Terror in Munich? - Panic in Munich!
Disclaimer: I know that this topic does not fit with the ones I want to finally write about here (Software Development), but I'm so shocked about the things that happened yesterday in Munich, that I want to share my thoughts with you. Also, please don't miss understand me: It is very very sad what happened I'm so sorry for the people who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. I only want to critic the media and the police.
I don't know how present the things, that happened yesterday in Munich, are in other countries, so I start to describe my yesterday evening. After walking with the dog, my girlfriend and me came home and started to watch TV. Nearly all channels send about an attack in Munich where 3, later 8 and finally 9 people get killed. They talked about three shooters which are still on escape. The policy stopped the public traffic including buses and trains (We have a friend that has to sleep in the train the hole night, because they were not allowed to leave as it was to dangerous). People at the Autobahn had to build so called “Rettungsgassen” which means to make a free lane for the police. Also the GSG9, a German special unit, was flight in. Those information have been send the hole night in television and the most people I talked to had so much fear about whats happening next and thought that the IS has finally arrived in Germany.
Now, on the next morning, we know what really happened: There was one 18 years old shooter with a single gun. The other two guys were “Zivil-Polizisten” (Police officers without uniform) who chased the shooter. The both police officers can't tell their headquarter that they are chasing the shooter, because the radio-network was overloaded. So for hours the hole country thought that there are 3 people with guns are still on their escape and could show up everywhere.
The thing that I'm shocked about is: This was a single young man without any military background and a single gun who could cause a state of emergency in one of Germany's biggest towns. What will happen if multiple people start an attack with war equipment?
The other thing that makes me angry are the media. Why do they send reports the hole night without having any correct information which leads to scared people all over the country. They interviewed people which could tell their – sometimes idiotic - assumptions.
I'm interested in your thoughts about that.
The media plays up everything so they can keep you hooked to your tv screen its bullshit. The days of reporting on proven facts is over.
That what it looks like. In normal case this would be okay. They want to make money like every other company wants to. But in my opinion there should be a moralic border that they should not cross ..
I think there was a huge overreaction. The bavarian police should be able to deal with a single gunman alone.
The media was broadcasting and repeating info for hours without really knowing anything talking about nothing else.
Now the potential terrorists know how to completely shut town a major city...
In the current times of terror, it may wasn't an overreaction, but it shows that the police still has problems to handle those situations. As @akareyon wrote, this does not only affect a single town, it has effects to the hole country and its neighburs.
Met friends to BBQ. One of them makes a point of checking his smartphone every 15 minutes to relate the newest information. Three shooters, one of them down already. High alert in the city of Munich too. NRW went into lockdown, Czechia on highest alert. 11 killed. No, only 5 killed. 6 killed. 18 killed in Munich! First, it was an "Amoklauf", then it became a "Anschlag", and now you break the news it was a lone gunman. In the end, nobody will feel responsible for spreading fear and panic throughout the country.
Sad but true – In the end, this helps terror organizations a lot. Their main target is to spread fear all around the world and because of the sensation mongering media, they will archive this even faster.