There are three kinds of victims whenever someone goes on a violent rampage. First, there’s the direct victims–those killed or injured by the attack. Second, there’s the indirect victims–those connected to the direct victims, or those who sustain a personal negative consequence stemming from the incident.
And then there are the TV-viewing victims–those subjected to TV news stupidity while watching coverage of the event.
Most of us fit in the latter category. In the immediate aftermath of the incident it takes the form of baseless speculation about what happened. The anchors don’t have many details to relay, but they have to keep talking, so they make stuff up.
Within a few hours, after the initial shock starts to wear out, the news coverage partially shifts to personalizing the event to the viewers. Typically it employs a security expert or consultant to answer the timeless question: could this happen here? The guru will then walk the audience through a complex formula:
Local venue where people gather + access to weapons = Yep, it could happen here
If the news outfit is really on its game it will take the story one step further: what should you do if you are caught in a deadly rampage?
This Colorado TV news station takes us inside a mall shooting scenario:
“In a case like a mall shooting, you should avoid the threat,” says Grand Junction Police Department officer T.J. Rix.
Good thinking. Bonus points for thinking outside the box.
Authorities say they do have plans in place if a shooting happened here, however, mall security is being tight-lipped about what those plans actually are.
“All of our security officers go through a comprehensive training program,” says Paul Petersen, general manager of Mesa Mall.
In other words, they hope that they can disable the shooter before he or she kills very many people.
Police say if a shooter opened fire in a store with direct exits, you should go outside.
What if there’s no “direct” exits (whatever that means)? You shouldn’t try to get out through “indirect” exits?
If you’re in a store wedged between others, it’s best to go to the back, get down, and stay out of sight.
I’m not sure why you would be “wedged between others” unless you were trying to cram through an exit. I’m glad it mentions staying out of sight; that’s so counter-intuitive in the midst of random gunfire. If there are no exits in the back, why would you want to get trapped there?
You should also be aware of your surroundings and don’t put yourself in a vulnerable position.
So much for my cleaver plan of aimlessly running around in wild panic.
So there you have it–news you can use. In the event of a mall shooting, run or hide! Who needs natural instincts when you have TV news teaching survival tips?