Kyle Sandilands, Jackie O and the on-air lie detector rape incident.
As I posted this post a week ago about Kyle Sandilands and 2DAY-FM's idea of "comedy", I didn't know that Kyle Sandilands was going to become the story of the day.
Here's all the links you need:
AUDIO OF THE INCIDENT: News Limited and Fairfax Limited.
2DAY-FM Statement
Kyle Sandilands Statement
Essentially, the Sydney FM Breafast Show, The Kyle and Jackie O Show, has a segment in which they put people on lie detectors to ask them awkward and difficult questions for people's tittilation. A good example of this is over at Media Watch, in which Kyle asks women about masturbation, anal sex and "have you ever gone down on a[nother] girl?" all whilst connected to a "lie detector". This segment is, like much of the rest of the show, about making comedy out of degrading people. Their comedy is about making people feel good simply because another person is feeling awkward, uncomfortable, and getting them to tell personal things about themselves that they don't want aired.
Of course, this was already going too far, but Kyle was unrepentant:
Kyle Sandilands: Apparently Media Watch has got all their little knickers in a twist, their big granny undies in a twist because they can't believe over at the ABC where they're all wearing the fawn cardigans that we're over here having fun flashing around some boobs and willies.
- 2Day FM, The Kyle and Jackie O Show, 4th July, 2008
This morning, they decided that they were going to have a 14 year old girl called Rachel on the air, with her mother, who was going to ask questions of her daughter. This went horribly wrong. It's easier to listen to it in the link above than read it, but I want to make sure there is a record of the story here.
KYLE: "2Day FM - morning everyone."
(VOICE OVER ANNOUNCER:) "Kyle and Jackie O's...Lie Detector"
KYLE: "Lie Detector on the air. 8:31, outside, err, chilly, 19 degrees, fine and sunny, though, but still a bit of sting in the air. Aw, the air in here is thick, Jackie."
JACKIE O: "I know, we're all a bit nervous actually, because Mum Michelle has brought her daughter in to go on the lie detector. If you...we just had a chat to Michelle actually, about her concerns with her 14 year old daughter and why she wanted to bring her in. If you missed it, here's a little quick recap before we do the lie detector:"
(FLASHBACK STING)
MICHELLE (the mother): "Um, last Thursday night she went to bed at 9 o'clock - I gave her a kiss goodnight, and two-thirty in the morning, I got a knock on the door from two undercover police bringing her home."
JACKIE O: "What's your worst fear? Is it the sex, is it the lying, is it possibly doing drugs, smoking? What do you think?"
MICHELLE: "Um, drugs and sex...and older boys."
JACKIE O: "Yeah. Do you think...has he told you she's had sex before or do you think she's a virgin?"
MICHELLE: "I think she...might have had sex before."
JACKIE O: "Right, but she hasn't said anything?"
MICHELLE: "No."
KYLE: "Have you asked about the drugs and things like that?"
MICHELLE: "Yes, I know for a fact she's been smoking marijhuana."
KYLE: "Right, so she's admitted that, has she?"
JACKIE O: "Okay, so you want to know if she's been doing anything harder than marijhuana, then."
MICHELLE: "Yes. Yes."
JACKIE O: "Okay."
(FLASH-FORWARD STING)
JACKIE O: (laughing) "All right, we have her hooked up to the (laughs) lie detector..."
KYLE: "Aww..."
JACKIE O: "She's not happy (laughs). I just saw her listening to that replay...(laughs again)"
KYLE: "How are you Rachel?"
RACHEL: "I'm scared. It's not fair."
JACKIE O: "Ugh, it wouldn't be fair on any kid, I tell you, no...they're sympathising with you...
KYLE: "Is that true, Charles? Is that true?"
CHARLES (lie detector expert): "That, that is true, yes."
KYLE: "She is scared, everyone, yeah."
JACKIE O: "Yeah. Mum, you have a series of questions that you're going to ask your daughter, and Rachel, you reply either yes or no, and it will be picked up on the lie detector whether you are telling the truth (laughs) or lying. Mum, what do you want to start with?"
MICHELLE: "Okay, about school. Rachel's just recently started at a new school and I want to know, have you wagged at your new school?"
RACHEL: "I have not wagged at my new school."
JACKIE O: "So the answer would be no?
RACHEL: "No. I haven't."
CHARLES: (pause) ...and that's a fail."
RACHEL: "I haven't wagged! Are you kidding me?"
CHARLES: "I'm just calling the place"
RACHEL: "I haven't bloody wagged!"
JACKIE O: "(laughs) Poor Charles is going to cop it this morning (laughs)"
KYLE: "You're not within arms reach, are you, Charles?"
CHARLES: "No.."
JACKIE O: "(laughs) Yeah he is. (laughs)"
RACHEL: "He is."
JACKIE O: "So the lie detector is saying you have..."
RACHEL: "I haven't wagged!"
JACKIE O: "...what, is there something...how can...what's happening here, Charles?"
CHARLES: "Well, maybe she's skipped a class or something like that."
JACKIE O: "Have you done that, have you skipped classes?"
RACHEL: "No, I haven't!"
MICHELLE: "Have you left there early?'
RACHEL: "No, I haven't! I haven't walked out or wagged..."
KYLE: "Could it come up, could it come up a fail...like have you had a sick day or something, when you've bunged on a bit of a sickie..."
RACHEL: "Oh, yeah, plenty of them."
KYLE: "Oh, right, well...could that be it?"
CHARLES: "Well there you go."
JACKIE O: "Well, that's it, apparently. Okay, what's your next question, Mum?"
MICHELLE: "Okay, have you had sex?"
(pause)
RACHEL: "I've already told you the story of this. And don't look at me and smile because it's not funny..."
(pause)
RACHEL: (shouting) "Oh, okay, I got raped when I was 12 years old."
(pause)
KYLE: "Right...(pause)... and that the only, is that the only experience you've had?"
MICHELLE: "I only found out about that, um, a couple of months ago, yes I knew about that..."
RACHEL: "And yet you still asked me the question. I think the..."
MICHELLE: "The question was, have you had sex other than that."
JACKIE O: "Rachel, I'm really sorry, we didn't actually know that that was the case, and I think we might actually abort this segment. I...I had no idea that you've been through that, so I'm really sorry. And we'll just let you off the hook, I think...I think it's best not to continue. Are you all right? (pause) It's okay, you just take a breather, it's fine.
(faint sobs are heard)
JACKIE O: "We always have counselling services here, Rachel, if you need that. Have you...have you...have you had any counselling over this issue?"
MICHELLE: "No, she hasn't."
JACKIE O: "Okay, well we have all of the right people in place if you need any help or support in regards to that, which it sounds like you might. And I'm really sorry, I had no idea that this had happened to you. I don't think we would have gone with that had we known. Okay, honey, we'll just let you go for a while. I'm sorry, I didn't realise..."
KYLE: (exasperated grunt) "Okay, Mum, sorry...like, we needed to...that's something we should have known before we started this.
JACKIE O: "Yeah, definitely. Definitely."
KYLE: "Ah, so let's do that. Let's get you...if you guys haven't had any counselling or...anyone to talk to about that, we're happy to, er, pick up the bill for that. We've got 'em here. Do you want that, Mum?"
MICHELLE: "Yes, that'd be good. That'd be good.
JACKIE O: "I think so...okay"
KYLE: "Yeah...well, you know, that might, um, going through that might...going through that might answer some of the questions that, you know, you guys are having difficulty communicating with."
MICHELLE: "Okay, yeah."
KYLE: "Okay, Rach, thanks for coming in, darl, sorry about that. Okay, we're out, everyone. Jackie's got some 'O News' coming up."
I personally am appalled.
First of all, let's get the issue of the mother out of the way. There is now a Department of Community Services investigation into this family as a result of the on-air events, as there should be. Coercing a 14 year old child into a lie detector test on a live radio program and planning to ask her questions about sex and drug use was terrible, and will likely harm the young woman immensely. This should never have been allowed to happen.
But by this, 2DAY-FM, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O have a massive culpability in this. They had agreed to have this mother and her 14 year old daughter on the radio program to coerce the young woman to a lie detector test about these things.
The young woman knew what was she was going to be asked about, because she heard the replay of the previous segment where the mother spelt it all out. She clearly said that she was scared. She obviously felt powerless. And yet Jackie O thought it was amusing, continually laughing. There was an obvious change in tone once the woman admitted that she was raped, but where was the concern for the woman BEFORE the admission? Prior to her shouting "Oh, okay, I got raped when I was 12 years old.", there was absolutely no concern for the woman - she was merely someone that was going to have their personal life derided for Kyle and Jackie O's (and 2DAY-FM's) own means.
2DAY-FM released a statement this afternoon which they said "had [they] known ahead of time, the segment would never have gone to air." They claimed that "in the normal course of preparing the segment all due care and consideration was given to the family and clearly we didn't know anything about this traumatic incident."
Rubbish. Of course you didn't. Kyle in a later article tonight on The Punch admitted that they "check with the mother before hand, and go through the questions they want asked". That means they were putting a breakfast show to air in which they knew that they were questioning a young woman of age 14 about whether she was having sex and doing drugs, all whilst she was attached to a lie detector. If that sort of interrogation is not disempowering, then I don't know what is. Your concern for her after the fact seems odd - you were quite happy to discuss her sex life with her in a disempowered position - why do you suddenly develop concern for her now? This 14 year old woman had no-one on that broadcast that was acting as her advocate. Her mother certainly wasn't acting as her advocate, and you could tell that before the broadcast in the nature of the questions that she was going to ask. So who was the woman's advocate? You? No, no-one. She was left to fend for herself, the victim of your attempt for breakfast radi "entertainment".
Jackie O makes out that she was concerned, and she was. But she was certainly not concerned prior to the revelation. Her incessant laughing and her excitement was evident in the broadcast - it was like she knew she was onto something juicy, and she couldn't wait. So they all bulldozed this woman into a compromised situation and thought that was hilarious.
Tomorrow, we won't hear about it anymore - but those two will continue to be on the airwaves, and they'll be looking for the next person that they can denigrate for laughs. Kyle isn't repentant at all - he's sorry to the 14 year old woman, but only in as much as she talked about the rape - if that hadn't been brought up, he would have been happy for the interrogation to continue on air. He's done this before, and he'll do it again. Please, honestly, Kyle. Go away. Jackie O, please follow him.
EDIT: Under the Broadcasting Act, the Australian Communications and Media Authority can't investigate this until a complaint is lodged with the radio station and the response is unsatisfactory. So I've lodged a complaint with 2DAY-FM (two page letter) detailing where they've breached the Code of Practice in my opinion. Of course these Codes are deliberately vague, and are hard to get anyone on anything, but dammit, I'm going to try. This is really ordinary form on the part of the radio station.
Here's all the links you need:
AUDIO OF THE INCIDENT: News Limited and Fairfax Limited.
2DAY-FM Statement
Kyle Sandilands Statement
Essentially, the Sydney FM Breafast Show, The Kyle and Jackie O Show, has a segment in which they put people on lie detectors to ask them awkward and difficult questions for people's tittilation. A good example of this is over at Media Watch, in which Kyle asks women about masturbation, anal sex and "have you ever gone down on a[nother] girl?" all whilst connected to a "lie detector". This segment is, like much of the rest of the show, about making comedy out of degrading people. Their comedy is about making people feel good simply because another person is feeling awkward, uncomfortable, and getting them to tell personal things about themselves that they don't want aired.
Of course, this was already going too far, but Kyle was unrepentant:
Kyle Sandilands: Apparently Media Watch has got all their little knickers in a twist, their big granny undies in a twist because they can't believe over at the ABC where they're all wearing the fawn cardigans that we're over here having fun flashing around some boobs and willies.
- 2Day FM, The Kyle and Jackie O Show, 4th July, 2008
This morning, they decided that they were going to have a 14 year old girl called Rachel on the air, with her mother, who was going to ask questions of her daughter. This went horribly wrong. It's easier to listen to it in the link above than read it, but I want to make sure there is a record of the story here.
KYLE: "2Day FM - morning everyone."
(VOICE OVER ANNOUNCER:) "Kyle and Jackie O's...Lie Detector"
KYLE: "Lie Detector on the air. 8:31, outside, err, chilly, 19 degrees, fine and sunny, though, but still a bit of sting in the air. Aw, the air in here is thick, Jackie."
JACKIE O: "I know, we're all a bit nervous actually, because Mum Michelle has brought her daughter in to go on the lie detector. If you...we just had a chat to Michelle actually, about her concerns with her 14 year old daughter and why she wanted to bring her in. If you missed it, here's a little quick recap before we do the lie detector:"
(FLASHBACK STING)
MICHELLE (the mother): "Um, last Thursday night she went to bed at 9 o'clock - I gave her a kiss goodnight, and two-thirty in the morning, I got a knock on the door from two undercover police bringing her home."
JACKIE O: "What's your worst fear? Is it the sex, is it the lying, is it possibly doing drugs, smoking? What do you think?"
MICHELLE: "Um, drugs and sex...and older boys."
JACKIE O: "Yeah. Do you think...has he told you she's had sex before or do you think she's a virgin?"
MICHELLE: "I think she...might have had sex before."
JACKIE O: "Right, but she hasn't said anything?"
MICHELLE: "No."
KYLE: "Have you asked about the drugs and things like that?"
MICHELLE: "Yes, I know for a fact she's been smoking marijhuana."
KYLE: "Right, so she's admitted that, has she?"
JACKIE O: "Okay, so you want to know if she's been doing anything harder than marijhuana, then."
MICHELLE: "Yes. Yes."
JACKIE O: "Okay."
(FLASH-FORWARD STING)
JACKIE O: (laughing) "All right, we have her hooked up to the (laughs) lie detector..."
KYLE: "Aww..."
JACKIE O: "She's not happy (laughs). I just saw her listening to that replay...(laughs again)"
KYLE: "How are you Rachel?"
RACHEL: "I'm scared. It's not fair."
JACKIE O: "Ugh, it wouldn't be fair on any kid, I tell you, no...they're sympathising with you...
KYLE: "Is that true, Charles? Is that true?"
CHARLES (lie detector expert): "That, that is true, yes."
KYLE: "She is scared, everyone, yeah."
JACKIE O: "Yeah. Mum, you have a series of questions that you're going to ask your daughter, and Rachel, you reply either yes or no, and it will be picked up on the lie detector whether you are telling the truth (laughs) or lying. Mum, what do you want to start with?"
MICHELLE: "Okay, about school. Rachel's just recently started at a new school and I want to know, have you wagged at your new school?"
RACHEL: "I have not wagged at my new school."
JACKIE O: "So the answer would be no?
RACHEL: "No. I haven't."
CHARLES: (pause) ...and that's a fail."
RACHEL: "I haven't wagged! Are you kidding me?"
CHARLES: "I'm just calling the place"
RACHEL: "I haven't bloody wagged!"
JACKIE O: "(laughs) Poor Charles is going to cop it this morning (laughs)"
KYLE: "You're not within arms reach, are you, Charles?"
CHARLES: "No.."
JACKIE O: "(laughs) Yeah he is. (laughs)"
RACHEL: "He is."
JACKIE O: "So the lie detector is saying you have..."
RACHEL: "I haven't wagged!"
JACKIE O: "...what, is there something...how can...what's happening here, Charles?"
CHARLES: "Well, maybe she's skipped a class or something like that."
JACKIE O: "Have you done that, have you skipped classes?"
RACHEL: "No, I haven't!"
MICHELLE: "Have you left there early?'
RACHEL: "No, I haven't! I haven't walked out or wagged..."
KYLE: "Could it come up, could it come up a fail...like have you had a sick day or something, when you've bunged on a bit of a sickie..."
RACHEL: "Oh, yeah, plenty of them."
KYLE: "Oh, right, well...could that be it?"
CHARLES: "Well there you go."
JACKIE O: "Well, that's it, apparently. Okay, what's your next question, Mum?"
MICHELLE: "Okay, have you had sex?"
(pause)
RACHEL: "I've already told you the story of this. And don't look at me and smile because it's not funny..."
(pause)
RACHEL: (shouting) "Oh, okay, I got raped when I was 12 years old."
(pause)
KYLE: "Right...(pause)... and that the only, is that the only experience you've had?"
MICHELLE: "I only found out about that, um, a couple of months ago, yes I knew about that..."
RACHEL: "And yet you still asked me the question. I think the..."
MICHELLE: "The question was, have you had sex other than that."
JACKIE O: "Rachel, I'm really sorry, we didn't actually know that that was the case, and I think we might actually abort this segment. I...I had no idea that you've been through that, so I'm really sorry. And we'll just let you off the hook, I think...I think it's best not to continue. Are you all right? (pause) It's okay, you just take a breather, it's fine.
(faint sobs are heard)
JACKIE O: "We always have counselling services here, Rachel, if you need that. Have you...have you...have you had any counselling over this issue?"
MICHELLE: "No, she hasn't."
JACKIE O: "Okay, well we have all of the right people in place if you need any help or support in regards to that, which it sounds like you might. And I'm really sorry, I had no idea that this had happened to you. I don't think we would have gone with that had we known. Okay, honey, we'll just let you go for a while. I'm sorry, I didn't realise..."
KYLE: (exasperated grunt) "Okay, Mum, sorry...like, we needed to...that's something we should have known before we started this.
JACKIE O: "Yeah, definitely. Definitely."
KYLE: "Ah, so let's do that. Let's get you...if you guys haven't had any counselling or...anyone to talk to about that, we're happy to, er, pick up the bill for that. We've got 'em here. Do you want that, Mum?"
MICHELLE: "Yes, that'd be good. That'd be good.
JACKIE O: "I think so...okay"
KYLE: "Yeah...well, you know, that might, um, going through that might...going through that might answer some of the questions that, you know, you guys are having difficulty communicating with."
MICHELLE: "Okay, yeah."
KYLE: "Okay, Rach, thanks for coming in, darl, sorry about that. Okay, we're out, everyone. Jackie's got some 'O News' coming up."
I personally am appalled.
First of all, let's get the issue of the mother out of the way. There is now a Department of Community Services investigation into this family as a result of the on-air events, as there should be. Coercing a 14 year old child into a lie detector test on a live radio program and planning to ask her questions about sex and drug use was terrible, and will likely harm the young woman immensely. This should never have been allowed to happen.
But by this, 2DAY-FM, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O have a massive culpability in this. They had agreed to have this mother and her 14 year old daughter on the radio program to coerce the young woman to a lie detector test about these things.
The young woman knew what was she was going to be asked about, because she heard the replay of the previous segment where the mother spelt it all out. She clearly said that she was scared. She obviously felt powerless. And yet Jackie O thought it was amusing, continually laughing. There was an obvious change in tone once the woman admitted that she was raped, but where was the concern for the woman BEFORE the admission? Prior to her shouting "Oh, okay, I got raped when I was 12 years old.", there was absolutely no concern for the woman - she was merely someone that was going to have their personal life derided for Kyle and Jackie O's (and 2DAY-FM's) own means.
2DAY-FM released a statement this afternoon which they said "had [they] known ahead of time, the segment would never have gone to air." They claimed that "in the normal course of preparing the segment all due care and consideration was given to the family and clearly we didn't know anything about this traumatic incident."
Rubbish. Of course you didn't. Kyle in a later article tonight on The Punch admitted that they "check with the mother before hand, and go through the questions they want asked". That means they were putting a breakfast show to air in which they knew that they were questioning a young woman of age 14 about whether she was having sex and doing drugs, all whilst she was attached to a lie detector. If that sort of interrogation is not disempowering, then I don't know what is. Your concern for her after the fact seems odd - you were quite happy to discuss her sex life with her in a disempowered position - why do you suddenly develop concern for her now? This 14 year old woman had no-one on that broadcast that was acting as her advocate. Her mother certainly wasn't acting as her advocate, and you could tell that before the broadcast in the nature of the questions that she was going to ask. So who was the woman's advocate? You? No, no-one. She was left to fend for herself, the victim of your attempt for breakfast radi "entertainment".
Jackie O makes out that she was concerned, and she was. But she was certainly not concerned prior to the revelation. Her incessant laughing and her excitement was evident in the broadcast - it was like she knew she was onto something juicy, and she couldn't wait. So they all bulldozed this woman into a compromised situation and thought that was hilarious.
Tomorrow, we won't hear about it anymore - but those two will continue to be on the airwaves, and they'll be looking for the next person that they can denigrate for laughs. Kyle isn't repentant at all - he's sorry to the 14 year old woman, but only in as much as she talked about the rape - if that hadn't been brought up, he would have been happy for the interrogation to continue on air. He's done this before, and he'll do it again. Please, honestly, Kyle. Go away. Jackie O, please follow him.
EDIT: Under the Broadcasting Act, the Australian Communications and Media Authority can't investigate this until a complaint is lodged with the radio station and the response is unsatisfactory. So I've lodged a complaint with 2DAY-FM (two page letter) detailing where they've breached the Code of Practice in my opinion. Of course these Codes are deliberately vague, and are hard to get anyone on anything, but dammit, I'm going to try. This is really ordinary form on the part of the radio station.