Investing in Taser: Ignore the Sensationalism
By Ian Cooper
You’ve got to love irresponsible journalism… Take a look at the latest Taser headline, “Man Shocked by Taser catches on fire.” At first glance, your average reader believes the Tasers now have an unsafe glitch that causes people to ignite.
What the headline, and lead fails to convey is this: It was unclear what started the fire. According to reports, a man doused himself in gasoline, and attempted to douse the officers. T
To diffuse the situation, the man was taken down with a Taser. And at present time, it’s unclear whether a lighter found on the man’s porch was the real fire starter here.
Sensational headlines are nothing new regarding Taser. Take a look at two Livingston County headlines as reported by “The State of Current Human Research and Electronic Control Devices (ECDs)”, a report published by Ho, Johnson, and Dawes:
- Man dies after being taken into custody in Livingston County
- Man dies after Denver police shoot him with Taser”
However, according to the report, the reader of these two headlines is left to remember that a Taser was responsible for the death… even though it wasn’t true.
Says the report, “In the first case, there was no ECD used prior to the subject’s death. In the second case, an ECD was used prior to the subject’s death. So technically, both are truthful, but they are not equivalent. In order for them to be equivalent, the first headline should include that no ECD was used. However, this lacks the sensationalism of the second headline, which implies that the TASER is somehow linked with regard to causation.
In the second case, the cause of death was eventually listed as due to a lethal illicit drug level but this was not known for many weeks after the headline ran.”
Ignore the sensationalism. Taser just won another lawsuit. Taser just received an overseas order for 1,375 X26 devices. And Sarkozy’s party, the Union for a Popular Movement, just won the elections, which could be a boon for future overseas’ Taser orders.
Take Care-
Ian L. Cooper
American Capitalist