Paspaley after Four Corners Facebook backlash: sorry for ‘inadvertently’ deleting comments
Paspaley, a high-class jewelry brand whose role in the death of a pearl diver was questioned on ABC show Four Corners last night, has defended its response to angry comments made on its Facebook page after the show aired.
It was revealed this afternoon that the company deleted comments beneath its Facebook message expressing regret over the death of Paspaley pearl diver Jarrod Hampton, which prompted further anger from people on Facebook and Twitter.
The company said in a statement sent to Mumbrella – also posted on to Paspaley’s Facebook page – that “a number of other comments were inadvertently removed” in the process of deleting comments considered “insensitive and abusive”.
It is unclear who deleted the comments or what their role at the company is.
The statement in full reads:
The incident was a tragedy for the Hampton family and has also deeply affected the whole pearling community. Following the Four Corners program, the Paspaley Facebook page received a number of insensitive and abusive comments which were removed. In the process, a number of other comments were inadvertently removed and we apologise to those people whose comments were deleted. Until the authorities complete their investigation, we are unable to publicly comment on the specifics of this tragedy or its relationship with the industry’s safety measures. Further information about the industry’s safety standards and a full statement from Paspaley to Four Corners can be found at http://www.wafic.org.au/about-
the-industry/industry/pearling .
In the last few hours, a Facebook fan page has been set up called ‘Shame on you Paspaley Pearls’ has been created.
Can I bag Mumbrella for calling Australia’s longest-running and most-respected current affairs show “Fore Corners” — without my criticism being accidentally deleted? 🙂
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D’oh! Corrected – thanks, Mordi.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
A very sad story on Four Corners: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners.....539781.htm
Watching a brand go from luxury to being labelled “blood pearl” (response on the FourCorners facebook page) makes for an interesting case study in PR crisis management.
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I watched and it changed my perception. No longer do i covet a Paspaley ring.
I do wonder though, do Autore and Bunda and other companies have the same (poor) levels of saftey and this could have happened to any one of them? Is this an industry wide problem?
Such a sad story and could have been prevented, thats the hardest part to get your head around.
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pearls..gold…diamonds. etc etc.
We continue to rape and destroy the earth and along with it force suffering and death on people, all for some pathetic attempt to impress our friends.
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