You cannot really assess communication among professionals within an organization as an outsider. The lingo may sound harsh and alarming.
This was NOT a hostage situation. It was normal workplace environment give and take.
The word "trap" was used in a negotiation. Plain and simple.
I would imagine that this ground operations person assumes that every crew is going to "walk" at their timeout unless they hear otherwise. He went on that assumption until the FA's corrected him and said they are working. FA did not like that anyone assumed what they were going to do and wanted to get a better deal for the FA crew for operating the flight in addition to the mandated overtime pay. So they made it clear they were "taking one for the team".
Trust me, if you heard the banter that goes on pre-op, intra-op, and post-op for many surgeries, you would not want that published either. Nor would it be great if the doctors lounge and nurses lounge could hear everything said in the other room. BUT, when the team is together, things work pretty well.