Monday, December 10, 2012
Australian DJ's Speak
In an interview with Channel 9 in Australia, the two DJ's at the heart of the Kate Middleton hospital phone prank which caused the suicide of a nurse who believed she was speaking to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, the two DJ's said they were heartbroken and shattered and never thought the prank would actually even work. "I'm shattered, gutted, heartbroken," Christian said. "Mel and myself are incredibly sorry for the situation and what's happened. I had the idea. … It was just a simple harmless phone call. It was going to go on for 30 seconds. We were going to get hung up on." When asked about the moment she heard about the suicide of the nurse, Mel Greig said, "It was the worst phone call I've ever had in my life," she said through tears. "There's not a minute that goes by that we don't think about her family and the thought that we may have played a part in that is gut-wrenching. We wanted to be hung up on with our silly voices and wanted a 20-second segment to air of us doing stupid voice. … Not for a second did we expect to even speak to Kate or even have a conversation with anyone at the hospital. We wanted to be hung up on." They thought that 100 other radio stations had already probably tried the same prank.
Just an unfortunate situation all around. I don't think these DJ's should be publicly crucified like they have been, there is no way they could have foreseen these consequences with that they thought would be a short, harmless but funny prank.
ReplyDeleteI hope everyone involved is able to move forward with their lives after this.
Not to be a bitch, but one of my biggest pet peeves in life is when someone does something bad, them throws a pity party and tries to make it all about them and is all "look how this has affected me? Feel bad for me!" Ugh. Just apologize. No one cares how this has affected your life
ReplyDeleteWell said- where's the apology?! Such assholes.
DeleteI agree, VIP. I do not have an ounce of sympathy for these people. They humiliated people for a living.
DeleteAgree VIP. Not going to their pity party. Life is full of choices.
DeleteCould not get passed 'we wanted to hung up on' in the first seconds. The radio station and A Current Affair must be owned by the same corp.
DeleteThis is just getting ridiculous. Way to milk a story that should have died a few days ago.
ReplyDeleteI agree JSierra. I don't believe these DJ's did anything harmful, especially not on purpose. It was impossible for them to forsee the outcome. I don't believe that the anyone is responsible for someone taking their own life. There had to be other deep rooted problems in my opinion. It's just like a person taking their life when someone breaks up with them. It's not the breakupers fault.
ReplyDeleteaccording to TMZ, this isn't the first stunt they pulled that was cruel and had unintentional consequences. in fact, one of the others was almost as bad.
ReplyDeletei have no sympathy for them, or the station that allowed them to do shit like that.
@Crila ITA, and especially in this situation where she wasn't even the nurse that divulged the info, she simply took the call and transferred it. I feel like there has to be more to her story then shame and guilt.
ReplyDelete@VIP I hate that too. These DJ's are going to think about this prank every day but some family lost their mother, wife, daughter. They need to just shut up, apologize, and stop dragging this shit through the mud.
You just don't pull a "prank" that could possibly affect someone's job. Any idiot would have to know that the people "pranked" would have been in trouble at the hospital. You don't put anyone's job in jeopardy, period. I don't feel sorry for these two DJs AT ALL. They need to find other lines of work. Somewhere where they won't interact with people.
ReplyDelete@Nancer I'm assuming the rape reveal is the prank you are talking about. The prank where a mother and daughter were on air answering questions and the MOTHER was the one who instigated the confession that she had been raped, not the DJ's. The MOTHER is the one who pushed for more answers and and insisted that the girl wasn't answering the question truthfully.
ReplyDeleteThese DJ's are shock jocks, their job is to do crazy shit on the air. Some of that crazy shit doesn't always turn out how they expect but if you don't like it, then don't listen to the shock jocks. And if you don't, good for you! A step in the right direction.
Agree! But that incident was 2 different DJ's!
DeleteOkay, let's be real.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the prank didn't cause the suicide. Jacintha Saldanha caused the suicide. She was embarrassed, and her solution to that was to end her own life. It's tragic and awful, but it was her own doing. Many, many people every year are publicly embarrassed by pranks by radio stations and TV shows, and still think it's worth living their lives.
Second, and connected, it's not like these two invented the prank phone call for radio. As the radio station said, it's been a part of the craft of life radio for decades. I remember some of the best laughs of my teenage years in the 1970s came listening to Charles Laquidara's "Wake-Up Calls" on Boston's WBCN, calling people at ungodly early hours of weekday mornings, and fooling them into thinking they were about to be arrested, or their businesses had been shut down, their car stolen and used in a robbery, or any number of other possibilities.
It was a fairly silly prank, and, really, fairly inoffensive as these things go. It was ordinary, unspectacular radio comedy. I've laughed at prank calls on the radio, and so have every single one of you, so let's stop being shocked -- shocked I say! -- that a radio station did a prank call.
I know when something awful happens, we all want to find someone to blame and to punish, but judging and going after these DJs is not just stupid, it's flat-out wrong.
Well said.
DeleteI would sympathize with them bc the beginning sounds very heartfelt, but stop justifying the whole thing by blaming the actual victim "it should have only gone on for 20 seconds bc we had such obvious horrible accents"
ReplyDeleteThey can totally blame the nurses for continuing this ridiculous call. It is more than reasonable to assume a hospital would be on high alert with a pregnant Princess Kate on the premises, especially since violations of her privacy have been a recent, headline issue.
DeleteGood grief, if Beyonce can switch her Cabbage Patch doll out for a real baby at a NY hospital, then info on Kate's nausea and dehydration can at least be guarded by hospital staff! :-)
Blah blah blah really sorry blah blah she ruined our joke by committing suicide blah blah blah look at my fake angst blah blah blah now we got fired and are traumatised blah blah blah this is great publicity blah blah blah oh yeah really sorry. Blah.
ReplyDeleteThey didn't know. But it was only a matter of time before someone got seriously hurt by a DJ prank. I think that all the prankers needed a wake up call that messing with people is not all fun and games and that they should be more careful. In California there have been deaths from Radio DJ's giving out free ipods to the person that can drink the most water. One young girl died. They need to be made aware that you can't play with people's lives. Yes it's not their fault, yes this woman overreacted. But the DJ community needed a wake up call to grow the fuck up and stop using human beings as jokes, this was bound to happen sooner or later.
ReplyDelete@ VIPBlonde: That reminds me of Chris Brown saying: "Look at how people hate me, look what this did to my career, me, me, me, me, me!!!.. Look at how I have to deal with the consequences of my actions, wah! It's not fair!"
ReplyDeletePet peeve of mine too. Grow up and suck it up.
If it wasn't for millions of listeners, shock jocks wouldn't be on the air.
ReplyDeleteI, too, think what they did was wrong but "crucifying" them over it is also wrong. While they and the station should receive legal action, they shouldn't be bullied by the world over it. It reminds me of those prolife people who kill abortion doctors in the name of life. And I am a pro-life advocate, so I am not using an example from a group I don't understand.
ReplyDeleteThey wanted to shock people and they did. They just don't like the way it turned on them. Too bad.
ReplyDelete@Mame Dennis - that's what i was thinking.
ReplyDeleteIf these DJ's really didn't mean any harm, why didn't they hang up before they got any of Kate's private medical information? At that point, it stopped being a prank, and became identity theft.
ReplyDeleteSheen - Calling people at ungodly hours and telling them they're gonna go to jail isn't funny. That's horrible! And it's made worse by putting the victim on the air to be publicly humiliated.
Damage control. They may not have been directly responsible for suicide, but they are responsible for the stupid crap they broadcast and that stink will be on them forever.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePrank phone calls are stupid and not funny. The point is to make a fool out of someone and then laugh about it. It's bullying. What quickly went around, came around.
ReplyDelete@JAS, speak for yourself. I've listened to maybe 1/4 of a shock jock's prank call and then changed the channel. Not everyone listens. Not everyone thinks they are funny.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the prank did not cause the suicide, but even before the death, people were condemning their 'prank'. What they did was wrong, morally wrong. (And illegal in the US). It wasn't silly and it wasn't inoffensive. Most people would find it serious and offensive if they were the one's whose private medical information was being invaded.
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ReplyDeleteWords have consequences. These DJ's are responsible for an innocent person's death because of their thoughtlessness. I don't feel a bit of sympathy for them.
ReplyDeleteThe nurse is from a culture where she was instilled with a deep sense of honor. She killed herself because of his prank, and the shame she felt at having been responsible for letting these asshats get through.
I feel so badly for this nurse - because it damn near happened to me:
ReplyDeleteI was working in a clinic where, during a time when the flu was sweeping the office, we were all doing double duty - an outpatient stopped by to pick up a report, I was in a hurry and gave her the report of another patient. This was after HIPAA came into being (although it was always hospital/clinic policy about patient privacy). The patient realized it and came back later that day with the report. She was very nice about it but of course management was rightfully furious. I remember being absolutely terrified that I was going to lose my job. I was single and while I had no dependents, I was of course dependent on my salary, and was afraid I would not be able to find another job if a new employer found out I had violated HIPAA. I remember clearly at one point wishing I were dead, I was that scared. I met with management and luckily my record was spotless and I kept my job, although I received an official reprimand. Everyone I worked with knew what had happened and while all were sympathetic, I felt totally humiliated at being so stupid. If I had been unstable at that point God knows what I would have done. It was bad enough I had done it to myself - if someone had done this to me, I think it would have been worse. To me, what these DJs did is unforgivable.
@SusanB, thanks for sharing. There are so many things that couldve happened to this nurse and you mentioned a few of them. And it's not like she made a mistake with a commoner...it was Princess Kate. I would be thinking, Im going to lose my job, omg, what will the Queen/monarchy think or do, remember all of those recent privacy violations of Kate and this is just one more and it's huge, I could get sued, plus, the public humiliation factor. That is SOOO big, that's the part that makes me relate to this nurse's seeming desperation and panic, if that's what she felt. This is huge. Poor girl already obviously suffering, maybe hanging on by a thread personally and then gets tricked in the mother of all public, legal scams, I can see how that would push someone over the edge who was already dealing with painful personal issues. So yes, they are at fault. And let them worry, let them absorb some of the panic, the fear, the devastation and the desperation she felt in her final hours. I think that's an exquisite turnabout for someone on the opposite end of the phone. Let everyone see each other as fragile people who are all dealing with major issues as we go, each in his or her own turn, and not add shit to someone else's burden for the sake of brutal entertainment.
DeleteAnd as far as the hospital saying they hadn't spoken to her about what happened, I guarantee the only reason they hadn't spoken to her is because they hadn't decided what to do yet. I just hope the nurse that actually gave out the information is doing ok.
ReplyDelete@Mad I think the fact that she was from such a community is exactly why you can't blame the DJ's. If this woman was prepared to off herself at the slightest embarrassment or feeling of dishonor then these DJ's just got the short end of the stick. Who knows, she could have been at the Asda and had a checker embarrass her in front of the other customers. Then the post wouldn't be titled "Radio DJ's cause suicide" it would be "Asda checker causes suicide".
ReplyDeleteNot to mention, how do we know one of her coworkers wasn't harassing her at work, causing her to feel intense shame? How do we know it wasn't her loving husband who ripped her apart once she came home?
We don't.
Jesus H. A prank phone call did not drive this woman to suicide. She obviously had other issues. Perhaps this was the straw that broke her, but it is pretty easy to blame these two dumbass djs, instead of where the hell were her friends? Family? Those outraged? I can almost guarantee you that someone within a 10 person radius of you is contemplating suicide right now. Are you reaching out to them as much as you are condemning two people who where half way around the globe from this woman?
ReplyDeleteThis is ridiculous. Everybody needs to grow the fuck up and take responsibility for their lives and nothing more. If getting pranked makes you want to die, then you have bigger issues at hand. Seriously.
@Gypsy, you're probably right, she probably had bigger issues. Ever have a crisis in your life and then shit unfold and suck you down at work or home, you didn't need it and it left you feeling shattered and worthless for a while? It wasn't aired all over the world on every kind of media. If you haven't felt that, bide your time with a little humility. You can 'grow the fuck up' all you want but everyone has moments in life where they can't handle it alone. Instead of being so callous, recognize it will eventually be your turn and reach out to someone who os having their turn right now. To think you're stronger than life is silly and naive, and, well, you're not grasping that this situation was not normal life.
Delete@SusanB, I'm glad it worked out for you. It is so scarey when you are in fear of losing your job.
ReplyDeleteOne of the news' reports mentioned that Jacintha's flat was part of her employment as well. So she was probably afraid of losing her home too.
And for those talking about the awful accents and how obvious they were, Jacintha was not native to England. It's a strong possibility she didn't know a right from a wrong accent. (hell, how many American's can? Most of the fake English accents in movies and TV are crap and no one knows the difference.)
It's all fun and games till someone pokes their eye out.
ReplyDeleteThis was a total freak occurrence. But the DJs do need to accept responsibility for their part, apologize, and then disappear from the public eye.
ReplyDeleteThey are not sorry they did this -to both the nurse and to Kate, who's information was aired. They are sorry for themselves that they are being blamed. They called into a hospital FGS! and picked on 2 innocent people for their own selfish, self-entitled purposes.
ReplyDeleteThe conversation was recorded specifically to embarrass. As did Tyler's roommate. This IS bullying.
I truly hope some action can be brought against them, whether it be criminal or civil. And the radio station that is covering butt.
It was not a harmless phone call. These assholes deserve to feel guilty about playing a role in this.
ReplyDeleteTo those who think this is no big deal...
ReplyDeleteAssume YOU had a loved one who was sick in that hospital under the care of a victim of bullying on a worldwide scale. Think the hospital worker might be a little unnerved while trying to take care of YOUR loved one? Yeah.
This bullying continues because there are some that enjoy listening to it and therefore enable more of it. Turning the channel is not the answer, no more than not watching the video tape of Tyler.
People in the USA apparently don't understand the concept of shame anymore. You can see it everywhere in our "culture". The show has been cancelled and per NY Daily News they have been fired.
ReplyDeletePranksters are glorified bullies. No two ways about it. Remember before caller I
ReplyDeleteBefore caller ID when we were kids and made prank phone calls? Was that from a good, well-meaning place? No. Ask yourself what kind of adult does that for a living. Damn straight they should be ashamed!
Deleteas I keep saying...maybe they didn't know this would happen (would any of us?) BUT what did they think WOULD happen to the person on the other end of the call? Obviously she was going to face some sort of fallout, so where was THAT concern?
ReplyDeleteFuck these radio DJ's, they are sorry for the media fallout and losing their jobs. Doesn't seem sincere at ALL.
And JAS as for prank calls, most of us grew up and outgrew them around the age of 12. Sorry you didn't get the memo.
I read on tmz this station also has a contest to prank call your family members pretending that someone is hurt. They get money if 911 is called or some equally fucking irresponsible bullshit.
And to all saying "she obviously had something wrong before this to kill herself." DESPAIR, have you never heard of DESPAIR? People do things all the time out of despair, please stop trying to justify her suicide as some mentally deranged woman who snapped.
Boo freakin' hoo. I just saw the video on television and all it did was piss me off. They are only sorry because they're pariah's now and their show has been cancelled.
ReplyDeleteCry me a river.
Radio pranks are just stupid.
ReplyDeleteHere in my country we have a lot of this and I just hate it.
Actually I hate pranks in general, unless is between you and your friends and everyone in on board.
I agree, killing yourself is a little bit much for a prank call, it must be something more and the prank was just the last drop she could handle.
But the DJs should think, if this kind of prank works someone would at least be fired. What would be something terrible to do just for 15 seconds of laughter.
Dear DJs
ReplyDeleteSTFU and DIAF!
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ReplyDeleteBTW - just reading on DLISTED that the station has cancelled the pranksters show and the two have been fired..
ReplyDeleteHowever the station itself does not seem completely innocent, since they have had a history of really poor taste pranks:
http://www.tmz.com/2012/12/10/australian-radio-station-2dayfm-kate-middleton-prank-djs-fired-history-of-pranks/
[sorry I do not know how to properly insert links.. so thiso ne will likely not be clickety/boo]
Lol @L I came here after reading your post in my email to congratulate u and tell u that u DID make the URL clickable. Then when I got on the site, it's not clickable. If u want when I'm at my pc I can post the link I cut and paste from that makes links clickable. If any of u r good enough to have it memorized I'm really impressed!
DeleteI just watched the whole interview and I felt that the female DJ was genuinely shaken and the male, not so much. Go ahead, call me sexist.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found interesting was that the DJ's said that after a prank call is recorded it goes to a committee for review, so the DJ's are not the ones to make the decision to air a prank. They were very squirrelly about that because when the interviewer pressed for details as to who makes those decisions the DJ's referred to the decision makers as "other departments", and "there's a process in place for prank calls or anything that makes it on air". They actually said the same process has been used for years, but they don't know what that process is. When asked again for more details the interviewer was steered away.
Yes @kiki and @mango.. The radio station that has been doing this for a while with different DJs kind of gets away scot-free
ReplyDeleteThanks Katsm! It would be great if you shared it again. Must confess I saved it on my laptop and now that I am on my iPad I sorely miss it! You are the best!
ReplyDeleteP.S. yes what's with the double agent linky behaviour? It works in the email but not on blogger.. Bah!!
Unfortunetly I think they had been coached from management what to say. They were very insistint that they were not the ones responsible for choosing to air this but yet couldn't say who was. I do agree with them to an extent but the whole "team" responsible is who should be apologizing. I'd like to see an interview with the producers or senior management. Funny how they are not to be seen/heard from nor do we know there names. These DJ's are the face of the incident so are copping all the slack and I don't really think that is fair.
ReplyDeleteHere @L I don't like posting from my pc bc I can't reply right under you. Unfortunately it's the only way to insert a link so I'm not sure if this will help you on your iPad unless the iOS is different from my iPhone which doesn't allow it.
ReplyDeleteCut and paste the following from step 5:
Link Title Here
then cut and paste your link while erasing "Your URL Here" and type any "link title here" I usually use the article title or maybe, "hey @L click on this!"
Yo I think @L is the BOMB!!
Lol oops I didn't want it to say "link title here" I wanted it to show the actual code without any alterations. I think I simplified it enough though
ReplyDeleteManagement said they tried to contact her about the segment. Basically to tell her they were going to play it. They were never going to actually get permission from her. Austereo is vile n
ReplyDeleteWhile in the strictest sense these DJ's were not responsible for her death, at the same time, they knowingly continued a prank that they had to know was going to land someone in very hot water, likely affecting their employment and reputation in a very negative way.
ReplyDeleteWhen they realized the call was being put through they should have HUNG UP THE PHONE. They didn't, and now they have to deal with the fallout of their actions. I feel no pity for them or their bosses at the radio station.
The purpose of a prank is to humiliate an unsuspecting person. While I believe that the DJs weren't planning for someone to die, they did call the hospital with the intent to embarrass whomever answered the call. If the nurse told them to kiss off, the station would be using that clip for days. This poor woman was humiliated in front of the entire world and embarrassed for being gullible. DJs like this are a**holes and I hope this example serves to help other idiot shock jocks to think first before trying to trick someone who is just trying to do their job and earn a paycheck.
ReplyDelete@Katsm - thanks! at the cost of repeating myself, you are the best!
ReplyDeleteand now.. fingers crossed...
here for you!
Aww you're do welcome @L! That was so sweet of you thank you!!!
DeleteYippieee!!!
ReplyDelete@jsierra and @jonathan i totally agree with you.
ReplyDeleteim going to say it - witchhunt.
seriously - will people only be happy if these DJs 2 kill themselves? what will happen then?
they didnt taunt her or tell her to commit suicide. she put a call through.
tragic situation but not the DJs fault.
@Jonathan Well said.
ReplyDeleteWow, this board sure has its share of hardasses. Some of you sound as if you have a spiny one stuck in there or something.
ReplyDeleteI saw a short poll of readers on one of the gossip sites. One question was something like, have you ever made a CRUEL crank call. They didn't mean the old "is your refrigerator running?" either. 27 percent of people said YES! Also, not everyone listens to shockjock DJs. I think it was 43 percent that have listened.
What the hell does it take to elicit empathy from some of you? Maybe Jacintha's friends and family were like some of you. With friends like some of you, who would need fucking enemies.
The receptionist was depressed. She had mental-illness issues that stretched far beyond the scope of what people think in this forum. Sure, she made a "mistake" in transferring that call but she was a wife and a MOTHER!!! She had kids for godssake! No emotionally stable MOTHER would commit suicide and leave her babies to grow up orphans... over a fucking phone call! Why is everybody glossing over this fact? I want to jump through this screen and throttle some of you people who believe this prank phone call made an otherwise strong, stable, confident and emotionally-supported person kill herself! WTF? Has nobody on here ever dealt with, or known anybody that has attempted or committed suicide? A 20sec phone conversation DID NOT make this woman kill herself! Get it through your heads, she was already contemplating suicide before this happened. Once someone has decided they want to end their own life, it is just a matter of time before they try… unless they get help. The problem was her untreated mental illness and NOT the dumb prank call. (And it was dumb btw, like 3rd-grade-quality dumb) This woman needed help and did not have the support system in place or the resources available. PLEASE HELP stop this from happening to somebody else’s family. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255), 24/7.
ReplyDelete@Em+E
ReplyDeleteWell, you are saying that it had nothing to do with an embarrassing, world-wide news item? That's kind of a stretch, too.
People who are suicidal believe that the world would be better off without them. Yes, that includes their children. They think that even their children would be better off without them.
I totally agree that it is terrible to leave children without a mother or father - I mean, how could one think otherwise. The suicidal person is thinking that the family, including the children, would be better off without him or her.
I think she felt she had failed as a nurse, to protect her patient. She probably thought she would end up losing her job just before Christmas, and she felt humilated before the whole world. I would agree that she must have been stressed already, but this cruel prank pushed her over the edge.
I read a bit more of the backstory today, and that radio station has been in trouble at least twice in the recent past for doing similar stunts. They apparently offered a girl one thousand dollars to convince her sister that her mother needed an ambulance. The paramedics were sent needlessly to the house.
These are very dangerous games that these people are playing -- enough to warrant police investigations.
Screwing with people's livelihoods isn't child's play. What did they think, that the people who let them through would get promotions?
SusanB - It's funny you mention that (saying how she gave wrong paperwork to a patient) as that happened to me, on the other side.
ReplyDeleteLast month I went to the ER twice. First time, there was only me and maybe two other patients. Oddly enough, one was named Zakky_Boogy_Doog, very similar to mine.
When I got home I realized I had one of Zakky's pages. I called the ER immediately and they were quite concerned -- that paper had a LOT of info. They told me to shred it, which I didn't get around to doing.
Two weeks later I broke my foot and went back. I brought the paper, and gave it to the receptionist, kinda speaking quietly. They were very thankful I brought it back, kinda had these "OH SHI~!" looks on their faces, combined with relief.
An kinda-sorta analogue to this story would be if during the 1st visit, I told a nurse I was Zakky, so they'd give me her papers. Then on 2nd visit, I were to show up with a CNN crew, who would show the paper (and all Zakky's info) on-air, and humiliate the hospital staff.
The point is, these DJ's obtained medical info illegally, broadcast it to the world, and made a private citizen a laughing stock to millions. There's no excuse for that.
It's this woman's first pregnancy. She can't have a lot of stress and she has terrible morning sickness. Calling the hospital to get personal medical details about her is not harmless! I just don't think they understand atleast that much. They are still stuck on: "It is just a phone call...like when you ring your gran or your bestie." *face palm* No, actually it wasn't. If the nurse hadn't committed suicide, the prank would still have angered and offended much of the world! It was a violation of the Duke and Duchess' privacy. What fucking part of this is difficult to understand?
ReplyDeleteHave you listened to this call? It's totally silly and harmless. The DJ's didn't cause the suicide. The person who was wrong was the nurse who gave out private information over the phone, ESPECIALLY knowing the patient was a member of the royal family. That was just stupid. I believe the nurse who committed suicide was the nurse who transferred the call, not even the one who gave out the personal information. If simply transferring the call drove her over the edge, she must have been dealing with other issues as well.
ReplyDelete@lyz
ReplyDeleteWell, the police are investigating, and Scotland Yard is likely to be involved, so I guess they disagree with you that the call was silly and harmless.
Princess Kate was in for several days and could have potentially lost her baby.
The two DJS' response to that was to bother two busy nurses, trick them into giving information, and then to broadcast personal information to the world.
You actually think that is harmless?
Being right these days isn't just about how much you can get away with - there are still people who expect decency and respect in this world. Thank God for them.
Being right these days isn't just about how much you can get away with - there are still people who expect decency and respect in this world.
ReplyDeleteHear, hear, @Tuxedo Cat.
Broadcasting a person's private medical status and information is not harmless.
ReplyDelete--Babs is 19 and finally get a date with her crush. He's super-nice, just great. As he picks her up, her neighbor shouts, "She's had two abortions this year!"
--Barb, Interviewing for a new job, has done IVF treatments. Someone barges into her interview and says "she just wants this job for the benefits, she'll work two months and get maternity leave."
--1990's, renting an apartment. Someone barges in, "He's got HIV! Don't touch him!"
--Bob finds out he has cancer. He's going to sit down with the family once he sees his doctor in January. At Christmas dinner, a stranger knocks on your door. "Hey kids, your dad has cancer!"
Those are lousy examples. (I'm sleepy.) But stealing a person's medical info, broadcasting it, as well as using and humiliating someone, is NOT HARMLESS.