“Did you cop this?”

Staff Writer

Tuesday the lives of 8 people from a number of countries came to an end.  We’re not going to get into the rights or wrongs of what went down, but what prompted Triple M Group CD Mike Fitzpatrick to publicly state the stations position?

To start with, like many Triple M reflected the executions of the Bali 9 members on social media. For them it was an RIP image that appeared on their Facebook page.

By 5:40am, after travelling for 36 hours flying back from Turkey, The Hot Breakfast members Eddie McGuire and Mick Molloy heard the news and headed back in to the studios straight away.  Fitzy told Radio Today “Ed did the first break on his phone from the airport then they both drove into the station and were on air by 6:30. That is why they’re #1.”

As the morning went on Triple M Melbourne’s Facebook page turned in part into a backlash. Fitzy then took the step of publishing  Let’s Not Lose Our Humanity. 

“The response has been a tale of two cities. Often times heartfelt and humane, and then ghastly and condemning of our decision to post.”

It went onto say:

“Understand this – Triple M does not condone the action of these two convicted drug smugglers.”

“Do not misinterpret our RIP message as one of supporting drug dealers. Instead, read it, as one of hope that our humanity has not been lost in this set of circumstances.”

You can read Fitzy’s piece below. It appeared on every Triple M Facebook and website around the country.

How did your station reflect the Bali Nine executions? The question Fitzy wanted to ask was “if any other stations copped this?”

OPINION – Let’s Not Lose Our Humanity

Triple M responds to negative feedback in wake of Bali 9 execution.

Today Triple M posted a RIP message onto our station Facebook pages with an image of the two executed Bali 9 members.

The response has been a tale of two cities. Oftentimes heartfelt and humane, and then ghastly and condemning of our decision to post.

Understand this – Triple M does not condone the action of these two convicted drug smugglers.

We also will not condone state sanctioned execution.

The death penalty is barbaric and regressive to any civilised, educated society.

A lot of responses have questioned why we have chosen to post this message over an RIP for the lives lost in the Nepal earthquake.

While both are tragic, Nepal was an unforeseeable natural disaster, not a premeditated execution that could have been prevented with human intervention.

Our point here is contextual.

Two Australian men, convicted drug smugglers, who had spent 10 years in prison, who had been rehabilitated, demonstrated remorse, and in Chan’s case had subsequently devoted his life to helping others, were unjustifiably murdered by a government which doles out clemency on an arbitrary basis, if and when it suits them.

Do not misinterpret our RIP message as one of supporting drug dealers. Instead, read it, as one of hope that our humanity has not been lost in this set of circumstances.

It’s one that says, our hearts go out to the Mothers and Fathers who lost their sons and the siblings who lost their brothers – many of whom heard the shots from the other side of the island.

We cannot control the decisions our children make – we can only sit and wonder how we would feel if it were our children that had made that terrible decision 10 years ago, or might sometime in the future.

Mike Fitzpatrick

Triple M – Head of Content

 

 

Comment Form

Your email address will not be published.

Recent comments (0)
Post new comment

Jobs

See all