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A tale of two media incidents
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Two recent moments in which performers stepped outside acceptable public standards:
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 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. |
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8 Comments
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.
What Kyle and Jackie O did was wrong, but why is the media pursuing them and leaving the mother alone? Surely what she did was so much worse than those two jokers.
That woman should be outed, she was obviously more interested in her 15seconds of fame, than looking after her daughters best interests. And her claim that she’s not got the daughter counselling since the rape - that is much more shocking than anything Kyle and Jackie did.
Why aren’t people up in arms about the mother, why hasn’t she been found and put on the front page - surely this is a story straight from aca heaven? Leave kyle and jackie alone, that way they might be forgotten about and just go away!
Remember the good old days
(95% of readers have now skipped to the next comment on reading that phrase)
when Wendy Harmer and Peter Moon did that show on 2DAY? They succeeded because of wit and, dare I say, intelligence, running segments like their boys v girls quizzes, which always involving the listener in the joke.
Entertainers who have no wit or intelligence often rely on smartarse stunts, and this incident is a sad sign of ….
(comment now deteriorates into curmudgeonly mumbling, but I’m sure you get my drift)
There is no truly intelligent humour with Kyle & Jacqui they’re paid to put to air the crap the producers & writers come up with. Would like to see the mother charged with emotional abuse. The girl would be better off without her mum. May the child get all the help possible but with a mother like hers she’s got little hope. So sad.