Author Topic: The Royal Wedding of William and Kate - And What Came After  (Read 316436 times)

Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: The Royal Wedding of William and Kate - And What Came After
« Reply #320 on: December 07, 2012, 10:33:21 pm »


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/08/world/europe/nurses-death-stirs-sharp-criticism-of-royal-prank-call.html?_r=0&pagewanted=all



Prank Call
Seeking Royal Family Secrets
Takes Horrifying Turn

By SARAH LYALL
Published: December 7, 2012



LONDON — As pranks go, this one appeared outrageous and obnoxious rather than malicious: after convincing a hospital nurse who answered the phone this week that they were Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, two Australian radio hosts then tricked another nurse into disclosing medical information about the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, who had been admitted with acute morning sickness.

The call was broadcast on Australia radio; then it went out around the world.

But the stunt took a horrific and unexpected turn on Friday, when the nurse who answered the call, 46-year-old Jacintha Saldanha, was found dead, an apparent suicide.

The Metropolitan Police would not release details of the death, except to say that they had received a call reporting that there was an unconscious woman at Weymouth Street, in central London, and two ambulance crews had arrived to find Mrs. Saldanha already dead. A police spokesman said they were not treating the death as suspicious.

It was unclear what exactly had happened since the prank itself to make Mrs. Saldanha, who was reportedly married and had two children, take her life. King Edward VII’s Hospital, where she worked, said it had not disciplined her, but rather had been “supporting her during this difficult time.” Nor, apparently, had the royal family raised a fuss with the hospital, an exclusive private institution that has long been the hospital of choice for Britain’s royals.

“At no point did the palace complain to the hospital about the incident,” a spokesman for St. James’s Palace said. “On the contrary, we offered our full and heartfelt support to the nurses involved and the hospital staff at all times.”

The turn of events was seen as so shocking that it provoked a response from even the prime minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, who called it “a terrible tragedy.”

Whatever the immediate impetus for Mrs. Saldanha’s death, the episode was a sobering reminder of the harm that can come in a media landscape where the boundaries between news and entertainment are blurred, where hosts and programs find increasingly outrageous ways of attracting attention, often without considering who might be hurt along the way; and where anything out of the ordinary — an embarrassing video, a humiliating audio clip, a bit of foolish behavior — tends to spread quickly via the Internet, and seems to never go away.

Britain’s tabloids have long sought ways to penetrate the royal family’s carapace, to get past the barriers and the press operatives to the humans underneath. In 2007, a News of the World  reporter was jailed for hacking into the voice mail of members of the royal household. Four years earlier, The Daily Mirror  published a series of photographs of the inside of Buckingham Palace — showing that the queen’s cereal was brought to the table in Tupperware containers and that the Duke of York’s apartment contained stuffed animals and a cushion saying, “Eat, sleep and remarry” — after one of its reporters underhandedly got a job as a royal footman.

And in 1995, a Canadian D.J., pretending to be Jean Chrétien, then the Canadian prime minister, somehow got through to Buckingham Palace and spent 15 minutes talking to the queen about, among other things, Quebec’s referendum on proposals for independence. The palace called the prank “irritating and regrettable.”

The latest breach came courtesy of the Sydney radio station 2Day FM, during a program presented by the D.J.’s Mel Greig and Michael Christian. The station had gotten into trouble before: In 2009, it was reprimanded by the government media watchdog after a 14-year-old girl, brought on the show by her mother, was attached to a lie detector during a live broadcast and asked if she was having sex. She revealed that she had been raped. Last year, the watchdog imposed tough new licensing conditions on the station after one of its hosts called a journalist a “fat slag” and threatened her on the air.

On Tuesday, Ms. Greig took on the role of the queen, while Mr. Christian pretended to be Prince Charles. Telephoning the hospital, Ms. Greig asked to be put through to “my granddaughter Kate” — the duchess, who was being treated for severe morning sickness.

The hospital would not confirm that Mrs. Saldanha was the person who took the call, but reports in the British news media said that she was, and that she had been filling in at the hospital reception desk in the early morning hours. Responding to the person she thought was the queen, she said “Oh, yes — just hold on, ma’am.”

She then transferred the call to a duty nurse, who revealed that the duchess was “stable,” that she had had “an uneventful night,” that she had been given fluids and was sleeping on and off and that she had not been “retching.”

The hospital was fooled, despite the call having been almost laughably amateurish. At one point, for instance, Ms. Greig, playing the queen, asked the fake Charles when he planned to “walk those bloody corgis.” Barking noises could be heard in the background.

When news of the hoax got out, it was condemned as a “foolish prank” by the hospital, which said it would review its telephone procedures. In Australia, the hosts issued an anemic statement saying “we’re sorry if we’ve caused any issues,” even as the station continued to promote the stunt as “the prank call the world is talking about.”

On Twitter, the two D.J.’s bragged about the hoax. Ms. Greig, a former contestant on the Australian version of “The Amazing Race,” told Australian reporters that she was surprised the call had gotten through and had fooled anyone, given her poor English accent. “This is by far the best prank I’ve ever been involved in,” the Adelaide Now  newspaper quoted her as saying. “It’s definitely a career highlight.”

By late Friday — early Saturday in Sydney — the station had posted a new statement. It was “deeply saddened by the tragic news of the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha from King Edward VII’s Hospital,” the statement said. “We extend our deepest sympathies to her family and all that have been affected by this situation around the world.”

The statement added that Mr. Christian and Ms. Greig would remain off the air indefinitely, “out of respect for what only can be described as a tragedy.”

But the apology was met with little sympathy on social media sites. “You weak dogs. You’ve got blood on your hands now,” Aaron Reschke from South Australia wrote on the station’s Facebook page. “Both presenters and their producer should be charged over this woman’s death.”

Back in London, the hospital said that Mrs. Saldanha had been a nurse there for four years. “She was an excellent nurse and well-respected and popular with all of her colleagues,” it said.

In a statement, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, Dr. Peter Carter, said, “It is deeply saddening that a simple human error due to a cruel hoax could lead to the death of a dedicated and caring member of the nursing profession.”


Matt Siegel contributed reporting from Sydney, Australia.

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Offline Katie77

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Re: The Royal Wedding of William and Kate - And What Came After
« Reply #321 on: December 07, 2012, 11:06:04 pm »
Unfortunately, Brian, millions of people do not feel the same as you regarding wanting to know as much as they can about the Royal family. Stories on the Royals are what keep a lot of newspapers and magazines in business, because every little thing they do is of interest to so many people.

Once upon a time people and the media had a respect for people's privacy, but now, because of people's interest, they do and say anything to get a hot story. So its hard to know who is to blame for some media frenzy. Human nature has changed, just like so many other things have changed, and some of it, is not very tasteful.

I too, adore the Queen, she has been exemplorary in her position, but I worry a bit about those who will follow in her footsteps as well as those that work behind the scenes to protect that the monarchy remains where it is.


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Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: The Royal Wedding of William and Kate - And What Came After
« Reply #322 on: December 07, 2012, 11:34:13 pm »
I too, adore the Queen, she has been exemplorary in her position, but I worry a bit about those who will follow in her footsteps as well as those that work behind the scenes to protect that the monarchy remains where it is.

And I understand that now the heir (or heiress) to the throne, who may expect to become the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, is no longer prohibited from marrying a Roman Catholic.  8)
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Marge_Innavera

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Re: The Royal Wedding of William and Kate - Will You Be Watching?
« Reply #323 on: December 08, 2012, 12:09:10 pm »
To Royalists its a very big deal....the forthcoming birth of maybe a new king or queen....and of course something to fill the magazines.....

All this confirmed my hunch that being famous can be a major bummer, unless it happens after you're dead.  Imagine going through a pregnancy with the whole world commenting on it!   8)

Marge_Innavera

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Re: The Royal Wedding of William and Kate - And What Came After
« Reply #324 on: December 08, 2012, 12:18:35 pm »
What a shame :( I wonder if her bosses had given her a really hard time over this?


They might have in private, but this woman also could have had a lot of problems in her personal life, including depression.  Being the butt of a practical joke that the entire world knew about could certainly push someone over the edge if they were already having a hard time coping for whatever reason.

And frankly, I'm rather cynical about the station's claim to be "deeply saddened."  It smacks of the apologies you sometimes hear from politicians who don't regret the context of their words but are so very, very sorry that there was a negative reaction [e.g., "I apologize to anyone who was offended by my words"].  If this makes someone think twice in the future something constructive might come of it but considering the state of today's "news" media, I tend to doubt it.

Offline brianr

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Re: The Royal Wedding of William and Kate - And What Came After
« Reply #325 on: December 08, 2012, 01:47:57 pm »
And frankly, I'm rather cynical about the station's claim to be "deeply saddened."  It smacks of the apologies you sometimes hear from politicians who don't regret the context of their words but are so very, very sorry that there was a negative reaction [e.g., "I apologize to anyone who was offended by my words"].  If this makes someone think twice in the future something constructive might come of it but considering the state of today's "news" media, I tend to doubt it.
I completely agree with you. This station has been in trouble with the broadcasting authorities before. Unfortunately there is a type of person who willcontinue to listen to their rubbish.  At least both the major Australian telco and supermarket chain have withdrawn their advertising. However I expect this will only be until the furore dies down. I only listen to music stations anyway,cannot abide talk radio of any kind.

Offline Katie77

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Re: The Royal Wedding of William and Kate - And What Came After
« Reply #326 on: December 08, 2012, 06:38:06 pm »
http://au.news.yahoo.com/queensland/a/-/latest/15585892/ads-pulled-from-2day-fm-after-royal-prank/










2Day FM responds to social media outrage

Sydney radio station 2Day FM has suspended all on-air advertising until Monday after a nurse involved in a royal prank phone call took her own life in London.


The Sydney radio station behind a royal prank linked to a British nurse's death has pulled all ads from its broadcasts as anger mounts around the world at the tragic turn of events.

Rhys Holleran, the chief executive of Austereo which owns 2Day FM, said the suspected suicide of Jacintha Saldanha, the London nurse who took the prank call, was tragic and the two radio presenters who spoke to her were shattered by the news.

But he said the death of Ms Saldanha, who was on duty at the London hospital treating Prince William's pregnant wife, could not have been reasonably foreseen and that the station had done nothing illegal in recording and broadcasting the phone call.

Mr Holleran's comments came after major advertisers pulled their ads from the station and people flocked to social media to condemn presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who have been taken off air following the death of the 46-year-old nurse and mother of two on Friday.

Austereo said it had pulled all advertising from 2Day FM at least until Monday.

Police in London have said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Ms Saldanha's death and it is believed she took her own life.

The tragic turn of events has made headlines around the world as fallout from the prank call intensified.

Ms Saldanha was on duty at London's King Edward VII Hospital earlier this week when Greig and Christian telephoned, impersonating the Queen and Prince Charles and seeking details about the condition of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

The prank call was recorded and vetted by lawyers before being broadcast to listeners in Sydney.

Speaking to reporters in Melbourne on Saturday, Mr Holleran said he was confident the station had not broken the law.

"We're satisfied that that procedure was met," he said.

"We're very confident that we haven't done anything illegal. What happened was incredibly tragic and we're deeply saddened and we're incredibly affected by that."

However, Bond University media law expert, Mark Pearson, said the DJs could have broken the law by not telling Ms Saldanha that the call was being recorded.

Professor Pearson said it was normally illegal for someone to record a conversation without the other person knowing unless there was "some overriding public interest".

"Clearly in this case there is not," he said.

Austereo said it was committed to working with any authorities investigating the tragedy.

"Our primary concern at this time is for the family of nurse Saldanha," Mr Holleran said.

He also said he didn't know when the presenters would return, adding that they were deeply shocked and had been offered counselling.

The station and the presenters had decided the show would not return to air until further notice out of respect for Ms Saldanha, he said.

News of the nurse's death was acknowledged by the royal family.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jacintha Saldanha," a statement issued by St James's Palace said.

"Their Royal Highnesses were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by everybody at King Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha's family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time."

Hospital chief executive John Lofthouse described Ms Saldanha, married with two children, as a "first-class nurse who cared diligently for hundreds of patients".

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the incident as a "terrible tragedy".

The broadcasting watchdog, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), said it would talk to the station about the "facts and issues surrounding the prank call".

In May, ACMA warned 2Day FM it could lose its broadcasting licence for any repeat of offensive on-air comments, after morning show presenter Kyle Sandilands called a female journalist a "fat slag" and threatened to "hunt her down".
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467





2Day FM responds to social media outrage

Sydney radio station 2Day FM has suspended all on-air advertising until Monday after a nurse involved in a royal prank phone call took her own life in London.



 






AFP © Enlarge photo
 



Related Links


: Nurse in royal prank found dead


: Royal hoax DJs 'will not return' amid anger


: Facebook page condemns 2Day FM DJs


: Broadcasting watchdog to quiz 2Day FM


: Austereo boss says prank not illegal



 


The Sydney radio station behind a royal prank linked to a British nurse's death has pulled all ads from its broadcasts as anger mounts around the world at the tragic turn of events.

Rhys Holleran, the chief executive of Austereo which owns 2Day FM, said the suspected suicide of Jacintha Saldanha, the London nurse who took the prank call, was tragic and the two radio presenters who spoke to her were shattered by the news.

But he said the death of Ms Saldanha, who was on duty at the London hospital treating Prince William's pregnant wife, could not have been reasonably foreseen and that the station had done nothing illegal in recording and broadcasting the phone call.

Mr Holleran's comments came after major advertisers pulled their ads from the station and people flocked to social media to condemn presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who have been taken off air following the death of the 46-year-old nurse and mother of two on Friday.

Austereo said it had pulled all advertising from 2Day FM at least until Monday.

Police in London have said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Ms Saldanha's death and it is believed she took her own life.

The tragic turn of events has made headlines around the world as fallout from the prank call intensified.

Ms Saldanha was on duty at London's King Edward VII Hospital earlier this week when Greig and Christian telephoned, impersonating the Queen and Prince Charles and seeking details about the condition of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

The prank call was recorded and vetted by lawyers before being broadcast to listeners in Sydney.

Speaking to reporters in Melbourne on Saturday, Mr Holleran said he was confident the station had not broken the law.

"We're satisfied that that procedure was met," he said.

"We're very confident that we haven't done anything illegal. What happened was incredibly tragic and we're deeply saddened and we're incredibly affected by that."

However, Bond University media law expert, Mark Pearson, said the DJs could have broken the law by not telling Ms Saldanha that the call was being recorded.

Professor Pearson said it was normally illegal for someone to record a conversation without the other person knowing unless there was "some overriding public interest".

"Clearly in this case there is not," he said.

Austereo said it was committed to working with any authorities investigating the tragedy.

"Our primary concern at this time is for the family of nurse Saldanha," Mr Holleran said.

He also said he didn't know when the presenters would return, adding that they were deeply shocked and had been offered counselling.

The station and the presenters had decided the show would not return to air until further notice out of respect for Ms Saldanha, he said.

News of the nurse's death was acknowledged by the royal family.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jacintha Saldanha," a statement issued by St James's Palace said.

"Their Royal Highnesses were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by everybody at King Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha's family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time."

Hospital chief executive John Lofthouse described Ms Saldanha, married with two children, as a "first-class nurse who cared diligently for hundreds of patients".

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the incident as a "terrible tragedy".

The broadcasting watchdog, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), said it would talk to the station about the "facts and issues surrounding the prank call".

In May, ACMA warned 2Day FM it could lose its broadcasting licence for any repeat of offensive on-air comments, after morning show presenter Kyle Sandilands called a female journalist a "fat slag" and threatened to "hunt her down".
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
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Offline Katie77

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Re: The Royal Wedding of William and Kate - And What Came After
« Reply #327 on: December 08, 2012, 06:49:08 pm »
I am completely amazed that the radio station is trying to justify the prank call by saying they did nothing "illegal".

Also, that the phone call was recorded and vetted by a lawyer before it went to air.

Well that in itself is pretty scarey, that someone can "legally" impersonate anyone to get private and confidential information about someone else.

What astounds me even more, is that the radio boss makes no mention of whether he thinks it was MORALLY WRONG to invade someone's privacy.

I'm with you Brian, I've never listened to the radion stations with their so called "shock jocks" calling their shots on the air. These "shock jocks" seem to do anything to get their name in the press for their outlandish behaviour on radio.
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Offline Katie77

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Re: The Royal Wedding of William and Kate - And What Came After
« Reply #328 on: December 08, 2012, 07:52:15 pm »
What also worries me now, is the glorification and justification that the press seem to making of this poor lady's suicide.

I read about the tributes pouring in to her family and such, and I know they would be in deep grief, but lets not forget that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary situation and should not be justified for any reason.

I would hate to think, that there are people out there who read this news, think its ok to take their own life because this lady did.
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Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: The Royal Wedding of William and Kate - And What Came After
« Reply #329 on: December 08, 2012, 10:56:18 pm »

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/09/jacintha-saldanha-hoax-call-india

   
Jacintha Saldanha's family says she
told them nothing about hoax call


Despite nurse's husband calling his mother in India every day,
his relatives there had no idea of the strain caused by the prank


Gethin Chamberlain in Panaji
The Observer
Saturday 8 December 2012 17.13 EST



Jacintha Saldanha's mother-in-law, Carmine Barboza: 'Benedict used to
call every day but neither he nor Jacintha said anything about what had
happened. Everything seemed normal.' Photograph: Barboza family



The relatives of nurse Jacintha Saldanha have revealed that she told no one in the family about the prank call that has been blamed for driving her to suicide.

Members of the family gathered at the south Indian home of Saldanha's mother-in-law, Carmine Barboza, to console one another after news reached them of the tragedy.

They said that neither Saldanha nor her husband, Benedict Barboza, had talked of the hoax phone call or given any clue that she had been under any pressure or strain.

"Benedict used to call every day but neither he nor Jacintha said anything about what had happened. Everything seemed normal," said Carmine Barboza, 69. "We got a call last night from Benedict informing us that Jacintha had died. He was crying and couldn't speak much. We don't know whether we'll be able to bring her dead body back to India, but we desperately hope so.

"We spoke to Benedict again this morning, and he said he hasn't been allowed to see her body yet because of legal formalities and she'll not be handed over before Monday. We want to bring her dead body to India to perform her last rites."

She said that the couple had spent last new year with the family in Udupi with their teenage children.

"Jacintha was a very caring woman," said Barboza. "She used to call us every Sunday without fail. We just cannot believe what has happened."

Saldanha and her husband were married in 1993 and moved to Muscat in Oman before arriving in the UK nine years ago. Relatives said that the family returned to India every couple of years.

On Saturday, relatives gathered at the Barbozas' smart single-storey home in Sorkala, near the town of Shirva in Karnataka, to grieve and to share their memories of Saldanha. The modern peach-painted house sits amid coconut palms and tidy gardens.

Irene Barboza, Saldanha's sister-in-law, said the family first heard the news on Friday night at about 8pm. Other members of the family made it clear that they were too grief-stricken to talk to journalists.

Staff at the medical college where Saldanha had trained in Mangalore described her as very dedicated. "Jacintha was a very efficient, intelligent and lively personality, who had won laurels in her nursing studies," said Reverend Sister Aileen Mathias, chief nursing officer at the Father Muller Medical College.

Mathias said that, after completing nursing school, Saldanha had gone on to pursue advanced nursing qualifications before moving to Muscat. Later, after moving to the UK, she appeared to have been thriving in London.

Saldanha and her family were active members of the expatriate Konkani community in the UK – people who hail from the Konkan region, which runs down the south-west coast of India. At a Konkani Community Association Christmas celebration in 2009, they were voted family of the day.

Messages of sympathy were being posted in comments threads on news websites in her native southern India on Saturday.

One read: "Dear Benedict and the children. I have no words to console you at this crucial moment. I am shocked to hear the news. I would like to say that I am supporting you all with my prayers. I cannot believe that Jessy is no more. Please trust in the Lord and take courage."

Another wrote: "Jacintha had been my classmate in Mangalore in school and we contacted on Facebook. It is really sad to hear about this tragic incident. May her soul rest in peace."

Father Richard Coelho, administrator of the Father Muller Medical College Hospital, posted a message to the family that said: "It is really shocking to hear that Jacintha is no more. May her soul rest in peace and that you all may have the strength from the Lord to bear this great loss.

"It should not have happened at all because Jacintha is not at fault. May those who are responsible for her death understand the mistake they have committed and ask pardon from the Lord."

Others called for the Indian government to put pressure on the Australian authorities to take action against the radio station.

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