Thursday, October 24, 2013

Aussie Radio Exec Defends ‘S**t Happens’ Comment

Max Moore-Wilton
Southern Cross Media's chairman has accused a British MP of relying on sensationalist media reports to condemn his language about a tragic royal radio prank, according to au.news.yahoo.com.

British MP Keith Vaz says Max Moore-Wilton's comments, playing down last year's incident on Sydney radio station 2Day FM as "s**t happens", were an insult to the memory of Jacintha Saldanha, who committed suicide after being a victim of the prank.

But Mr Moore-Wilton says Mr Vaz was basing his criticism on selective Australian media reporting.

"Mr Vaz should look at the transcript of my comments and take it in context rather than listening to the truncated and sensationalist reports of the Australian media," he told AAP.

"What the media commentary focused on was a one sentence that I made and presumably that's what Mr Vaz is focusing on."

Mr Moore-Wilton defended the comments he made on Tuesday to shareholders at Southern Cross Media's annual general meeting in Melbourne.

"I'm not here to be censored for my use of a word which is common in everyday parlance in Australia.

"If you don't like it, or the media don't like it, well that's fine."

Mr Vaz, who has been speaking on behalf of Ms Saldanha's family, called on Mr Moore-Wilton to apologise for his comments.

In December 2012, 2Day FM presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian rang King Edward VII's Hospital in London, posing as the Queen and Prince Charles, inquiring about the health of a then pregnant Duchess of Cambridge.  Ms Saldanha, 46, transferred the call to a duty nurse who gave out information about the Duchess, and later took her life.

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