Active-shooter report near the architecture building deemed a hoax

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

• Sourcepresent25/25

  Final assessment

  Unanimous: "Texas Tech University" and "Texas Tech Police" are both named, identifying the responding authority.

  Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

  See all 25 individual reads

  1. present: 'Texas Tech Police immediately responded'
  2. present: Names Texas Tech University and Texas Tech Police.
  3. present: 'Texas Tech Police immediately responded'
  4. present: 'Texas Tech Police' identifies the responding/issuing authority.
  5. present: 'Texas Tech University' and 'Texas Tech Police' named
  6. present: Names 'Texas Tech Police' and 'Texas Tech University'.
  7. present: Names 'Texas Tech University' and 'Texas Tech Police'.
  8. present: 'Texas Tech Police immediately responded' identifies the authority.
  9. present: 'Texas Tech University' and 'Texas Tech Police'
  10. present: Texas Tech Police and Texas Tech University named.
  11. present: Texas Tech University, Texas Tech Police immediately responded
  12. present: 'Texas Tech University' and 'Texas Tech Police' identify the sender.
  13. present: 'Texas Tech University' and 'Texas Tech Police' named as issuer/responders.
  14. present: "Texas Tech Police" named as responding authority.
  15. present: 'Texas Tech Police immediately responded'
  16. present: 'Texas Tech University' and 'Texas Tech Police' named.
  17. present: Names 'Texas Tech University' and 'Texas Tech Police'
  18. present: 'Texas Tech University' and 'Texas Tech Police' named as sender/agency.
  19. present: 'Texas Tech Police' named as responding authority.
  20. present: Named "Texas Tech University" and "Texas Tech Police".
  21. present: 'Texas Tech Police' named as responding authority.
  22. present: 'Texas Tech University' and 'Texas Tech Police' named.
  23. present: 'Texas Tech University' and 'Texas Tech Police' identified as sender/authority.
  24. present: Texas Tech University, Texas Tech Police
  25. present: Names 'Texas Tech University' and 'Texas Tech Police'.
• Hazardpresent25/25

  Final assessment

  Unanimous: "report of an active shooter" names the hazard, even though it was later determined false.

  What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

  See all 25 individual reads

  1. present: 'report of an active shooter'
  2. present: Report of active shooter named, later called false alarm.
  3. present: 'active shooter on campus' names the hazard
  4. present: States 'report of an active shooter on campus'.
  5. present: 'report of an active shooter'
  6. present: 'report of an active shooter' named, though deemed false.
  7. present: Names 'active shooter' report, later clarified as swatting.
  8. present: 'report of an active shooter' names the specific hazard, though resolved as false.
  9. present: 'report of an active shooter'
  10. present: 'Active shooter' report named, later called false alarm.
  11. present: report of an active shooter
  12. present: 'report of an active shooter' names the specific hazard, though resolved as false alarm.
  13. present: 'report of an active shooter' names hazard, though determined false.
  14. present: "report of an active shooter" names the hazard, though deemed false.
  15. present: 'report of an active shooter'
  16. present: 'report of an active shooter'.
  17. present: Names 'active shooter' report, later deemed false
  18. present: 'active shooter' names the hazard, though deemed false.
  19. present: 'report of an active shooter'.
  20. present: References "report of an active shooter".
  21. present: 'report of an active shooter' names the hazard, though later called false.
  22. present: 'report of an active shooter' names the hazard.
  23. present: 'report of an active shooter' names hazard, though later called false alarm.
  24. present: Report of active shooter
  25. present: 'report of an active shooter' names the hazard, though deemed false.
• Locationpresent25/25

  Final assessment

  Unanimous: "near the Architecture Building" gives the location.

  Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

  See all 25 individual reads

  1. present: 'near the Architecture Building'
  2. present: Near the Architecture Building given.
  3. present: 'near the Architecture Building'
  4. present: Names 'near the Architecture Building'.
  5. present: 'near the Architecture Building'
  6. present: 'near the Architecture Building'.
  7. present: Gives 'near the Architecture Building'.
  8. present: 'near the Architecture Building' names the location.
  9. present: 'near the Architecture Building'
  10. present: 'near the Architecture Building' given.
  11. present: near the Architecture Building
  12. present: 'near the Architecture Building' gives the location.
  13. present: 'near the Architecture Building' given.
  14. present: "near the Architecture Building".
  15. present: 'near the Architecture Building'
  16. present: 'near the Architecture Building'.
  17. present: 'near the Architecture Building'
  18. present: 'near the Architecture Building'.
  19. present: 'near the Architecture Building'.
  20. present: Specifies "near the Architecture Building".
  21. present: 'near the Architecture Building' names location.
  22. present: 'on campus near the Architecture Building'.
  23. present: 'near the Architecture Building' given.
  24. present: Near the Architecture Building
  25. present: 'near the Architecture Building' given.
• Guidanceabsent0/25

  Final assessment

  Unanimous: the message only describes police response and resolution, it gives recipients no protective action to take.

  The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

  See all 25 individual reads

  1. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients
  2. absent: No instruction to recipients, only describes officer response.
  3. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients
  4. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients.
  5. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients
  6. absent: No instruction to recipients on protective action, only describes officer response.
  7. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients.
  8. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients.
  9. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients
  10. absent: No instruction to recipients on what action to take.
  11. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients
  12. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients.
  13. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients.
  14. absent: No instruction given to recipients.
  15. absent: No instruction to recipients, only describes police response
  16. absent: No instruction to recipients, only describes police response and resolution.
  17. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients
  18. absent: No instruction to recipients on what protective action to take.
  19. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients.
  20. absent: No protective action instructed; message is a resolution/explanation.
  21. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients.
  22. absent: No protective action instructed to recipients.
  23. absent: No instruction to recipients on protective action.
  24. absent: No instruction given to recipients
  25. absent: No instructed protective action to recipients.
• Timeabsent6/25

  Final assessment

  Clear majority finds "a short time ago" too vague to count as a clock time or clear recency marker, though several reads counted it toward timing.

  When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

  See all 25 individual reads

  1. present: 'A short time ago' conveys recency
  2. absent: Only 'a short time ago', vague, no explicit clock or date.
  3. absent: 'A short time ago' is vague, not a specific time or clear recency marker
  4. absent: No clock time or date given, only 'a short time ago'.
  5. absent: 'A short time ago' is vague, no clock time or clear recency
  6. absent: 'A short time ago' is vague, no clock time or date.
  7. absent: No clock time given, only 'A short time ago'.
  8. absent: 'A short time ago' is vague, not a concrete time or clear recency marker.
  9. present: 'A short time ago' conveys recency
  10. absent: Only 'a short time ago', no specific time or date.
  11. absent: No specific clock time or date, only a short time ago
  12. absent: 'A short time ago' is vague, not a specific clock time or clear recency marker.
  13. absent: 'A short time ago' is vague, no clock time or date given.
  14. absent: "A short time ago" is vague, not a clock time or date.
  15. present: 'A short time ago'
  16. absent: 'A short time ago' is vague, no clock time or date.
  17. absent: Only vague 'A short time ago', no clock time or date
  18. present: 'A short time ago' conveys recency.
  19. absent: No specific time or date given, only 'a short time ago'.
  20. present: Uses "A short time ago" indicating recency.
  21. present: 'A short time ago' and 'quickly determined' convey recency.
  22. absent: 'A short time ago' is vague, no clock time or date given.
  23. absent: 'A short time ago' is vague, not a clear time reference.
  24. absent: No specific time given, 'a short time ago' is vague
  25. absent: 'A short time ago' is vague, no clock time or clear recency marker.
• Impactabsent0/25

  Final assessment

  Unanimous: the message states the situation is "not believed to be a threat to campus," conveying no harm.

  What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

  See all 25 individual reads

  1. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat to campus', no harm conveyed
  2. absent: States not believed to be a threat, no harm conveyed.
  3. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat to campus', no harm conveyed
  4. absent: States 'there is not believed to be a threat to campus', negating impact.
  5. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat', no severity conveyed
  6. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat to campus', no harm conveyed.
  7. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat to campus', no stated harm.
  8. absent: Text states 'not believed to be a threat to campus', no stated harm.
  9. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat to campus', no harm conveyed
  10. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat to campus', no harm conveyed.
  11. absent: Explicitly says false alarm and not believed to be a threat
  12. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat to campus', no consequence conveyed.
  13. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat', no harm described.
  14. absent: States "not believed to be a threat to campus", no harm conveyed.
  15. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat', no harm conveyed
  16. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat', no stated harm.
  17. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat to campus'
  18. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat', not a stated harm.
  19. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat', no harm conveyed.
  20. absent: States "not believed to be a threat", no harm conveyed.
  21. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat to campus', no impact conveyed.
  22. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat to campus', no harm conveyed.
  23. absent: States 'there is not believed to be a threat to campus', negating impact.
  24. absent: States no believed threat to campus, no harm conveyed
  25. absent: States 'not believed to be a threat to campus', no harm conveyed.