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Read. Understand. Apply.
The Warn Room blogs apply 70 years of research to the practice of alerts and warnings. We show how evidence-based changes to message content, style, and structure can create more effective warnings.


Missing Person Alert Jargon: Ashanti, Ian, and Turquoise
When we take a look at the most prevalent WEA messages, the #1 type, following those issued by the National Weather Service for...

Jeannette Sutton
Jul 24


WEA, EAS, Levi and AMBER Alerts
If you’re going to write an EAS message, why not use that same content to write a WEA? Recently, I saw a WEA that was issued for an...

Jeannette Sutton
May 20


Live WEA Tests - there are rules for a reason
Live WEA tests are used to test the WEA system from end to end. This includes engaging the public who are receiving your messages and,...

Jeannette Sutton
Apr 7
Silver and Gold: missing person messages for aging and other populations
There are presently more than 45 alert types for missing and endangered persons. They are frequently given names such as AMBER, Silver,...

Jeannette Sutton
Mar 31


Child's Life in Danger! Comments on motivating action to search.
We've seen a lot of missing person alerts come through WEA these past few weeks. Many of them stand out for what they lack, but this...

Jeannette Sutton
Mar 10


Thoughts on Cancelling the Missing Person Message
A few weeks ago, we wrote about "what makes a good missing person message?" and why an "all clear message" is so important. In this...

Jeannette Sutton
Feb 10


Let's talk about Missing Person alerts
From my perspective as a scholar who studies alerts and warnings, the thing about missing person alerts that really stands out is that...

Jeannette Sutton
Jan 28


Improving Missing Person Messages
What makes a good missing person message? Should it be the same content as an alert? Should it follow the structure of warning message?...

Jeannette Sutton
Jan 7


Improving Missing Person Messages
UPDATE: In the case of this child, he was found dead in a body of water after the WEA was issued. Most of the Missing Person messages...

Jeannette Sutton
Nov 26, 2024


Three missing persons, three inconsistent messages.
Messages for missing persons have the potential to motivate receivers to pay attention, look around, conduct a search, report known...

Jeannette Sutton
Nov 7, 2024


A Well-constructed Message for a Missing Endangered Adult
Did you know that there are at least 50 different types of missing persons messages/categories in effect across the United States. FIFTY!...

Jeannette Sutton
Jul 15, 2024


Be On The Lookout... help us search
There are many ways to indicate to a community that there is a need to help find a missing person. Risk communicators can choose to use...

Jeannette Sutton
Apr 22, 2024


Actionable, local, missing persons alerts
The focus of alerts and warnings have primarily centered on natural, technological, biological, and human induced hazards that are...

Jeannette Sutton
Apr 15, 2024


Silver Alerts and JARGON
It may come as little surprise that WEA is frequently used by law enforcement to issue alerts for missing and endangered persons (MEP). ...

Jeannette Sutton
Jan 10, 2024


Kasey Alert, Ashanti Alert, Ebony Alert: making missing persons alerts meaningful
When we look across the country today, we find there are a LOT of named alerts for missing persons. Each one represents a different...

Jeannette Sutton
Dec 8, 2023


A 5-Star Alert for a Missing Person
This missing person alert is a great example of how to write an actionable message with enough content that a receiver may be able to act...

Jeannette Sutton
Nov 25, 2023


Missing Person Alert Using Plain Language
We frequently see missing persons alerts that are incomplete, difficult to read, and filled with acronyms and jargon. This makes a...

Jeannette Sutton
Oct 20, 2023


Punctuation matters
WEA issued for a missing person We don't frequently edit non-warning messages, but given that missing person messages are issued through...

Jeannette Sutton
Oct 1, 2023
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