Brief thread on why unconfirmed and incomplete information in lethal situations is dangerous to share.

First, a principle: the overriding goal in lethal situations should be deescalating the lethality of the situation.

Given this, the first risk is that the information is wrong. Wrong information can lead to increased tensions instead of deescalation. It can endanger innocent people. It can blow back on you personally.

But let’s not dwell on this.

Let’s assume the info is correct.

Even if the information is correct, this doesn’t decrease the lethality of the situation. Moreover, you have no way of guaranteeing that *all* of the correct information is received by people on the ground.

Social media is the world’s fastest game of telephone. You can be 100% accurate and precise in what you say.

This can and likely will morph into incorrect information two, three steps down the chain.

This brings us back to the “what if it’s wrong” argument. Our goal is to decrease tensions.

Second, information has to lead to an *action* to be effective. What is the extemperaneous action to be taken?

Are we risking more lives by not coupling this information to an action? Are we spreading fear? Are we spreading outrage? Are we using it to call the cops? Expecting other people to call the cops?

What of those actions can be delayed by a couple hours when the situation has stabilized?

Again—it’s not whether you got it right or wrong. It’s what you expect to be done with what you’re sharing.

The goal has to be reducing lethal risk.

In this domain, less detail can be better in the near term.

“There was a shooting by a militiaman. Details are unconfirmed but stay clear of militias in the area of 5th and Main” is better than “a boog in a green shirt killed a dude” even if that latter statement is 100% correct

Even if you say, “young skinny militia guy with a green shirt and a tan hat shot someone” this gets translated down the chain as “a boog in a hawaiian shirt murdered someone”

And like, this isn’t anyone’s fault, right? Adrenaline is pumping, people are angry, they don’t have time to stop and process so they implicitly use bias to fill in details they didn’t fully receive. This is normal.

But this is bad when bullets are flying. And one way we can control this is by restraining ourselves at the source. Simply wait a few hours.