[EAS] Dallas warning sirens hacked - maybe

[Sean Donelan]

Reporters, mayors and elected officials aren't techies; so I try to give 
them extra slack.  That's why they hire professionals to brief them, and 
do fact sheets.

This year, the best official responses to problems with public warning 
systems have been:

1. Polk County and Johnson County, Iowa
2. San Jose, California

In both cases, officials (elected and professional) brief the press 
regularly as they figured out what happened.  Provided more detailed 
handouts from their technical staff and support vendors within a couple 
of days.  San Jose held a public hearing in public.

I should also compliment National Weather Service for life-time 
achievement for its after action reports, and "owning" problems when 
something happens.

This year, Tennessee is still at the bottom of the transparency list, for 
their continuing gag order and lack of public information.  After 
the Gatlinburg fires, Tennessee is claiming all government records are 
"juvenile criminal records" and can't be released. If there is something 
embarrassing in those government records, delaying the release won't make 
it better.