How television news inspired the Visions of Murder series

For more than 30 years, I worked in television news, including as a News Director. It was a world of ringing phones, tight deadlines, breaking stories, difficult decisions, and the responsibility of getting the facts right—often under enormous pressure.

That experience shaped the world of the Visions of Murder series. While the crimes, characters, and visions in my books are fiction, the pressure and pulse of a newsroom are very real.

Here are ten newsroom truths that helped inspire my stories.

1. Breaking news does not wait until you are ready

The newsroom can be calm one minute and in full crisis mode the next. A police scanner crackles, a producer gets a call, a reporter spots something developing, and suddenly every plan for the day changes.

In fiction, that urgency is perfect for suspense. A journalist may have only minutes to verify a tip, get to a scene, protect a source, or decide whether to go live.

2. Deadlines create pressure—and mistakes

Television news runs on the clock. A story must be gathered, written, edited, approved, and ready before the next newscast. The pressure is relentless.

But speed can never replace accuracy. Journalists must balance the need to be first with the responsibility to be right. That tension is one of the most powerful sources of conflict in a newsroom mystery.

3. A reporter is often walking into the unknown

Reporters are sent to scenes with limited information. They may know only that something happened, where it happened, and that the public needs answers.

They arrive before the full picture is clear. People may be frightened, angry, grieving, evasive, or watching closely. A good reporter learns to listen, observe, and ask careful questions—even when the situation is chaotic.

4. The police scanner can change everything

Before alerts, apps, and social media feeds, and even alongside them now, newsroom teams often monitored police and emergency communications for stories developing in real time.

A few words over a scanner can raise many questions: What happened? Who is involved? Is anyone in danger? Is this connected to something larger?

That uncertainty is naturally suspenseful—and a useful starting point for a mystery.

5. Sources matter more than dramatic quotes

A compelling quote can help tell a story, but strong journalism depends on reliable information. Reporters build relationships over time with people who understand a community, an institution, or an unfolding event.

Trust is earned. Sources may be reluctant to speak, worried about consequences, or motivated by their own agendas. In a mystery, that makes every source a potential ally, obstacle, or suspect.

6. Newsrooms have their own language

Television news comes with fast, specific language:

Live shot: A reporter appearing live from a location.Package: A fully produced report with video, narration, interviews, and sound. Tease: A brief preview designed to keep viewers watching.Rundown: The schedule and order of a newscast.Deadline: The moment a story must be finished and ready to air.Dead air: Unplanned silence or the absence of expected audio or programming.

These terms are more than jargon. They reflect a workplace where timing, clarity, and teamwork matter every second.

7. Everyone in the newsroom has a role

A television newscast is never created by one person. Reporters, photographers, producers, anchors, editors, assignment desk staff, directors, engineers, and managers each help bring a story to air.

That makes a newsroom an ideal setting for fiction. It is full of personalities, competing priorities, hidden tensions, professional loyalties, and people who know how to keep secrets.

8. The hardest stories involve real people in pain

Journalists often meet people on some of the worst days of their lives. Covering tragedy requires compassion, restraint, and respect.

The best crime fiction remembers that a crime is not merely a puzzle. It affects families, friends, witnesses, and entire communities. The emotional consequences matter just as much as the solution.

9. Ethics are not optional

A journalist may face difficult choices: publish or hold a story, protect a source or reveal information, show disturbing footage or spare viewers, pursue a lead or respect a person’s privacy.

Those decisions can have serious consequences. In the Visions of Murder series, an ethics-driven journalist faces danger not because she is reckless, but because she is determined to pursue the truth responsibly.

10. Sometimes the most important story is the one no one sees coming

A routine assignment can become the biggest story of the day. A small detail can reveal a larger problem. A person who seems unimportant can become central to the truth.

That is one reason I love writing mysteries. Like journalism, mystery fiction begins with questions. What happened? Who knows more than they are saying? What is being hidden? And what will it cost to uncover the truth?

Welcome to the Visions of Murder seriesIf you enjoy suspense, murder mysteries, newsroom drama, and a touch of the paranormal, begin with Breaking: Visions of Murder.