Man on shooting rampage in office. Good time to call for an interview?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Newai
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Interview Time
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the implications of media behavior during a crisis, specifically in the context of a shooting incident at a business in St. Louis. Participants explore the ethics of journalists attempting to contact company representatives for interviews while an emergency situation is unfolding, as well as personal anecdotes related to job seeking during tragic events.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about media representatives tying up phone lines during emergencies, suggesting that laws should be in place to prevent this.
  • Another participant clarifies that the corporate headquarters had already made a statement, indicating that the media's attempts to contact them were standard practice.
  • There is a discussion about the implications of calling a business where a suspect is believed to still be present, with some participants questioning the ethics of such actions.
  • Several participants share personal experiences related to job seeking during crises, with one recalling applying for a job shortly after a shooting incident, suggesting that some may view such situations opportunistically.
  • Another participant humorously reflects on the absurdity of job interviews occurring in the midst of violence, linking it to broader experiences in the job market.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the appropriateness of media behavior during emergencies, with some supporting the need for responsible reporting and others questioning the ethics of pursuing interviews in such contexts. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of these actions.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference personal anecdotes and broader societal issues, indicating a complex interplay of ethics, media responsibility, and economic pressures. The discussion does not resolve the ethical dilemmas presented.

Newai
Messages
33
Reaction score
1
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100107/ap_on_bi_ge/us_business_shooting_st_louis
ST. LOUIS – A man with an assault rifle walked into a business Thursday and shot at least three people, police said. Their conditions were not immediately known.

The shooting occurred around 6:30 a.m. at the ABB Power plant on the city's north side and two hours later, police believed the gunman was still in the building. Details about the victims were not immediately known.

...

Phone messages and e-mail interview requests left Thursday by The Associated Press with Thomas Schmidt, an ABB corporate spokesman in Zurich, Switzerland, were not immediately returned.

Calls to the St. Louis business went unanswered Thursday morning.
So we have an emergency where people could be dying, and inside the office reporters are trying to get a hold of someone. Anyone.

I've seen this many times in immediate reports which leave me wondering if maybe there should be laws requiring the media to not tie up the lines, for obvious reasons.

What do you think?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
The shooting was in St Louis, the HQ was in Zurich.
The HQ had already made a statement, AP was just doing the standard reporting thing of saying 'X was not available for comment'. For responsible news organisations this shows they did follow up, for the others it means they can spin it into X is avoiding us conspiracy.
 
report said:
Calls to the St. Louis business went unanswered Thursday morning.
I was under the impression that they were calling the office where the suspect was still believed to be inside.
 
Newai said:
I was under the impression that they were calling the office where the suspect was still believed to be inside.
Yes, they also said that they called the St Louis office and got no answer.

They're a news organization, they try to get news, they don't care about or consider the potential consequences.
 
Actually, I'd interpreted the title of this thread completely differently.

Back when I was a laid off construction worker with a two-year-old kid, plus another on the way, a guy I played little league baseball with was shot in the head while working at an all night gas station out on the interstate. I was the first person there to apply for his job the next day.

Even I would have waited until the shooters left the gas station, though.
 
BobG said:
Actually, I'd interpreted the title of this thread completely differently.
That's bad. Really bad. :-p Because in this economy, there probably are a few people who look at it like that.
 
Newai said:
That's bad. Really bad. :-p Because in this economy, there probably are a few people who look at it like that.

I was one of them :redface:.
 
Newai said:
That's bad. Really bad. :-p Because in this economy, there probably are a few people who look at it like that.

It was a very similar economy when I took the gas station job to supplement a minimum wage security guard job (at least very similar if you lived in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Western New York, or Michigan at the time).
 
I was reading the interview stories on thedailywtf.com - having a job interview while people are being shot around you would just about fit in with some people's experience of interview for computer jobs!
 

Similar threads

Do Movies Teach Us Realistic Life Skills?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
10K