Radioinfo has received this statement from Brendan Jones about his ‘terrorist hotline” prank.
On the 13th of January I broadcast a simulated call to the Terrorist Hotline, and you might have seen the coverage in last weekend’s Sun-Herald.
There are a few things I need to set the record straight on.
It was probably a bit ambitious for my first day on WSFM, but I’d like to point out the call never happened. I didn’t ring the terrorist hotline.
The segment involved a simulated call using only WSFM staff. It was not real.
That is contrary to what was written in the Sun-Herald, but that’s okay.
Secondly, at no time did I suggest there was a terrorist incident. The bit was intended as a piece of satire – and my dictionary defines satire as “something that brings ridicule on something.” It’s a time-honoured tradition in broadcasting – even with newspaper cartoonists – to gently ridicule politicians, events, and news items. Several radio stations did just that on the same subject. The Age cartoonist in Melbourne also got into the act of smiling in the face of adversity. No doubt there have been many other spoofs as well.
Comedy is obviously subjective, but what’s common to all attempts at humour is the goal of poking fun at the human condition. What I’m saying is that Australia isn’t about stress and tension, and my message was “lighten up.” We’re blessed to live in the finest country in the world, and as the advertisements say, we have a way of life that’s worth protecting – that includes protecting the right for satire.
Obviously some people thought it was a real call to the hotline – even those who probably didn’t hear it go to air. So if that caused concern to you, then you have my sincere apology – as that was never my intention.
People who know me know that I’m a family man, that I care about these very same issues, and that my intentions were not mischievous. While wholeheartedly supporting the steps the Government is taking to counter Terrorism and protect the Australian people, it is kind of sad. People are wound up so tightly that they’ve lost part of what makes Australia so damn good, and that’s our sense of humour. Terrorism wins when people are terrified – all I wanted to do was prick the bubble and say, “Come on, let’s get some perspective.”
Freedom of speech is a core value in Australian Culture. That doesn’t mean I can say and do whatever I like on the radio, which is why I uphold the industry’s codes and standards, I’m serious about that, but if we in Australia are unable to lampoon current events, then things have taken a very sad turn. As I said, I’m sorry the bit caused so much ire, that wasn’t the point of it.
Gerry Levin, a former boss of Time-Warner, said, “The test of any democratic society lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however controversial or exasperating the results may sometimes be. “My attempt at satire should be seen in this light
“There’s a “balanced struggle” between creative freedom and social responsibility”. We are always learning and yes, I’ll think differently about it next time.
And finally, thank you for you response.