didn't expect it to go so far, prank calls are done every day, no-one could have anticipated this tragedy...

That said however I think their emotion was real and that they truly felt gutted and shocked - probably due to both their prank being the catalyst event which led someone to commit suicide and also the implosion of their careers...

However I also had the sense that they had been briefed and probably had a team of lawyers and producers breathing down their necks.

Tracey Grimshaw kept asking about filters and process and the pair kept stating their ignorance and obfuscating.

I felt this was disingenuous as it seems unbelievable that the pair would record something to go to air but truly had no idea, apparently, of who made the decisions re editing, etc.

I do though feel sorry for them because I think they are two young and generally glib radio DJs who are used to presenting a light entertainment yoof orientated show and have probably never thought through the consequences of their actions and behaviour before.

They have a producer and legal team to do this for them [no need to bother their pretty little heads with it].

The producer and legal team however do not have to face the media shitstorm while these two do.

It must be a very hard lesson to learn in accountability and humility in front of a hostile press and social media.

Before someone jumps in and says it, I do think you can have some sympathy for the DJs whilst also feeling desperately sorry for the poor nurse and her family.

One does not cancel out the other.

[Tailtwister]

It was a very odd interview and imo did them no favours. I'm not sure if they were insincere or if they were very limited in what they had been told they could say. It seemed to me that it was very scripted and when the interviewer's questions weren't answered, she didn't push them at all.

[OnwardBound]

And yes, I agree with what others have said here.

I think King Edward VII should also be answering some questions re their behaviour and accountability in this tragedy.

I used to work as a nurse in London and there was one thing I learned which was that nurses are not supported by management, either as a whistleblower or if they have made an error themselves.

Have seen it happen countless times [one of the reasons I left nursing tbh]

Nurses are treated with great disrespect generally in UK.

They are not treated this way in Aus [where I originally trained] so may be that the DJs could not have anticipated a staff member potentially feeling so blamed and shamed that she would feel her only recourse was suicide.

I am not saying that to excuse them. But I just feel it might be somewhat relevant.

[laptopdancer]

I dont know.
I saw someone hung out to dry dreadfully while working in Australia.

[BaublesAndCuntingCarolSingers]

That male DJ was dripping in smarm.

The female DJ looked upset but I reckon it's more for the fact that she is internationally detested and probably going to have no career left at the end of this than because she is remorseful.

[bradyismyfavouritewiseman]

He came across as arrogant and she Hedge came across as though people would feel sorry for her.
Badly staged. Imo they spent the entire time say "we are so sorry but its not our fault because....'

Which is a crap apology.

[miamibeach]

I'm getting sick of UK bashing to be honest OnwardBound

Whether the call was made from Australia, France, Russia to me it doesn't make a difference.

[LikeAVirginMary]

I agree that he came across as totally insincere and was constantly aware of "how he'd look". He seems to be very, very full of himself.

I thought she came across reasonably well and quite contrite.

Suspect the guy will go out for a beer in a few months with his mates and have a bit of a laugh about the whole thing - going on about whinging poms etc.

[chrismissymoomoomee]

I feel no pity for them, they feel enough pity for themselves.

They did nothing but talk about how they feel, how it wasn't their fault, and how everyone else was doing it. They only threw in the odd sypathetic comment when pushed about it.

[AuntieMaggie]

Everything I've seen from them and the radio station since the prank has been about them making excuses so no I don't have any sympathy for them as they have not once shown any real understanding of the line they crossed with this prank even before the sad death of the nurse.

Pretending to be someone else to get confidential medical information about someone is not a joke its deception and they should be punished for it - why are they any better than some of the reporters involved in the leveson enquiry that have done similar things?

No they didn't directly cause the death of the nurse involved.

My sympathy is with Kate, who now has to live with the knowledge that people she has never met have personal information about her and her treatment and the family of the nurse.

[LaCiccolina]

Prankers? A right couple of (cockney rhyming) prankers after watching the interview shown on sky news.

It wasn't them. They weren't proud of actions, didn't expect to get thru, management aired it.... All very distasteful.

Had they started with "we are so sorry! It's dreadful here's how it happened..." I'd have gone for it. No remorse at all. Apart from self pity. Doesn't count.

[LapsedPacifist]

they came across like the school bullies being finally told off and getting a taste of what it is like to be on the receiving end. That's what 'prankers' are.

Yes, absolutely. It reminds me of the sickening farces we sat through with my DS, with the teachers at school insisting that his sniggering tormentors sitting across the table all had "issues", that their bullying of DS was the result of 'low self esteem' and amounted to no more than 'attention seeking behaviour'.

Was it FUCK. They weren't victims, they were confident alpha-males with grossly over-inflated senses of entitlement, not weird rejects whom nobody liked. Their popularity amongst their peers made them feel invincible. They behaved the way they did to get a LAUGH from the other kids, because it boosted their sense of importance and influence.

Just like these moronic bits of garbage in Australia. Why on EARTH should anyone feel the slightest bit sorry for them? They are adults FFS! Have we internalised this culture of cruelty to such an extent that repeated public humiliation of innocent individuals is "just a prank" to most people? A sick pregnant women and the busy hospital staff caring for her were just treated as THINGS, as OBJECTS for our amusement by these unspeakable pricks. Just a fucking prank indeed .

[OnwardBound]

miami how is it UK bashing to be talking of my experience of nursing in the UK?

I have heard UK nurses says the same thing.

Why do you think you have a nursing shortage here?

I am not saying that Australia is utopia in regard to this issue but I didn't feel as unsupported and disrespected as a professional person there.

You know what, not all Australians are UK bashing.

Some of us have actually chosen to live here permanently and quite enjoy many aspects of life here.

I am sorry that this tragic story seems to have reignited some Australia/UK rivalry and antipathy - on both sides seemingly.

[NetworkGuy]

"I don't want to see them tried for manslaughter or nonsense like that but they have to take a share of the blame." - BBC The World at One (radio 4) spoke to the editor of "The Punch" an online paper, who said she thought the interview with the DJs (presumably on local TV) was unsatisfactory.

She thought they had been fed some phrases and were confused about what to say and were still 'shell shocked' and like 'deer in the headlights'. Also that the male DJ seemed to want to divert it - 'we did the interview but it went to other departments'.

[Muminwestlondon]

I came to a similar conclusion to many posters after having first viewed their interview this morning. To me they came across as nasty pathetic bullies, and they were very careful not to accept responsibility for their actions. If you look at the bloke's eyes you can tell he is not sorry at all. I felt the women was slightly more sincere, but as others have pointed out, probably more worried about her job than contrite for what she did.

While saying that, however stupid they are they could not foresee the consequences of a suicide. In my opinion, if the hospital had properly briefed staff about how to deal with calls to celeb/royal visitors this whole awful episode could have been avoided. Presumably the hospital could also have provided more support to the nurses affected in the hours or days after the story broke.

[cornishsue]

I thought it was all about "me, me, me" and a carefully scripted interview deisgned to make us feel sorry for them. Their only real concern was for themselves and their own lives and (despite appearances to try to convince us otherwise) had no real sense of guilt or wanting to take responsibility for their actions. Before the interview I felt somewhat sorry for them but the interview convinced me they were 100% selfish individuals with no empathy at all!

"me, me, me, me, me, me, me"....horrible people!

[MoreBeta]

I watched the 'interview' for about 30 seconds this morning and turned it off in disgust.

[Viviennemary]

I did feel sorry for them before the interview. But they seemed to think it was nothing to do with them that the decision was made to put it on air. And they were just 'following orders'. I don't hold them responsible for the nurse's death.

[MoreBeta]

I don't think it has ignited Australian - UK antipathy either.

[hattymattie]

I think I was bits of two different interviews - in the one the guy was insincere and in the second he was sobbing away - still felt he didn't quite ring true though. I did feel the woman was more apologetic and upset but agree that there didn't seem to be an acceptance of blame - a stepping up and taking responsibilty which I would have respected more.

[GreatUncleEddie]

They didn't apologise did they, just passed the buck. Kept repeating phrases they had scripted. Nasty.