Blogs > Frye on the News

Keeping his eye on the news and offering commentaries and insights on what is happening in Oakland County, around the world, on the tube and in the news.

Monday, December 10, 2012

FATAL HOAX? Fake tears, so-so apology, but not a crime

Another apology I'm not buying came from the Australian DJs who pranked a hospital and its nurse, mocking England's queen as the world and Matt Lauer wondered how the pregnant princess was doing.

OK, I shouldn't gripe about Lauer's show and its almost unpatriotic love of everything royal. I've got nine months of that ahead of me.

But the apologies offered by the now-canned DJs whose prank may have proven fatal rings very hallow. Of course, they are sorry that the person they pranked may have committed suicide. They never intended that.

A gap in their story: They never expected to get through. But if they taped the segment and they got through, why air the segment if that was not what the attended.

(Further bullshit from the station, they said they tried to call the hospital five times after the prank and before it aired. Hmm. They get through when pranking but can't get through to alert hospital to impending airing....right.)

Their apology included phrases like, "this has happened" to nurse Jacintha Saldanha. No, not what happened, but what "we did."

However, they weren't to blame for the death.  One cannot know that someone may commit suicide over an action. What about laying people off from their jobs? What about a bad grade?

Now, impersonating someone could be a fraud, so perhaps there is a crime; but to say this prank or impersonation caused a suicide is going too far. Sure, fire the DJs. Sure, hate and stop listening to the station. Write an angry letter. But they can't be charged with a crime or, I think, even sued. Someone committing suicide is making their own decision to end their life. It's too bad it happened. And it was a stupid prank, but these pranks go on all the time, and we can't legislate good taste.

And they've tried and tried over history to do so.

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

Wow from Maui; domestic violence can hit the good life

Wow. Tragic story 0ur of West Bloomfield, with a husband now a suspect in his wife's death. First, it's a unique story in how it came about - a tip from hospital where the man was a patient. Injured himself, he says there's someone else hurt at home. She's dead.

Now it appears he was living the good life, but based on his being sued by a bank and recently sued for divorce, it was not so good. The videos he made promoting a stay-at-home, don't-really-work, make-tons-o-money from doing something we don't need to bother getting specific about lifestyle show the cracks in the foundation.

Again, wow. You can go to youtube and hear him offer this up himself, in his own voice. About 300 people had watched the videos, or a couple people a hundred and so times. That's bound to go up.

What amazes me is that I've been right on one of the Hawaiian beaches he was one, promoting the good life. Of course, my internet business - as online editor - doesn't pay enough for the good life so I was there for only a week, and I stayed with family for free.

Such a shame for the rest of the family.

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