With most conservatives, anger with the news media goes back much farther than the Trump Administration. I’ve fought battles with liberal newspapers for decades. With increasing violence from the left — not right — newspapers should be safe.

Any newspaper receiving perceived threats should forward them to law enforcement. It can be difficult to see the line between strong opinions and danger at times. Guarding against paranoia can become a deceiving, fickle mistress during stressful times. It appears as though Annapolis’ Capital Gazette ignored warning signals. Very sad, indeed. The Bible warns of increasingly perilous times.

If I had the responsibility of publishing a newspaper, there are several steps I would take to help insure the safety of employees. My first step — and of critical importance in defusing angry feelings — would be to identify the reasons that so many of our readers were shooting flaming arrows of discontent at the establishment. An honest news media isn’t the “enemy of the people.” People must decide if an “honest media” sides 91 percent of the time with one political party over another. I would publish positive stories — as well as negative — equally towards both political views. The calming results would be shocking.

Another critical step I would take is to set aside any negative feelings concerning our Second Amendment and make sure my employees were able to defend themselves. Planning escape routes is folly. The Capital Gazette murderer blocked exits from the outside. These people were at the mercy of a madman. I would eliminate any possible signal to a would-be killer that our business is a soft target. A silly “no weapons allowed” sign is like a flashing, neon sign of vulnerability. An armed Gazette staff may well have all gone home to their families that fateful evening.

— Randy Biggerstaff

Kannapolis