Very true. I read the book about Kitty Genovese and one of the things the author debunked was that high number of witnesses. It turns out that high number the Press was reporting as “witnesses” was actually the number of neighbors that the police interviewed over the next few days – almost all, except for handful who did something, did not hear a thing. They were NOT witnesses as the press claimed.

Ha! The Press, even back then, was creating “False News.”

Actually, because I was only able to see the abstract (a short summary of the report, that is) and the article for the layperson rather than the actual research, I have no idea whether the research answered those questions or not. It may have, and that part just wasn’t reported on. I’d prefer to read the entire research article before I dismiss it as meaningless.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-49009486/london-bridge-attacks-unseen-footage-from-the-scene

Look outside the window, there’s a woman being grabbed
They’ve dragged her to the bushes and now she’s being stabbed
Maybe we should call the cops and try to stop the pain
But Monopoly is so much fun, I’d hate to blow the game

–Phil Ochs, “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta_iKeH4tsg

While there was no question that the attack occurred, and that some neighbors ignored cries for help, the portrayal of 38 witnesses as fully aware and unresponsive was erroneous. The article grossly exaggerated the number of witnesses and what they had perceived. None saw the attack in its entirety. Only a few had glimpsed parts of it, or recognized the cries for help. Many thought they had heard lovers or drunks quarreling. There were two attacks, not three. And afterward, two people did call the police. A 70-year-old woman ventured out and cradled the dying victim in her arms until they arrived. Ms. Genovese died on the way to a hospital.

–New York Times, via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese