Charles Sturt University (CSU) journalism academics believe the prank call by 2DayFM radio presenters in Australia that resulted in the death of a nurse in the UK highlights the serious ethical implications of such calls and the impacts the media can have on individuals.

 

“This incident highlights the risk when you broadcast or publish anything that might impact on people’s lives,” said Mr Harry Dillon, a journalism lecturer at the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU in Bathurst.

 

On December 4, 2DayFM radio presenters Michael Christian and Mel Greig posed as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles in a telephone conversation with nurse Ms Jacintha Saldanha, who was on duty at the King Edward VII’s Hospital in London where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for severe morning sickness.

 

Ms Saldanha failed to detect the prank and transferred the call to the ward where a second nurse gave details about the Duchess’s condition and times when she would be able to be visited. On December 6, Ms Saldanha committed suicide, and was found just a few metres away from the King Edward VII’s Hospital.

 

Dr Margaret Van Heekeren, another journalism lecturer at the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries, said the prank was dubious from the beginning and that radio station management should not have let the prank be broadcast.

 

“Even without this tragic outcome, the prank was ethically dubious due to the broadcasting/publication of personal medical details, and the fallout on those who fell victim to the hoaxers,” Dr Van Heekeren said.

 

“The fact the telephone call was pre-recorded meant there was an opportunity for these ramifications to be considered and acted upon. The initial ‘success’ of the stunt and its commercial potential undoubtedly had a greater influence on the decision to broadcast than the likely repercussions for those taken in. I question whether the prank call should have gone to air as it did, given what would have been the obvious ethical implications at the time.”

Mr Dillon believes regulation associated with ‘entertainment’ in the media needs to be clearly defined.

“My understanding is that the regulations relating to entertainment content are a bit loose on informed consent and, if so, they should be tightened.

 

“All media are now global because of the internet and everyone who puts anything out there needs to realise that it might end up anywhere in the world. In this case, the mass of both online and old media concentration on the phone call might have tipped the victim over the edge.