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| I know - compelling reading, right? |
This is why I tend to squirm uncomfortably (is there any other way to squirm?) whenever I hear someone blame "The Media" for something. It's always something bad too. Nobody ever says, "Full credit to The Media. We couldn't have done it without them." Nope, it's always, "The Media have blown this out of all proportion," or, "The Media have taken this whole thing out of context."
Usually this is not true. If a politician blames the media, it's because they have lied. If a sports personality blames The Media, it's because they have lost. If a celebrity blames The Media, well, they're an idiot - without The Media, they wouldn't be a celebrity.
In the sad case of Jacintha Saldanha though, it's pretty hard to find someone else to hold accountable. From 2Day FM's idiot phone stunt, to the global reporting of that stunt, to the incessant hounding of the nurse involved, The Media's hands are covered in blood from start to finish.
The real problem here of course, is there was no story to begin with.
How is a woman becoming pregnant a story? Because she's a princess? Because she's beautiful? Because she's feeling a bit poorly and has sought medical advice? Give me a break. If a man had got himself pregnant, that'd be news. Severe morning sickness? Gross, but not interesting. Okay, I'll admit (I have to, I've admitted it before) I couldn't give a stuff about the Royals. In fact, I may have described them as a complete waste of everybody's time, money and attention. I may have even referred to them as a bunch of drunk and insane, unemployed inbreds. I may not have too. But I may.
I'll make you one concession; some people, and I have no idea why but I know they're out there, some people are actually interested in royal babies. The jump from there to camping outside the entrance to a hospital 24/7 is tenuous to say the least. To then jump again to thinking it's hilarious to pose as Liz and Chas, ring the hospital and ask how Kate's getting on is... well... what can you say? It doesn't even matter whether the prank call was appropriate or not, it should have been binned on the grounds in wasn't funny in any way.
Which is the other weird bit about this sorry saga; who the hell makes radio this way? Apparently the whole thing was recorded well in advance and someone somewhere actually decided to broadcast it. On our show, (the Mike Hosking Breakfast on Newstalk ZB) we generally make it up on the spot. What you hear is what we hear as we hear it. It's called... ah... that's right... NEWS. Sure we'll pre-record the odd interview due to time differences and guest availability but the concept of pre-recording a joke phone call you don't even think will work is kind of pathetic.
Trouble is, this all happened in December, and everybody knows no news happens in December, so when their lame-arse prank actually worked (technically, I mean, not as a successful bit of radio comedy) the British press jumped on it like the pack of slavering jackals they are. Really bad timing for 2Day FM - not only was it No-News Month, but due to the Leveson Inquiry, the U.K. papers in particular had been held in check for so long you could literally hear them baying for blood all the way down here in the Southern Hemisphere.
Once the awesome, terrifying and omnipotent machine that is the English Fourth Estate is set in motion, it won't be stopped. Not by a mere Sydney radio station, and certainly not by a 46 year-old nurse who had the misfortune of answering the phone that day. You can only imagine the pressure she would have felt once her identity was fed into the British press juggernaut.
Assuming suicide is confirmed as the official cause of death, obviously the only person to blame directly is Jacintha herself, but as I type those words, the keys feel hollow beneath my fingertips. Because I know this time The Media was in it up to its eye teeth, from the inception of the worthless radio stunt, to the incessant coverage of the fallout, even now after someone's paid the ultimate price. When The Media itself becomes so entwined in the story, instead of just observing it and reporting it, we're on dangerous ground. Now we're all tainted, all partially responsible, we, The Media.
If only more people along the way had posed themselves one crucial question, perhaps this whole stinking, squalid, shameful mess could have been avoided. It's a question so important, so obvious, all too often it's left unasked and this time the results were fatal.
That question: "Is this even a story?"
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| Beware the all-powerful press juggernaut |
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