I don't care if somebody repeats a 100 times that DJs didn't expect to be told something private. Once they were told something private, the station still played their call and they were having a good old time about this prank.
UK - Nurse duped by prankster regarding royal, found dead.
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MN MN - Richard John ‘Dickie’ Huerkamp, 15, Mapleton, 2 Oct 1965
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Cappuccino
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The people I feel most sorry for are the two children of this nurse who died. What a horrible tragedy.
As for the radio pranksters, while they could in no way have known that this would happen, common sense should have told them that if they tricked a hospital employee into divulging information about a royal patient, said employee could lose their job as a result. They obviously didn't care, (or were too stupid to think of it), so therefore they should lose their jobs as a consequence.
As for the radio pranksters, while they could in no way have known that this would happen, common sense should have told them that if they tricked a hospital employee into divulging information about a royal patient, said employee could lose their job as a result. They obviously didn't care, (or were too stupid to think of it), so therefore they should lose their jobs as a consequence.
Wolf Dreamer
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For all you non-UK based posters - it is not uncommon for a nurse to act as "receptionist" out of hours (as this was). This is quite a small hospital so it doesn't surprise me at all. With larger hospitals there are often direct lines to various wards and they will be manned by nurses on that ward.
Said it before but I despise prank calling. It's bad enough people get cold callers and scammers, without adding people who think it will be funny to mislead/humiliate/abuse others. The lowlives who do this sort of thing have no way of knowing how their victim will react and whether it might be just the last push needed for someone to go beyond help.
Said it before but I despise prank calling. It's bad enough people get cold callers and scammers, without adding people who think it will be funny to mislead/humiliate/abuse others. The lowlives who do this sort of thing have no way of knowing how their victim will react and whether it might be just the last push needed for someone to go beyond help.
Perodicticus potto
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IMO, if the phone lines were open at 5:30 am, then the hospital should have had receptionists on duty at 5:30 am. It's not like there aren't plenty of unemployed people who would be glad to take the position. Nurses shouldn't have to take time away from their other duties to answer the phone.
I haven't seen anyone point this out, but the Duchess of Cambridge is of course NOT the Queen's granddaughter. From that brief sentence I certainly wouldn't have assumed that it was the Queen calling, but one of Kate's grandmothers.
(I'm not sure if either of her grandmothers are living, and I doubt the nurse would know either unless they had called or visited.)
I couldn't agree more. I've never understood the "entertainment" value of DJs and their silly prattling. In my ideal world they would just play music and keep their mouths shut.
Sonya610
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Funny how people see things so differently.
When that stupid woman flipped off the dead veterans at the Arlington Cemetery and posted it online most seem to think it was just a "fun expression of free speech" and nothing should happen to her, the online outrage that cost her a job is soooo unfair!
In this case some DJ's make a silly call to the hospital (really silly, one of them barking like corgis in the background, a harmless prank) and people imply they should be prosecuted for what...murder or wrongful death?....under the "egg shell rule"???
I just don't get it.
When that stupid woman flipped off the dead veterans at the Arlington Cemetery and posted it online most seem to think it was just a "fun expression of free speech" and nothing should happen to her, the online outrage that cost her a job is soooo unfair!
In this case some DJ's make a silly call to the hospital (really silly, one of them barking like corgis in the background, a harmless prank) and people imply they should be prosecuted for what...murder or wrongful death?....under the "egg shell rule"???
I just don't get it.
I think at the very least it stopped being a harmless prank when one of the person being "pranked" ended up dead.
And I never thought that trying to find out somebody's private medical information is a harmless prank to begin with.
And in this case, it wasn't just somebody, it was a member of the royal family, whose private medical information the DJs were after.
The poor nurse must have been mortified when she unwittingly contributed to private medical information released.
And I never thought that trying to find out somebody's private medical information is a harmless prank to begin with.
And in this case, it wasn't just somebody, it was a member of the royal family, whose private medical information the DJs were after.
The poor nurse must have been mortified when she unwittingly contributed to private medical information released.
Sonya610
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The royal family apparently didn't care. The news media wouldn't focus on the name of the switchboard nurse. The lady obviously had other problems if she offed herself over something this trivial (unless the hospital was threatening to fire her).
In fact the call was a bit weird. They ask for "Kate" and are immediately put through.
I do feel bad for Kate as this suicide is not a happy thing in conjunction with her pregnancy but seriously to blame the DJs is going way way overboard.
txsvicki
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I don't think it's either nurse's fault. Where were the body guards or aides that should have had all calls or inquiries given to them.
Sonya610
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Yeah and I seriously doubt that the Queen of England would call the hospital switchboard and ask to be transferred to "Kate".
MissExec
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Listen to the prank and you'll learn the purpose was to get Kate on the phone, to see if that was possible. It was NOT to obtain private medical information, that was just volunteered by Nurse # 2. Nurse # 2 and the hospital SHOULD be mortified over the epic failure of protecting patients confidentiality and right to privacy. Even if the Queen had been calling she was NOT entitled to specific details of the Duchess' care volunteered by Nurse # 2.
Every radio station around the world makes prank calls at one point or another without people killing themselves.
mysterygirl
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It wasn't enough that the press killed Diana.
They are going to go after Kate too.
Everyone has been way to uptight about this before the nurse's death.
People should have used it as a way to better train staff for privacy issues and that should have been that.
Now that the nurse is dead, it's turned into a nightmare..........and for nothing.
The DJ's were being stupid DJ's. But I think they are horrified now like everyone else. In fact, the calls I hear DJ's make........I bet they are being heavily pondered right about now.
They are going to go after Kate too.
Everyone has been way to uptight about this before the nurse's death.
People should have used it as a way to better train staff for privacy issues and that should have been that.
Now that the nurse is dead, it's turned into a nightmare..........and for nothing.
The DJ's were being stupid DJ's. But I think they are horrified now like everyone else. In fact, the calls I hear DJ's make........I bet they are being heavily pondered right about now.
Wise Old Owl
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Such a horrible unnecessary tragedy. My heart and prayers go out to her children and family.
As for the cause, yes I wholeheartedly believe it was the prank. But it wasn't the actual prank that caused the suicide but more the fall-out from it - directed a whole lot at this nurse.
She was the "gatekeeper". Whether she had been "assigned" the switchboard or was just relieving the receptionist on duty is irrelative.
When I listened to the call (and I've only listened to it once and refuse to listen to it again) - I was surprised that she just "put it through". Anyone trained on phone etiquette in corporate America (or has been a "gatekeeper") knows you HAVE TO SAY "May I inquire as to who is calling?" "May I ask who is calling?" EVERYTIME - even it you know who it is.
While the hospital is now saying they didn't discipline her - you can bet your bottom dollar she "was spoken to". This is a well respected, elite hospital. They've hosted the royals before (wasn't the Queen's husband in there this summer?). So they have to have protocols in place. I've read where there were private lines to the wards and I'm certain the Queen and William had a private number to be able to get through. During her "talking to" you can again bet that the fact she never formally asked who was calling was brought up and that would have weighed heavily on her. It was 5:30 in the morning - maybe she was tired, who knows? But she should have inquired - the second nurse would have "assumed" that the caller had already been vetted by simply being transferred in. The "powers that be" in that hospital would have been fuming - they certainly do not need that kind of "breech" being reported worldwide.
That said, we don't know if she had ever worked the switchboard before or knew how to handle this. It was 5:30 AM - maybe she had just been asked to watch the phone while the receptionist on duty went pee. Who is going to call at 5:30 AM? Maybe when the recepeptionist stepped away she forgot to tell her where the security word (passcode, whatever) was = again it was 5:30 in the morning.
Another thing I thought about was this. It was reported early on (please don't ask for a link - its been taken down and was only up for a short time) that William had been upset about this. I believe that. The whole world knows how William detests the paps and the media. Maybe this poor woman overheard him yelling at a hospital exec (or whoever) about it. Maybe he even "spoke" to her directly about it. Even though the palace is saying they supported the nurses, things get said in private, in the heat of the moment.
As for this woman having underlying mental problems. No, I don't accept that. Could she have been stressed? Sure, aren't we all? There are any number of things she could have been dealing with. Its Christmas time - maybe the hospital wanted her to work over Christmas (or not work and she needed the income). She was of Indian decent - they are a very proud and honorable people. Just the fact that she was now about to be the brunt of a worldwide prank/joke and that prank/joke focused around the royal family is enough. Can you imagine the heat she must have been taking (and feeling?). Again, this well-respected hospital would not allow someone with underlying mental problems on their nursing staff. And she had never shown any signs of that from what I read. I don't think that's fair to her to even be saying that.
I'm wondering if she left a note. We've heard nothing of that either way.
The DJ's. Well, of course, they never expected anything even remotely close to what has happened. But, they never thought this through completely either. You don't try to "prank" a hospital into divulging personal medical treatment. Period. All they were thinking about was themselves and their ratings and the $$$$$$$ that would consequently come their way for doing this. The guy DJ had even tweeted about how at the end of this week if someone would have told him he would be international headlines he wouldn't have believed it. No, this was a purely selfish act - not well thought out at all. Yes, they should be fired.
Again, my condolences and prayers go out to her children and family. I'm hoping the hospital, the parent company of the radio station and the royal family all step up and see that her children and family are taken care of - its the honorable thing to do.
Ok, I'm done - its just my :twocents: - but I've been thinkg about this alot in the past two days.
JMHO
As for the cause, yes I wholeheartedly believe it was the prank. But it wasn't the actual prank that caused the suicide but more the fall-out from it - directed a whole lot at this nurse.
She was the "gatekeeper". Whether she had been "assigned" the switchboard or was just relieving the receptionist on duty is irrelative.
When I listened to the call (and I've only listened to it once and refuse to listen to it again) - I was surprised that she just "put it through". Anyone trained on phone etiquette in corporate America (or has been a "gatekeeper") knows you HAVE TO SAY "May I inquire as to who is calling?" "May I ask who is calling?" EVERYTIME - even it you know who it is.
While the hospital is now saying they didn't discipline her - you can bet your bottom dollar she "was spoken to". This is a well respected, elite hospital. They've hosted the royals before (wasn't the Queen's husband in there this summer?). So they have to have protocols in place. I've read where there were private lines to the wards and I'm certain the Queen and William had a private number to be able to get through. During her "talking to" you can again bet that the fact she never formally asked who was calling was brought up and that would have weighed heavily on her. It was 5:30 in the morning - maybe she was tired, who knows? But she should have inquired - the second nurse would have "assumed" that the caller had already been vetted by simply being transferred in. The "powers that be" in that hospital would have been fuming - they certainly do not need that kind of "breech" being reported worldwide.
That said, we don't know if she had ever worked the switchboard before or knew how to handle this. It was 5:30 AM - maybe she had just been asked to watch the phone while the receptionist on duty went pee. Who is going to call at 5:30 AM? Maybe when the recepeptionist stepped away she forgot to tell her where the security word (passcode, whatever) was = again it was 5:30 in the morning.
Another thing I thought about was this. It was reported early on (please don't ask for a link - its been taken down and was only up for a short time) that William had been upset about this. I believe that. The whole world knows how William detests the paps and the media. Maybe this poor woman overheard him yelling at a hospital exec (or whoever) about it. Maybe he even "spoke" to her directly about it. Even though the palace is saying they supported the nurses, things get said in private, in the heat of the moment.
As for this woman having underlying mental problems. No, I don't accept that. Could she have been stressed? Sure, aren't we all? There are any number of things she could have been dealing with. Its Christmas time - maybe the hospital wanted her to work over Christmas (or not work and she needed the income). She was of Indian decent - they are a very proud and honorable people. Just the fact that she was now about to be the brunt of a worldwide prank/joke and that prank/joke focused around the royal family is enough. Can you imagine the heat she must have been taking (and feeling?). Again, this well-respected hospital would not allow someone with underlying mental problems on their nursing staff. And she had never shown any signs of that from what I read. I don't think that's fair to her to even be saying that.
I'm wondering if she left a note. We've heard nothing of that either way.
The DJ's. Well, of course, they never expected anything even remotely close to what has happened. But, they never thought this through completely either. You don't try to "prank" a hospital into divulging personal medical treatment. Period. All they were thinking about was themselves and their ratings and the $$$$$$$ that would consequently come their way for doing this. The guy DJ had even tweeted about how at the end of this week if someone would have told him he would be international headlines he wouldn't have believed it. No, this was a purely selfish act - not well thought out at all. Yes, they should be fired.
Again, my condolences and prayers go out to her children and family. I'm hoping the hospital, the parent company of the radio station and the royal family all step up and see that her children and family are taken care of - its the honorable thing to do.
Ok, I'm done - its just my :twocents: - but I've been thinkg about this alot in the past two days.
JMHO
LolaMoon08
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First and foremost, I feel awful for the nurse and especially bad for her children. A tragedy all the way around. However, she would have deserved to be fired for her mistake. I am trying to put myself if Kate's shoes and even as a normal, every day person, I would be really upset if someone released personal medical information about me over the phone and I would expect that person to lose their job.
I also agree that the DJ's in this case knew she would be fired if this prank was made public, but they in no way knew it would go THIS far. I am sure they feel very bad about what has happened too. I also agree that the DJ's should lose their jobs even though I think what they did was innocent enough as they never really thought it would work.
I have no listened to the prank and have no plans on listening to it, but I have listened to many, many pranks made by our local DJ's and I laugh and find it very entertaining. I may have to think better about what entertains me after this.
MOO
And so you didn't hear them asking nurse #2 how Kate's tummy bug was doing? What do you think they wanted to know?
Are you kidding me? Can you find one dang sleuther who thinks flipping off dead veterans is a "fun" expression of free speech? That is disgusting and I frankly don't believe there is one websleuther who believes such despicable, dishonorable behavior towards the dead and their families is fun, acceptable or okay, even if it is considered protected speech.
LolaMoon08
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I don't know why that was even brought up in this thread, but I agree with you 100%.
SapphireSteel
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It's not going away in the UK, it's getting bigger.
Here is a link to an article interviewing her husband, showing photos of her.
I have rarely seen an unhappier-looking individual...and she looks downright ill.
Why did no one at that expensive hospital she worked at, pick up on the fact that she was clearly unhappy and unwell?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tim-radio-prank-reveals-heartbreak-death.html
Here is a link to an article interviewing her husband, showing photos of her.
I have rarely seen an unhappier-looking individual...and she looks downright ill.
Why did no one at that expensive hospital she worked at, pick up on the fact that she was clearly unhappy and unwell?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tim-radio-prank-reveals-heartbreak-death.html
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