Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 23:45:43 -0700
From: [m--r--o] at [shell.portal.com]
Subject: Welcome to self-defense
--
Welcome to the self-defense mailing list!
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Here's the general information for the list you've subscribed to, in
case you don't already have it:
SELF-DEFENSE NETWORK
--------------------
Introduction
and
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
Last Revised 15 May 1995
PURPOSE
The Self-Defense Network (SDN) provides a zero-cost, fast-response
reporting channel for self-defense incidents occurring nationwide.
STATEMENT OF NEED
SDN fills a gap left open by existing media channels.
According to oft-quoted studies and statistics, self-defense incidents
vastly outnumber criminal uses of firearms. Despite this, traditional news
sources (print media, radio, television) give more frequent and intensive
coverage to criminal incidents than to self-defense incidents.
Many possible reasons for this imbalanced coverage have been suggested, and
large amounts of time, energy, and resources have been wasted arguing those
theories without doing anything to actually resolve the problem.
In contrast, SDN provides an affirmative, proactive SOLUTION: An actual
increase in coverage of self-defense incidents, nationwide.
HOW IT WORKS
SDN works by giving national exposure to local events.
Most self-defense incidents ARE reported in local media. Members of the
community are nearly always aware of self-defense incidents in their
neighborhoods, because they qualify as "big news" on the local level.
However, networks and newswire services seldom cover such stories. It's no
wonder, then, that media sources outside the IMMEDIATE vicinity don't cover
self-defense incidents... they probably never hear of them.
SDN solves that problem - by connecting informed community members to local
media sources nationwide.
When a self-defense incident is reported in local media, local community
members quickly submit the important details to the Self-Defense Network.
SDN's editors confirm the story, then swiftly forward the incident to all
SDN subscribers, nationwide.
When SDN subscribers in other communities receive the story, they contact
THEIR local media sources and ask when they will be running their coverage.
This creates demand and an interested customer base.
Best of all: If their local media has not yet heard of the incident, SDN
subscribers are ready to supply the important facts. This makes it possible
for the local media to follow up through their own contacts - while subtly
encouraging them to pay closer attention to future self-defense incidents.
OPERATION
SDN is operated as a moderated network to maintain professionalism and
reliability. Each incident report passes through three phases:
SUBMISSION: ANYONE may submit a report to SDN upon learning of a
self-defense incident anywhere in the United States.
Reports may be submitted 24 hours a day. An individual
need not be a subscriber of SDN to submit an incident.
Anyone in the United States can be an "SDN reporter."
APPROVAL: Reports are verified by SDN's editors. Editors are
distributed across several time zones to improve response
time, reduce the impact of local equipment problems, and
eliminate dependency upon "key" individuals or groups.
DISTRIBUTION: Approved reports are forwarded to all SDN subscribers.
Disqualified reports are discarded without comment.
Reports delivered to subscribers are thus pre-qualified,
and "garbage" messages are completely eliminated.
The goal of SDN is rapid response. EVERYONE learning of a self-defense
incident should report it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, preferably within 12 hours
of the actual event. Don't assume "someone else" will do it.
FREE USE OF INCIDENT REPORTS
Incident reports appearing on SDN are placed in the public domain.
Individuals, groups, and organizations are free to use them in any manner.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: "How do I join the Self-Defense Network?"
There are three steps:
* Subscribe to SDN's output list by sending a message to
[self defense] at [shell.portal.com] with the body of the message as:
subscribe [y--u] at [address]
...where "[y--u] at [address]" is replaced with your complete network
address. This should be the ONLY line in the entire message.
* Obtain the phone numbers for the news desks at your local
newspaper(s), radio stations, and TV stations. Write these numbers
down and keep them near your computer for quick reference.
* Identify five of your friends and neighbors WITHOUT SDN ACCESS who
are also willing to call the local media. This multiplies the number
of calls that the media receives about each event, and again helps
to build demand and an interested customer base.
----------------------------------------
Q: "What do I do when an approved incident appears on SDN?"
Simply print out or copy down the important details and make a few phone
calls. First, call each of your local media news desks and ask them when
they will be covering the story. (If they don't know about the incident,
tell them the important details.) Next, call your list of helpful friends,
give them the data, and ask them to call each news desk too.
----------------------------------------
Q: "What do I say when I call the media people?"
Using a friendly, sincere voice, say something like:
"Hello! I was wondering if you'd heard about the burglary in San
Francisco, and when you'd be running your coverage of it. I want to be
sure to watch/read/listen to it."
If they don't know about the event, they'll probably ask where YOU heard of
it. That gives you the chance to tell them:
"Well, I heard about it on the Internet. A woman woke up and found a
burglar in her home. She held him at gunpoint until police arrived."
Short, sweet, and simple. You don't have to say much, and that's generally
all they'll ask. Be sure they understand how interested you are in seeing
their coverage - and remember to say "Thank You."
----------------------------------------
Q: "How do I report a self-defense incident?"
Send a message to [self defense editors] at [shell.portal.com] which contains
as much of the following information as you can provide:
* Date incident occurred
* Time (approximate is OK)
* City and state where incident occurred
* Area code of that city
* How you learned about it (TV, radio, saw it, ???)
* Description of what happened
This can be a VERY short message. Don't worry about your writing skills,
spelling, grammar, etc. The editor(s) will modify the message during
verification, and your name will be removed to preserve your privacy.
Use SDN REPORT as the title of your message, so the editors will know to
process it immediately.
Here is an example of a short message about a ficticious event:
April 6, 1995 at 1:15pm, San Francisco CA, area code 415. Saw a TV
news report about a woman who woke up and found a burglar in her home.
When he came into her bedroom, she pointed a revolver at him and
called the cops. They took the guy away and the woman is fine."
Even that much information is enough. If you can supply more, please do.
But don't waste a lot of time trying to dig up data... that's the media's
job. We just need to make sure they know SOMETHING happened.
Most importantly: REPORT INCIDENTS AS FAST AS YOU CAN. The news media likes
"fresh" stories. Anything over 24 hours ago is "old news."
----------------------------------------
Q: "My friends want to help watch for and report incidents,
but they don't have network access. How can they help?"
Right now, by calling YOU and having you send the information to
[self defense editors] at [shell.portal.com.]
We are working on setting up a phone number to make it easier for
those without online access to report incidents to SDN. For now, though,
please encourage your friends to contact you.
----------------------------------------
Q: "I'm not interested in another 'chat area' that's full of opinions."
That's why SDN is a MODERATED network. Submissions go only to SDN's editors
and are not 'broadcast' until they have been verified and approved. If a
submission is not specifically about a verifiable self-defense incident, it
will be discarded by the editors and you'll never be bothered with it.
----------------------------------------
Q: "How can I identify SDN messages in the middle of all my other mail?"
All approved SDN messages use a title in the following format:
[SDN] date, city, state
...with the sender's name of "self-defense...". Even if your mailbox is
packed, you can quickly find approved SDN incidents. This makes it easy to
"process" SDN messages IMMEDIATELY while leaving other messages for later.