Terrifying incidents, like the recent shootings at the “Dark Knight” showing in Aurora, Colo., spark plenty of finger-pointing. Some people want stricter gun laws. Some want restrictions on entertainment such as violent movies or video games. Others want tighter controls on the freedom of mentally ill people.

In the end, everybody wants the same thing. They want to feel safe. They want the freedom to walk the nation’s streets and go about perfectly normal lives without the fear of being shot or blown up by some deranged individual carrying out a pointless act of violence.

Here in Tuscaloosa, we barely had time to give thanks that the Copper Top bar shooting didn’t result in any fatalities before we got the body count from Aurora. We had to mourn the loss of others even as we counted our blessings.

New York Times columnist David Brooks noted recently that the number of killing rampages began to surge in the 1980s and has exploded in recent years.

It is interesting to note that the 24-hour cable news channel came into existence in 1980 and that the rapid increase in random killing sprees closely parallels the profusion of round-the-clock news media outlets.

All we can do is note that, because there is no empirical data to support the idea that killing sprees and the proliferation of news sources is related. But we do know that part of what people seek in committing random acts of violence is the attention and reaction that comes from widespread media coverage.

This is not lost on members of the news media. Much time and thought has been put into how to report the news and mitigate the impact that the news media have on creating the news. The news media make a living from ratings, subscription and copy sales and website hits. That does not mean that they are unconcerned with the impact they have on people.

The news media should continue to consider seriously their ethical responsibilities with regard to the public’s safety. But it’s important that any restrictions are self-imposed. The First Amendment that prohibits external restrictions is a cornerstone of American freedom. …

And so we search for answers. We have no solution. But we do believe that curtailing freedom is not the answer. Sacrificing freedom for security usually results in the loss of both.

— The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News