Two recent moments in which performers stepped outside acceptable public standards:
1. On the ABC The Chaser team produce a sketch using the tragedy of terminally ill children to make a vague and poorly executed point about … well, that remains unclear. No genuinely sick children were harmed in the production of the sketch.
2. On 2DayFM Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O attack a 14-year-old girl to a lie detector in a live, nationally syndicated morning radio segment and allow her mother to quiz her on her sexual history. This should have been sufficiently appalling, but things, as we know, went downhill from there.
The response to both incidents has been instructive. In one case, executives in the offending broadcaster acted quickly to discipline those involved — in what was essentially nothing more than a lapse in taste and good judgment — and pull the guilty performers off air. In the other case, a tabloid fury has erupted that has done as much to enhance the celebrity of the participants as it has to condemn possibly one of the most egregious and humiliating exploitations of a child for commercial advantage that one might imagine.
The question is what can be done? The website of the radio station has filled with messages of support:
Kyle and Jackie O
I listen to your show every day, I was listening yesterday and I will continue to listen in the future but if you don’t stop going on about yesterday I am going to turn the radio off! Stop justifying yourselves, you did nothing wrong! This goes to show just how much the media blows everything out of proportion. It is so obvious to me that the comments made yesterday by the girl were a shock to you both and it was also obvious how regretful you both were that it ended up on air. Now PLEASE get on with the show 🙂
Kyle Sandilands appears more shocked by the reaction than apologetic for what amounts to something close to nationally broadcast child abuse. Anyway, “rape happens”.
In Australia, the holder of the broadcasting licence is the party subject to the regulations that govern the industry, not the individual broadcaster. Austereo — the employer of Sandilands and O — will presumably exploit every wrinkle of the natural justice provisions of the Broadcasting Services Act to prolong whatever interaction they may eventually have with the Australian Communications and Media Authority, actions that will probably involve little more than a long-delayed flogging with limp lettuce.
In the meantime, it’s easy to imagine that the broadcaster, its advertisers and its boorish “personalities” will be celebrating all the attention. They may even turn it to profit.
Media regulation is complex. It should not veer to the censorious, but clearly its reliance on broadcasters to impose reasonable standards on their performers is an expectation that is at best unevenly applied.
Its sad that this incident gets used as a media specticle. how can you ask a 14 year old girl about her s-xual exploits live on radio and then come out and defend your actions, like it was fair to ask such a young girl that sort of question live on radio in the first place and you didn’t think it could ever end badly?
What Kyle, Jackie and 2Day FM are trying to do is shameful. They are trying to pass off the segment like it was supposed to be some sort of counselling session for the family, rather than admitting it was tasteless and a ‘Jerry Springer’ style mockery show of people with problems as a ratings grab. Is that what entertainment is in the naughties?
It was never about helping a troubled teenager and her mother and suggesting it was is playing the public for a bunch of simpletons.
Secondly, if her mother knew about the incident as she claimed (she “only found out 2 months ago”) why was the mother letting that line of questioning proceed?
What a joke. Hopefully DOCS take this girl away somewhere she can get straightened out, the mother gets disapplined and AusStereo get more than just a “don’t do it again… please” from ACMA. It would be great to see the end of Kyle and Jackie O if this is what they think entertainment is all about.
The Chaser’s sketch was perfectly clear:
A. Frivolous charities exist exploit human misery to exist
B. The “tragedy” in this sketch was not the sick kids, but the sick kids who don’t get wishes granted by aforementioned frivolous charities.
What is wrong with you people?
Kyle’s response was a disgrace and he should be at the very least, suspended. Hopefully sacked.
DAMNUMALONE: Exactly, from the level of intelligence exhibited by Kyle S and JackieO, it would be asking too much to expect them to think. But the mother. What kind of mother would do that to an impressionable teenager.
Hopefully the Station concerned will exercise a little more control after this brough Ha ha.
The Chaser never asked a 14 year old girl about her sex life. Yet Kyle seems to think its alright to ask such highly inappropriate questions to a child! The man has no morals or ethics, in fact he doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the words let alone spell them. He should be sacked for his stupid stunt. He has basically abused the child again but this time on national radio. Good one Kyle you are a real winner mate, a real winner.
As a teacher if I asked a question to a 14 year old girl about her sex life not only would I be sacked but I’d most likely end up charged and in front of a criminal court, then placed onto a sexual offenders file. So why doesn’t this happen to Kyle as well?
In today’s media: “Jackie O says the team never intended the girl’s appearance to end the way it did.”
Let’s see… You stand a blindfolded man up against a wall, you give loaded rifles to a firing squad, you then tell them to aim and fire – and when the man falls down dead you say “gee, I didn’t want that to happen…”
So exactly how did they want it to end? The humiliation of the girl was the only possible outcome of the segment. She is a 14 year old girl – a child – and this is supposed to be the best radio show in Sydney?
Their excuses today were pathetic, laying blame at anyone and everyone but themselves.
ACMA are saying they can’t do anything about it and people should complain directly to the Austereo. Maybe it’s time broadcasters were governed by a watchdog that actually has teeth – their license should be torn up immediately.