What do you think of this common practice?

Tacky.

standard crass sensationalistic journalism.

a phone call is a wish your heart makes, and times of great tragedy are all the sweeter when there's someone there to appreciate them- someone to scream your dreams with you until help arrives, if only through the phone. sharing the big experience with the public domain means being open enough to hear how family, friends and total strangers might have handled the situation differently.

though lacking in proper marketing and branding, the airing of these calls are nonetheless what jesus would've wanted; they're vital in the sense they hold a mirror up to the face of America and dare us to look deep into its depths. needless to say, the reflection is not pretty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLkOddgjYuY

"I think we're dead."

Mark_J I think you went a little too deep there. If you call a gov't agency you should expect the audio to be aired. Likewise- if any gov't agency calls you they should expect it to be aired as well. I think all government funded phone calls should be publicly available.