2DayFM?

[A Duke]

It's still an assumed suicide there are other possibilities, which could leave people with egg on their faces again.
Regards

[Big Shed]

Keep it nice kiddies.

[Bushmiller]

You of all being a person who avoids the media like plague surely wouldn't allude to discuss what the media are reporting, my point is the media doesn't show any rescpect and will milk this for all it's worth. At least we can show some rescpect in not discussing the media's hearsay and conjecture.

Whilst I believe your comment is made with altruistic motivation I would point to the words of Edmund Burke.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing."

On this basis alone it is essential that such issues are discussed and a philosophy I try to follow. We are using the media against itself.: A double edges sword if you like.

However I take your point that it should be done with the utmost consideration for the nurse that took her life whetherit was a warranted action or not.

Regards
Paul

[Bushmiller]

Jonathon Holmes (the Media Watch guy) has this to say.

Alex, I think people are questioning her mental state because it's so hard to believe that someone would suicide over something like this. She was by far the lesser party in it.

JH made some very salient points and it particularly highlights that the distiction between legality, morality and decorum are nowhere near as clear cut as we all think.

Remove for one moment the suicide of the first nurse. Erase that tragedy from your mind. What do you think of the prank now? Personally I wouldn't give the royals the time of day and the gutter press even less time (don't even think about getting me going on the shock jocks. A waste of space and a blight on the planet.)

Emotion has clouded our judgement. We witnessed, courtesy of the electronic media, a tradgedy that emanated from a relatively harmless, if slightly ill-considered, prank.

This type of prank has been going on since the invention of visual and audio media. Anybody remember Candid Camera? Similar type of situation. What if one of those pranks went wrong?

Orson Wells had a little hiccup when he broadcast HG Wells' War of the Worlds and caused one third of the American nation to go into freakout mode.

What I am pointing to here is that we have to keep evnts in perspective.

I would further comment that the discussion here is excellent and productive.

Regards
Paul

PS.I don't watch Today Tonight and in any event was otherwise occupied this evening. I do wonder if anything useful came out of it.

[Groggy]

I feel very sad that someone has taken her life, whether or not it had anything to do with the radio duo.

Poor lass must have been in quite a state, may she rest in peace.

[Bushmiller]

Apologies to Wheelinround. Just re-reading the thread (I only do that to important threads) and I had missed you already mentioned the War of the Worlds fiasco.

Just adding to my earlier comments, if we reintroduce the death/suicide of the nurse involved, we have to ask if this was reasonable under the circumstances. As she was barely involved, it seems out of proportion and more reasonable to say that there may have been other issues of which, at this stage, we have no knowledge.

Regards
Paul

[RETIRED]

"War of the worlds" really has nothing to do with this.

"WOW" was a radio play that the public had been warned about for a month before and there were constant announcements throughout the broadcast that this was a play and not true but people will be people.

This was a prank that under normal circumstances hardly anyone would take notice of.

[Sturdee]

Just adding to my earlier comments, if we reintroduce the death/suicide of the nurse involved, we have to ask if this was reasonable under the circumstances. As she was barely involved, it seems out of proportion and more reasonable to say that there may have been other issues of which, at this stage, we have no knowledge.

Regards
Paul

No one has so far considered the cultural heritage and background of the poor woman. Being Asian the concept of "losing face" may well have had a big impact on her. The thought of having inflicted, unwittingly, permanent shame on her and her family may have been too much to bear for her.

[jimbur]

Paul, regarding Candid Camera, no items were broadcast without the approval of the people concerned.

[Jonzjob]

And, more in line with this situation, Candid Mike the radio programme that led onto C Camera had the same spec. No broadcast without the participants agreement. That was broadcast on Radio Luxemburg, 208 meters medium wave.

The Great 208 'Radio Luxembourg' A Brief History

[Bushmiller]

Paul, regarding Candid Camera, no items were broadcast without the approval of the people concerned.

A very good point. The radio station is maintaining it contacted the hospital before broadcasting, but that is being denied by the hospital saying that no senior executive was contacted. I don't know who they contacted, if anybody, but ordinarily you would have to think somebody in authority should be the person and not the gardener, for example, despite the splendid job he might be doingowith the roses.

Regards
Paul

[Bushmiller]

"War of the worlds" really has nothing to do with this.

"WOW" was a radio play that the public had been warned about for a month before and there were constant announcements throughout the broadcast that this was a play and not true but people will be people.

This was a prank that under normal circumstances hardly anyone would take notice of.

My understanding was that they announced the format and warnings before the broadcast, but I'm not sure about during the show. It is interesting that the media are alledged to have exaggerated the fear caused and only about 1,000,000 people actually believed it was true!

However, my real point was that pranks have been part of our culture for some time. Even if consent is obtained events can still turn sour. As I mentioned before, just because a prank is performed it doesn't make it a good prank. It may not be funny, it may not be tasteful and many of them aren't. I cringe frequently at some of the antics.

You have to bear in mind that I think reality shows are the absolute cesspool of broadcasting so I come with some prejudice here.

I was questioning the balance between the alledged evil of the deed and the apparant over-reaction of the nurse, who took her life. To my mind it just doesn't stack up and I feel there is more of the story to unfold yet.

I do take Sturdee's point also that everybody takes situations differently. If the hospital had had a go at me for taking and passing on the call I would have come out fighting. Not everybody would react the same. I think the Chinese culture is the one that has more concern with saving face as opposed to Indian, but again I would like to reserve judgement until we have some more detail.

Regards
Paul

[RETIRED]

Paul, here you go.

War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast

[Bushmiller]

Thanks

I guess this is the important sections,

"
Though the program began with the announcement that it was a story based on a novel and there were several announcements during the program that reiterated that this was just a story, many listeners didn't tune in long enough to hear them.
A lot of the radio listeners had been intently listening to their favorite program the "Chase and Sanborn Hour" and turned the dial, like they did every Sunday, during the musical section of the "Chase and Sanborn Hour" around 8:12. Usually, listeners turned back to the "Chase and Sanborn Hour" when they thought the musical section of the program was over. "

Still my point is that in the quest for ratings Welles, arguably, took quite a deal of licence and some believed deliberately manipulated the public. I think many Americans of that era were naieve and very insular and as such were a perfect audience for somebody who was both bright and possibly a little unscrupulous.

The hospital incident was two presenters striving to make their name in a cut-throat world. I'm not defending them. It's just how it is
.

Nobody has reported back on the Today Tonight programme. Was it a non event or are we all too highbrow for such trivial drivel?

Regards
Paul

[underfoot]

..I've just added a new word to my vocabulary..."Nontroversy"