Nope. Channel 4 reporters can call it whatever they want; the fact is they're just trying to shift blame because they're embarrassed. The problem is not prank phone callers, it's LAZY and STUPID anchors, producers and reporters who will put on the air anyone who calls into the network or approaches a camera and says "Hey, I was there dude!" without making even the most superficial attempts to test the person's story for holes or unbelievably over-the-top or just plain goofy claims.
It is the fault of the journalists, 100%.
Yes, reporters and "anchors" can be lazy and stupid -- that's why I avoid cable news -- but isn't Howard Stern seeking out weak spots in the news biz a little like terrorists seeking out weak spots in our security? What are his minions trying to prove anyway? They're lucky they haven't caused a disaster yet.
One other thing: Howard Stern and Dan Rather have the same rapacious bosses. The sins of Dano do not justify the sins of Howard. Indeed I can't distinguish their sins because they're part of the same contemptible industry. I can hear Stern's defenders cry, "He's a populist!" And true, on rare occasions Stern does try in his confused way to stand up for the common man; but then I remember Mel Karmazin and I think -- he's just another vastly overpaid corporate-toadying slob.