The reported suicide of the nurse pranked in a phone call from two 2Day FM radio presenters in Australia has resulted in a backlash against the station where the two DJs work, as angry Facebook users worldwide blame the station for Jacintha Saldanha’s death.
The 2Day FM presenters engaged in a prank with eventually tragic results — a humiliated Saldanha, who had been publicly tricked into believing the presenters calling on the phone for information on Kate Middleton’s condition were in fact Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth, took her own life shortly after the prank became worldwide news.
While the 2Day FM presenters would have never been able to predict the tragic outcome of the phone hoax, commenters have been posting disgusted, angry and critical remarks to the media brand’s website since news of Saldanha’s suicide became public.
At first glance, it seems every post visible on the 2Day FM page has been overrun by enraged Facebookers, despite the fact nothing on the radio property’s Timeline directly pertains to Jacintha Saldanha’s suicide.
One commenter says:
“[I] hope you realize your actions have consequences. Let’s hope that you never forget that what you did lead this woman to take her life. May she rest in peace.”
Another fumes on an unrelated memorial post added today:
“Your [sic] evil murderers and what’s more evil is that you haven’t even put a tribute page up for the woman your 2 DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian killed but you’ve got a tribute page up on the same day for someone else. Nobody will say Rest in Peace to anyone else until you put a tribute page up for the nurse.”
Yet another writes:
“Hope you are thoroughly ashamed of yourselves you idiotic morons! How disgusting you are! You should be fired and banned from broadcasting forever. Spend the rest of your shameful lives making things better for those two motherless children.”
And a recent comment reads:
“Where is the R.I.P. tribute to Jacintha Saldanha, a nurse who you bullied and humiliated publicly for kicks. You should be utterly ashamed of yourselves.”
Among the protestations on the 2Day FM Facebook page condemning the station after the nurse’s suicide is a call for the DJs to be fired after the Kate Middleton pregnancy prank, which is supported by a petition at Change.org .