Has the royal birth revealed our changed attitude to the prank call scandal? Opinion from John Patkin.

The BBC’s coverage of the birth of Britain’s Prince George has been criticised for being too excessive. Does this signal a change in our attitudes towards the royal family following the prank phone call? The BBC responded to critics of its coverage by citing historic audience figures[1]. Sentiment is surely divided and fragmented depending on a variety of factors including royalists and republicans and those who love newborns but we’ll leave that for researchers conducting a post-birth analysis of media coverage. Let’s look at where we stand now.

The British royal family is a force to be reckoned with. They are worth millions of dollars[2], arguably boost tourism in the UK and are followed with a degree of reverence outside of the Commonwealth in countries such as the United States[3].  The initial coverage in breakfast news was said to be positive[4]. Who wouldn’t congratulate parents on the birth of a healthy child? But the event also encouraged critical commentary and humour.

A day after the royal birth, listeners to Merrick and the Highway Patrol with Jules and Rach were entertained by Tom Gleeson who poked fun at the royal family while promoting his new TV show. They made light of the cost of the royal family and whether Australia should hold a referendum[5]. Other FM stations also got into the act by prompting listeners to comment on the royal birth. A cursory review of comments shows that Aussies are happy to poke fun and some don’t even care. Royalists may disagree, but they didn’t figure in some discussions.

Other media such as the Huffington Post downplayed the event with the headline ‘BREAKING NEWS: Woman Gives Birth To Baby’[6]. On July 27, the Huff Post published the results of a survey that found almost two thirds of Americans felt the media ‘dedicated too much time’ to the baby’s birth but it’s hard to take the results seriously with a sample of 1,000[7].

With guidance and years of experience, Aussie broadcasters also know how to navigate some of the most delicate issues. They and the industry need to move past the tragic suicide of Jacintha Saldanha. The Australian radio industry has shown great remorse. The hospital and those involved in securing the privacy and safety of the British royal family should have accepted the responsibility. Try and call the hospital or the royal family again and it should be impossible to get through. Months on, ask the hospital what it had done about workplace safety.

Years ago I was reporting live from an international badminton tournament and one of the players collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. I was lost for words as I saw the player’s face turn grey. He was momentarily declared dead until some talented first aiders brought him back to life. The player made a full recovery but never competed at that level again. The incident left me shocked for a few months as I played-out the incident in my mind and questioned whether the media pressure had contributed to the player’s heart attack. A medical friend pointed out that the athlete had an unknown pre-existing condition and was just as likely to suffer a similar collapse while relaxing at home.

SCA should not feel regret for awarding Michael Christian as a next top jock and supporting his return to work. The same should apply to his former co-host Mel Greig. Maybe there would have been a different reaction if the prank call had been done by a radio station from a nation without current or former ties to London. For some time, we had acted as if we were kowtowing to our former colonial master.

In order to move forward, we need to conduct research into audience attitudes over the prank call. We need to find out what listeners thought and where we should draw the line. This should work in tandem with official guidelines. If there’s a conflict between audience expectations and official guidelines, the rules should be reviewed. An investigation might reveal a blurry line between journalism and infotainment and that those involved need the right training and support.  Whatever the outcome, commercial radio should be allowed to continue to entertain us and not be influenced by British tabloids trial by media[8].

John Patkin is a Senior Consultant at Ergon House www.ergonhouse.com. Dr Patkin has a research background in media use and linguistics and has worked in commercial and public broadcasting.