17-year-old shot near campus; lockdown alert opened with 'This is NOT a test'

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.

• Sourceabsent0/25

  Final assessment

  Unanimous: no sender tag, agency, or university self-identification appears in the text.

  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. absent: No sender tag, agency, or university self-identification appears in the text.
  2. absent: No sender, agency, or branded signature appears in the text.
  3. absent: No sender name, branded signature, or responding authority is identified.
  4. absent: No sender, agency, or branded signature is named in the text.
  5. absent: No sender tag or university name appears; the message identifies no issuing authority.
  6. absent: No sender tag, agency, or university name appears in the text itself.
  7. absent: No sender tag, agency, or university self-identification appears in the text.
  8. absent: No sender tag or named authority appears; it begins "This is NOT a test".
  9. absent: No sender tag, university name, or agency is identified in the text.
  10. absent: No sender tag or issuing authority is named; the text uses no signature or agency name.
  11. absent: No sender tag or self-naming authority identifies who is sending this alert.
  12. absent: No sender tag or issuing authority is named; "all clear has been issued" does not name an issuer.
  13. absent: No sender, alert brand, or authority is named, though "an all clear" implies one.
  14. absent: No sender tag or named issuing authority appears in the text.
  15. absent: No sender tag, university name, or named agency appears in the text.
  16. absent: No sender name or branded signature appears in the text.
  17. absent: No sender, branded tag, or authority identifies itself in the text.
  18. absent: No branded signature, agency, or university self-naming appears in the text.
  19. absent: No sender, agency, or branded signature appears in the text.
  20. absent: No sender brand, university name, or named agency identifies who issued the message.
  21. absent: No sender tag or authority identifies itself in the text.
  22. absent: No sender tag, university name, or agency is identified in the message text.
  23. absent: No branded tag, agency, or university self-naming appears in the text.
  24. absent: No sender tag or named authority appears in the text.
  25. absent: No sender tag, institution name, or agency identifies who issued this message.
• Hazardpresent25/25

  Final assessment

  All reads agree: the alert names a specific threat, gunshots fired.

  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: It names "gunshots fired", a specific threat.
  2. present: It names "gunshots fired", a specific threat.
  3. present: It reports "gunshots fired", a specific threat.
  4. present: It states "Report of gunshots fired", a specific hazard.
  5. present: It names "gunshots fired", a specific threat.
  6. present: It names "gunshots fired", a specific threat.
  7. present: Names "gunshots fired", a specific threat.
  8. present: It names "gunshots fired near east campus", a specific threat.
  9. present: Names "gunshots fired", a specific threat.
  10. present: It reports "gunshots fired", a specific threat.
  11. present: Names "gunshots fired", a specific hazard.
  12. present: It names "gunshots fired", a specific threat.
  13. present: It names the threat specifically: "gunshots fired near east campus".
  14. present: Names the hazard specifically as "gunshots fired near east campus".
  15. present: Names "gunshots fired", a specific hazard.
  16. present: Names "gunshots fired", a specific threat.
  17. present: Names "gunshots fired", a specific hazard.
  18. present: It reports "gunshots fired", a specific hazard.
  19. present: It reports "gunshots fired", a specific threat.
  20. present: It reports "gunshots fired", a specific hazard.
  21. present: Names "gunshots fired", a specific hazard.
  22. present: It reports "gunshots fired", a specific hazard.
  23. present: It names "gunshots fired", a specific hazard.
  24. present: Names "gunshots fired", a specific threat.
  25. present: It reports "gunshots fired near east campus", a specific threat.
• Locationpresent25/25

  Final assessment

  Unanimous: a specific area is given, east campus.

  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: It names "east campus", a specific area.
  2. present: It names "east campus", a specific area.
  3. present: It says the gunshots were "near east campus", a specific area.
  4. present: It names "near east campus", a specific area.
  5. present: It names "east campus", a specific area.
  6. present: It names "near east campus", a specific area.
  7. present: Says "near east campus", a specific area.
  8. present: It names "east campus", a location.
  9. present: Names "east campus", a specific area.
  10. present: It says the gunshots were "near east campus", a location.
  11. present: Says "near east campus", a specific area.
  12. present: It says "near east campus", a specific area.
  13. present: It names "east campus", a specific area.
  14. present: Specifies "near east campus", a named campus area.
  15. present: Says the gunshots were "near east campus", a specific area.
  16. present: Specifies "near east campus", a campus area.
  17. present: Says gunshots were fired "near east campus", a place reference.
  18. present: It names "near east campus", a specific location.
  19. present: It says "near east campus", a specific area.
  20. present: It says the gunshots were "near east campus", a specific area.
  21. present: Names "near east campus", a specific area.
  22. present: It says "near east campus", a specific area.
  23. present: It says "near east campus", a specific place.
  24. present: Names "east campus", a specific location.
  25. present: It names "east campus", a specific area.
• Guidancepresent25/25

  Final assessment

  All reads agree the alert instructs recipients to seek shelter, lock doors, and remain inside, protective actions.

  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. present: It instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors", and "remain inside", protective actions.
  2. present: It instructs "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside".
  3. present: It instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside".
  4. present: It instructs "Seek shelter", "lock doors", and "remain inside", protective actions.
  5. present: It instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside".
  6. present: It instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors", and "remain inside", protective actions.
  7. present: Instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside", protective actions.
  8. present: It instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside", protective actions.
  9. present: Instructs "Seek shelter", "lock doors", and "remain inside", protective actions.
  10. present: It instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside", protective actions.
  11. present: Instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside", protective actions.
  12. present: It instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside".
  13. present: It instructs "Seek shelter", "lock doors", and "remain inside", protective actions.
  14. present: Instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside", protective actions.
  15. present: Instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside", protective actions.
  16. present: Instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside", protective actions.
  17. present: Instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside".
  18. present: It instructs people to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside", protective actions.
  19. present: It instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside", protective actions.
  20. present: It tells recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors", and "remain inside".
  21. present: Instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors", and "remain inside".
  22. present: It instructs "Seek shelter", "lock doors", and "remain inside", clear protective actions.
  23. present: It instructs "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside", protective actions.
  24. present: Instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors and remain inside", protective actions.
  25. present: It instructs recipients to "Seek shelter", "lock doors", and "remain inside", protective actions.
• Timeabsent10/25

  Final assessment

  Majority finds no clock time, date, or recency cue; a minority read until an all clear as a duration cue, but that is a condition, not a time.

  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: It says to remain inside "until an all clear has been issued", a duration cue.
  2. present: "until an all clear has been issued" conveys duration and recency.
  3. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" or "immediately" appears.
  4. present: It says "until an all clear has been issued", a recency/duration cue.
  5. present: It uses the recency cue "until an all clear has been issued", indicating an ongoing situation.
  6. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears; "until an all clear" is a condition, not a time.
  7. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
  8. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word such as "now" appears; "all clear" refers to a future condition.
  9. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" or "immediately" appears.
  10. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears; "until an all clear" is a condition, not a time.
  11. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as now or immediately appears.
  12. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears; "until an all clear" is conditional, not a time.
  13. present: It says "until an all clear has been issued", a duration cue, and "This is NOT a test" implies present.
  14. present: Refers to "until an all clear has been issued", a duration/time cue.
  15. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" or "immediately" appears; "all clear" is a future event.
  16. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word such as "now" appears.
  17. present: Says to remain inside "until an all clear has been issued", a duration cue.
  18. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears; "NOT a test" is not a time cue.
  19. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word appears; "until an all clear" is conditional not timed.
  20. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears; "all clear" is a future condition, not a time.
  21. present: Says to remain inside "until an all clear has been issued", a recency cue.
  22. present: It says to remain inside "until an all clear has been issued", conveying duration and recency.
  23. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears; "until an all clear" is a condition, not a time.
  24. present: Says to remain inside "until an all clear has been issued", a duration cue.
  25. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word appears, only "until an all clear" as a condition.
• Impactpresent13/25

  Final assessment

  Present by a narrow 13 to 12 majority: gunshots fired plus seek shelter and lock doors implies danger; dissent holds it only names the hazard without stating 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. present: Reports gunshots fired and directs people to seek shelter for safety, implying danger.
  2. absent: Reports gunshots and instructs sheltering but states no actual harm or stated danger.
  3. present: It reports gunshots fired and instructs people to seek shelter and lock doors for safety, implying danger.
  4. present: It reports gunshots fired and tells people to seek shelter and lock doors for safety, implying danger.
  5. absent: Reports gunshots and to seek shelter but states no specific harm beyond naming the hazard.
  6. absent: It reports gunshots and says seek shelter for safety but states no injury or explicit danger.
  7. absent: Reports gunshots and says seek shelter but states no explicit danger or harm.
  8. absent: Reports gunshots and says seek shelter but states no actual harm or stated danger.
  9. present: Reports gunshots fired and instructs people to seek shelter for safety, implying danger to people.
  10. absent: Reports gunshots and says seek shelter for safety but states no explicit harm or severity.
  11. absent: Reports gunshots and tells people to seek shelter but states no harm or what the danger could do.
  12. present: Gunshots fired with instruction to seek shelter for safety implies danger to people.
  13. present: Reports gunshots and instructs sheltering and locking doors for safety implying danger to people.
  14. absent: Reports gunshots and to seek shelter and lock doors but states no explicit harm or severity.
  15. absent: Gunshots are reported and shelter ordered but no injury or explicit danger consequence is stated.
  16. present: Reports gunshots fired and directs sheltering for safety, implying danger to people.
  17. present: Reports gunshots and directs sheltering for safety, implying danger to people.
  18. present: Reports gunshots and instructs sheltering for safety, implying danger to people.
  19. absent: It reports gunshots and tells people to seek shelter but states no injury or explicit danger beyond the hazard name.
  20. absent: Reports gunshots and tells people to seek shelter but no injury or explicit danger statement is given.
  21. present: Reports gunshots fired and instructs locking doors for safety, implying danger to people.
  22. absent: It reports gunshots and tells people to seek shelter and lock doors but states no specific harm or danger.
  23. present: Reports gunshots fired and instructs people to seek shelter and lock doors for safety, implying danger.
  24. present: Gunshots fired plus instruction to seek shelter for safety conveys danger to people.
  25. present: Gunshots fired plus the explicit instruction to seek shelter for safety implies danger to people.