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How to Write a Crime Article

Writing a crime article for a newspaper or another form of media is similar to writing any factual news story, but you must focus on legal terminology and back your story with reliable, trustworthy testimony from legal officials. Start with the most important information, such as who was involved in the crime, when and where it occurred, how it was committed and what happened to the offender, victims or property. Follow up with engaging details, such as unexpected twists, and finish your article with the least important details, such as background information.

The Big Lead

Start your crime article with a powerful lead that captures your readers' attention and provides the most important details. For example, "Three people were killed and another six people injured after a gunman opened fire at a convenience store on Liberty Avenue." If someone has been charged with a crime, only report details that can't be contested in court, such as police-verified casualties, locations and names. Don't speculate about motives or offer personal opinions because your comments could jeopardize the fairness of the trial.

Language and Style

Crime articles have a serious tone and don't typically include humor, sarcasm or moral judgment. Use descriptive, specific language and colorful details to describe events surrounding the crime, but remain impartial and rely on facts to support your story. Crime articles are designed to inform, educate and, in some cases, warn people of criminal activity. Write from the third-person point of view to retain a high degree of objectivity and direct readers to the facts. For example, "In the Lubeck neighborhood around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, four people were arrested for illegal drug possession," or "At the 1800 block of Chestnut Avenue, a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run incident. Local police are searching for a black SUV with tinted windows and Minnesota license plates."

Incorporate legal terminology into your article, but make sure the content is easy to read. For example, you might use terms such as "assailant," "arson," "embezzlement," "domestic abuse," "larceny," "prostitution," "trespassing," "charged," "witness," "crime scene investigator," "detective," "accessory," "conviction" or "aggravated assault" to clearly explain what happened. Using correct legal terms will help you come across as a professional crime reporter and will ensure that your article contains clear, articulate details. Learn and use the correct legal terms to describe crimes. For example, the word "theft" refers simply to stealing, but "robbery" refers to theft with violence or the threat of violence.

Reliable Sources and Proper Attribution

Get your information from reliable sources, such as police officers, first responders, eyewitnesses and other law enforcement agents at the crime scene. Trustworthy, authoritative sources add credibility to your story and give readers little reason to doubt your words. For example, you might say, "According to Denver police, the shooting occurred around midnight, and two men were taken into custody," or "Lieutenant Tom Jones from the Tallahassee police department said that the victim survived her injuries and was able to give a physical description of the assailant."

  • Seton Hill University: Sample Crime Report
  • The Slate Group: Crime Reporters Pick Their Favorite Crime Stories of 2013
  • The Crime Report: Writers Guidelines

As curriculum developer and educator, Kristine Tucker has enjoyed the plethora of English assignments she's read (and graded!) over the years. Her experiences as vice-president of an energy consulting firm have given her the opportunity to explore business writing and HR. Tucker has a BA and holds Ohio teaching credentials.

Crime Reporting: How to Write about Criminal Activities

gun, bullets, crime

Because crime reporting is always a hot topic, a spotlight appears on each story in the media regarding how much detail and publicity the crime stories should receive. 

The answer to this question lies in the news reporter’s ability to construct the crime news in an appealing manner so viewers won’t find the story dull or offensive. Continue reading to learn how a crime news writer should structure the story, what should be withheld, and other advice to help you create a newsworthy story. 

*If you need an editor to review your novel, check out my SERVICES page for more details.

Writing styles for crime reporting, go light on the jargon.

Tempted as you might be when reporting crime, you should stay away from any unnecessary jargon you think would fit nicely into the article.

It has become all too common for TV shows and cop movies to deliver police lingo. It sounds cool when they say it because it is in a movie. When you try to incorporate it into your news article it will sound lame. Don’t try too hard. You’re not writing a Hollywood screenplay. You are writing a quick, easy-to-read news brief that tells the reader about a recent crime.

If you absolutely must use cop slang in your crime reporting, then keep it with actual dialogue from the police themselves. If they say it as a quote, then OK. Otherwise, lose it. 

Correctly Wording the Crime

This is important because it could weave into libel . You don’t want that at all. Click here for my libel post. 

Although many people begin to judge anyone suspected of a crime before the trial even begins, they are ultimately innocent until proven guilty (in America). Thank God for that, otherwise, there would be total anarchy in the streets.

Nevertheless, society will judge.

It is up to you, the trustworthy crime reporter who pulls no punches and never allows a suspected person to look guilty on your watch, to maintain integrity and respect to your media firm.

And how exactly can you do this?

Easy. Just use the correct word. It might take some practice. But just use that critical thinking skill you have and you should be fine. 

Always remember to keep the person involved in the crime and the situation separate at all times. It is perfectly acceptable to state that a murder was committed yesterday. Robert Doe is being held at the local precinct. However, until Robert Doe is legally convicted in a court of law, you cannot state that Robert Doe committed a murder.  

And try not to state that someone was arrested for murder . It is not clear enough and there are more variables that need explaining. Instead, write that someone was arrested and charged with murder. It is a simple addition to the sentence, but it keeps it neutral. 

Structure of the Story

This depends on the writer, but most crime reporting uses an inverted pyramid style. Click here to read my post about inverted pyramids.

If the crime you are writing about is necessary for breaking news then I suggest you write is as an inverted pyramid style. Having all the mandatory 5 Ws in the first few sentences will work nicely.

However, if you are reporting about a crime that is somewhat “known” already then all bets are off. Write it in a chronological manner, telling of the crimes’ dramatic moments, all those involved, and how the case is either pending or has been closed. Many times, readers enjoy these chronologically ordered crime reports because it gives them a better sense of detail and time.

And always try to end with a “kicker” (a quote from a witness or a relevant detail of the story). Remember that readers enjoy a great tale. And just because the crime reporting is about a factual situation, it doesn’t outlaw a possibility that a more “feature-type” approach can be allowed. Always ask your editor for permission and suggestions when doing it this way.

Repressing Details from Crime Reports

Identify properly.

A crime reporter needs to use complete names—all the time—especially with suspects not yet convicted.

Using middle names and suffixes is highly suggested when reporting in print. Just a slight error could result in it a retraction or a defamation lawsuit. Knowing a suffix or middle initial and NOT using it could be catastrophic for those not involved. It could label the wrong person.

Is Marking Someone a Suspect Justifiable?

Labeling a person of inquiry a suspect is not suggested. Although the term “suspect” gets thrown around all too often, it shouldn’t. A crime reporter might find that the police are investigating a “suspect” or “person of interest” in connection with a crime. That’s fine. But some reporters will take that name and run with it. That “suspect” might never get arrested for the crime at all. But an irresponsible crime reporter might announce the name anyway. Always wait for the official arrest by the police to finally label someone a “suspect.”

Careful with the Labeling

Tread carefully when reporting about a person’s race, religion, or sexual identity. Reporting on such issues could become problematic for a crime reporter. Only when those factors play into the actual crime should you use those details. 

If the police cannot locate a person of interest and those factors are important to their discovery, then release those details. 

Laws already in place at the state and federal levels forbid reporters from using the names of victims of a horrendous crime, such as rape or the similar. Protecting the identities of victims in those types of sensitive cases is paramount due to the backlash and potential harm they might receive. 

With 18 being the age that a child is considered a legally responsible adult, any crimes committed by that person before 18 is kept secret by the courts. Juvenile courts reprimanding youths are never announced or held public as to not demonize minors.

An exception to this rule is if the crime committed is so outrageous that the minor is tried in court as an adult. 

Include These in Your Crime Report

If you cover a crime scene that deals with a murder or aggravated assault, make sure you have included , and checked off, these points:

All names directly involved

  • This is a no-brainer, but it must be said.
  • Know their full names, ages, addresses, and any other information that might be helpful later on.
  • Get names of anyone arrested for the crime.
  • Have any charges been filed?

The Situation

  • Does anyone know how the crime may have happened?
  • Was there a weapon used?
  • Were there any similar scenarios previous to this one?
  • Get the exact address.
  • But also take notes of landmarks, houses, woodlands, swamps, and any suspicious-looking places.
  • Ask witnesses if they knew exactly when the crime took place.
  • Don’t just ask for general time. Get specifics— down to the minute.

Cause of death/Injuries

  • If the victim was stabbed, how many stab wounds were there?
  • If the victim was shot but survived, where did the bullet enter?
  • And if the victim was beaten, are there any broken bones?
  • What did the suspect look like?
  • If a suspect was not witnessed at the scene, did the victim have any problems with other people?

Quotes and comments

  • Talk with the police on the scene.
  • Interview friends, family, and neighbors.

More Advice for Crime Reporting

  • A good crime reporter will get to know the police. The information they can provide you is invaluable . Make friends with those at the courthouses and city hall, as well. Clerks and other assistants can help your investigations in a timely manner by getting copies of any documents needed.
  • Keep learning by scheduling a ride-along with cops, take courses in police procedures, ask detectives for any literature that can help.
  • Speak with victims and families. Ask deep questions about the crime, about how they handle their problems after the crime. Take detailed notes about the victim’s emotions (facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, etc.) and incorporate these descriptions into the crime report.
  • Always carry the proper gear: cellphone, pad, pen, audio recorder, DSLR camera, batteries, flashlight, bottled water, and protein snacks.

Be the Crime Reporter who Breaks the Case

I hope my advice helps. 

Crime reporting is one of the more dangerous/risky fields a media reporter can enter. They have their work cut out for them. But, they say no other assignment compares to the rush crime reporting allows a journalist. 

Just remember:

  • Be prepared with your gear.
  • Make networking with the police a priority.
  • Structure the crime report with style.
  • Be cautious when including certain information. 

Get edited. 

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Expert Commentary

How journalists cover mass shootings: Research to consider

We’ve gathered research that examines how journalists cover mass shootings, including how they portray shooters of different races, religious backgrounds.

Mass shooting research journalists news coverage

Republish this article

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License .

by Denise-Marie Ordway, The Journalist's Resource August 6, 2019

This <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org/race-and-gender/mass-shootings-news-research/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://journalistsresource.org">The Journalist's Resource</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://journalistsresource.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-jr-favicon-150x150.png" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;">

After covering a major tragedy such as a mass shooting, it’s helpful for editors and reporters to review their work. What did they do well? What were their shortcomings and oversights? How did their coverage impact audiences, communities and victims’ families? And just as important: How can the newsroom do a better job next time?

Unfortunately, in the case of mass shootings, some news outlets might have to deal with a next time.

To help guide newsrooms in their conversations about how they cover mass shootings, we’ve gathered a sampling of research that examines news coverage from several angles, including how journalists portray shooters of different races and religious backgrounds. We’ve included two studies that look specifically at how The New York Times covers mass shootings and which factors — for example, the location of a shooting or the perpetrator’s motivation for killing — affect how much time and resources the newspaper dedicates to each event. This collection of research has been updated since it was originally posted in December 2018.

———–

Media Coverage and Firearm Acquisition in the Aftermath of a Mass Shooting Porfiri, Maurizio; et al. Nature Human Behavior , 2019.

For this study, researchers examined the relationship between news coverage of mass shootings and firearm purchases in the U.S. They find a “potential causal link” between news articles about gun control policies in the aftermath of a mass shooting and increased gun sales. The researchers also find that firearm acquisition increases nationally as well as in states with the weakest firearm laws. “Many firearm control advocates regard the aftermath of a mass shooting to be a fertile policy window: as people’s attention is captured by these gruesome incidents, more restrictive policies might gain traction among policymakers, and legislatures may become more amenable to change,” write the authors, led by New York University professor Maurizio Porfiri . “However, this increased attention may elicit a parallel reaction, in which people may fear that their access to firearms will be soon restrained and, thus, opt to purchase firearms before this happens.”

The researchers analyzed information on mass shootings that they collected from a database created by the investigative news outlet Mother Jones. They looked at 69 mass shootings that occurred in public locations between 1999 and 2017, excluding any that were connected to gang activity or armed robberies. They also examined media coverage of firearm laws and regulations provided by The New York Times and The Washington Post during that time period. Because there is no national registry or record of gun acquisition in the U.S., Porfiri and his colleagues used federal weapons background check numbers as a proxy for gun acquisition. They examined monthly data on background checks conducted between January 1999 and December 2017.

What they found was that federal weapons background checks spiked after a mass shooting. “The highest number of background checks at the national level (n = 2,171,293) was recorded in December 2012, which follows the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting,” they write. They also note that news coverage was most concentrated in January 2013, in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre. “The number of background checks increases with the number of mass shootings, and both of these variables increase with relevant media output,” they write.

Can a Non-Muslim Mass Shooter Be a “Terrorist”?: A Comparative Content Analysis of the Las Vegas and Orlando Shootings Elmasry, Mohamad Hamas; el-Nawawy, Mohammed. Journalism Practice , 2019.

Researchers analyzed news coverage of mass shootings in Las Vegas in 2017 and Orlando in 2016 to determine whether there are differences in the way journalists portrayed the two perpetrators — an American Muslim of Afghani origin and a white, non-Muslim American. They found big differences. Among them: “The Orlando shooting, carried out by a Muslim, was allotted more coverage despite the fact that it produced nine fewer fatalities than the Las Vegas shooting, perpetrated by a white non-Muslim,” the authors write. “The analysis also showed that the examined newspapers were more likely to employ a ‘terrorism’ frame in their coverage of the Orlando shooting than in their coverage of the Las Vegas shooting; link the Orlando mass shooting with the global war on terrorism; and to humanize Stephen Paddock, the white perpetrator of the Las Vegas shooting.”

Mohamad Hamas Elmasry , an assistant professor at the University of North Alabama, and Mohammed el-Nawawy , a professor at the Queens University of Charlotte, looked at how the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times framed the two shootings. They chose these news outlets, they write, “because of their status as elite American newspapers capable of setting the agenda for other American news outlets, and also because they represent the two largest media markets in the United States and the East and West coasts of the country, respectively.” They studied the newspapers’ coverage during the week following each shooting, analyzing a total of 190 news articles and editorials.

Elmasry and el-Nawawy explain that their findings suggest the Muslim shooter’s religious and ethnic identities might have prompted more news coverage. The Muslim perpetrator was called a “terrorist” in about 38% of articles about the Orlando shooting. The non-Muslim perpetrator was labeled a “terrorist” in 5% of articles about the Las Vegas shooting. Meanwhile, about 55% of articles focusing on the Orlando massacre described the perpetrator as a “gunman,” compared with more than 80% of articles about the Las Vegas killings.

The researchers warn that differences in how the two shooters were framed could reinforce fears of Islam and Muslims. Also, they write that the “downplaying of white male identity in violent crimes carried out by white men may prevent the public’s learning about the potential threat of white male shooters.”

A Comparative Analysis of Media Coverage of Mass Public Shootings: Examining Rampage, Disgruntled Employee, School, and Lone-Wolf Terrorist Shootings in the United States Silva, Jason R.; Capellan, Joel A. Criminal Justice Policy Review , forthcoming.

This paper focuses on differences in how journalists cover different types of mass shootings and whether these differences have changed over time. The authors also pose the question: Are newsrooms intentionally emphasizing certain kinds of mass shootings?

To gain insights, the authors compiled a database of mass shootings that happened in public spaces between 1966 and 2016, placing them into one of four categories: school, disgruntled employee, lone-wolf terrorist and rampage. The researchers — Jason Silva of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Joel Capellan of Rowan University — consider a mass public shooting to be “an incident of targeted violence where an offender had killed or attempted to kill four or more victims on a public stage.” A firearm is the primary weapon used in these attacks, which aren’t connected to profit-driven crime such as drug trafficking or gang violence.

Silva and Capellan find that 19% of the 314 shootings identified occurred at schools, including college campuses, and 32% involved disgruntled employees who targeted their current or former place of work. Meanwhile, 13% were “lone-wolf terrorist” shootings in which the perpetrator acted alone, motivated by ideological extremism. The remaining 34%, labeled “rampage” shootings, are those that don’t fall into the other three categories. The authors also examined The New York Times ’ print coverage of mass public shootings over the same 50-year period.

What their analyses reveals is that even though school shootings and those perpetrated by lone-wolf terrorists make up a combined 32% of all mass public shootings, they received 75% to 80% of the Times ’ total coverage of mass shootings. Conversely, disgruntled employee and rampage shootings make up a combined 68% of all mass public shootings but received 15% to 20% of the news coverage. Silva and Capellan point out that, over time, school and lone-wolf terrorist shootings consistently received a larger number of news articles and words compared with rampage and disgruntled employee shootings. “It is important to note,” the authors write, “that lone-wolf terrorists experienced the highest growth in news coverage between 1966 and 2016. In the 1970s and 1980s, lone-wolf terrorist shootings received an average of 10 to 15 articles, but by the 1990s, news salience increased to 30 articles, and by [the] 2010s, these ideologically motivated shootings received more than 40 articles on average.”

The authors suggest the Times may be purposely giving more attention to school and lone-wolf terrorist shootings. “This study finds the disproportionate amount of coverage given to school and lone-wolf terrorist incidents is not warranted, given their relative threat to public safety,” they write. The emphasis on these two types of mass shootings, Silva and Capellan write, “may serve to (a) potentially distort public anxiety and perceptions of risk and (b) drive into the public policy agenda a range of measures that may be ineffective and even counterproductive in preventing such incidents.” They add that “the relative dearth in coverage of other types of mass shootings (disgruntled employee and rampage violence) threatens to undermine policy and preventive responses.”

Mental Illness, the Media, and the Moral Politics of Mass Violence: The Role of Race in Mass Shootings Coverage Duxbury, Scott W.; Frizzell, Laura C.; Lindsay, Sade L. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency , 2018.

Three researchers from Ohio State University examined news coverage of mass shootings to see how journalists portray perpetrators of different races. A key finding: Stories about white or Latino shooters were much more likely to suggest that mental illness was to blame than stories involving black perpetrators.

“The odds that White shooters will receive the mental illness frame are roughly 19 times greater than the odds for Black shooters,” Scott Duxbury and his colleagues write. “The odds that a Latino shooter will receive the mental illness frame are roughly 12 times greater when compared to Blacks.”

The researchers analyzed news articles written about mass shootings between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2015. They used News Bank and Lexis Nexis to conduct a national search for articles that mention or allude to the race of the perpetrator and the motive or an explanation for the killings. The researchers only examined shootings with four or more victims, excluding the perpetrator.

The research team also discovered that when journalists reported or insinuated that a white shooter was mentally ill, they tended to “establish the offender as a good person suffering from extreme life circumstances.” This happened only sometimes when the shooter was Latino and almost never when the shooter was black.

“Blacks in the mental illness subsample never receive testament to their good character nor do the media ever claim that the shooting was out of character,” the authors explain. “Further … the media only frame White shooters as coming from a good environment.”

When journalists reported a mass shooting was gang related, perpetrators generally were people of color. In these stories, the researchers found that journalists usually referenced the shooters’ criminal histories and portrayed them as public menaces. For example, when people made statements about the shooters, journalists quoted them as saying such things as, “Everyone is relieved that this individual is off the street” and “He is part of some kind of new generation that is absolutely heartless.”

Covering Mass Murder: An Experimental Examination of the Effect of News Focus — Killer, Victim, or Hero — on Reader Interest Levin, Jack; Wiest, Julie B . American Behavioral Scientist , 2018.

Jack Levin , a professor emeritus at Northeastern University, and Julie B. Wiest , a sociologist at West Chester University, conducted an electronic survey of 212 adults, aged 35 to 44 years, to gauge their interest in reading different kinds of news coverage of a school shooting. They found that people were much more interested in reading a story that focused on the actions of a courageous bystander than those focusing on the shooter or his victims.

For the study, Levin and Wiest presented survey participants with different versions of the same news story. In all three versions, the photos, font sizes, layout, main headline and pull-out quote were identical. But one story focused on the killer. One focused on a victim. And one story focused on a “hero student who stopped the attack.”

Nearly 73% of participants chose to read the hero story after the first paragraph. Meanwhile, 55.7% chose to read the story that focused on the killer beyond the first paragraph. Of those assigned to read the article that focused on the victim, 52.2% opted to read past the first paragraph.

“Subjects’ greater interest in the hero-focused story may be interpreted as an information-seeking behavior, as it presumably would provide information about how to stop a mass murderer and avoid future victimization,” the authors write. “Although all stories suggested a certain threat, those that focused on the killer and victim offered uncertain solutions … which may explain why they were less interesting to subjects.”

The researchers note that coverage focusing on courageous bystanders could prompt positive copycat behavior. “If the copycat phenomenon applies to increasing the prevalence of mass killers, why would it not also apply to increasing the prevalence of heroes who take an active role in ending a mass murder?” they write.

The researchers also found that people who reported feeling anxious or afraid that they or someone they love could become victims of a mass murder were more interested in reading stories about mass shootings than individuals who said they felt little or no fear.

Levin and Wiest write that their findings provide lessons for journalists.

“Although there is some evidence that sensational and shocking coverage of crime events may increase news consumption (likely by way of inducing fear), news outlets that employ such tactics may not be giving consumers what they want,” they write. “It seems clear that news consumers seek crime stories that reduce uncertainty, offer practical solutions, and include relevant contextual information that suggests the possibility of an effective response to violence.”

Covering Mass Shootings: Journalists’ Perceptions of Coverage and Factors Influencing Attitudes Dahmen, Nicole Smith; Abdenour, Jesse; McIntyre, Karen; Noga-Styron, Krystal E. Journalism Practice , 2018.

This study, led by faculty at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication, examines journalists’ attitudes about news coverage of mass shootings in the U.S. Among the main takeaways: Journalists, by a small margin, agreed that coverage is “sensational” and most agreed that the way newsrooms cover these events “is an ethical issue.” Meanwhile, journalists generally did not acknowledge a connection between mass shooting coverage and copycat shooters —  a connection found in previous researc h.

“Most journalists were in favor of perpetrator coverage and did not believe it glamorized suspected perpetrators,” the authors write. “Most news workers likely do not want to believe that their work contributes to further carnage and suffering, despite evidence showing that fame-seeking mass shooters and a contagion effect do, in fact, exist.”

The researchers surveyed 1,318 journalists from newspapers with a circulation of 10,000 or more, asking them how strongly they agree or disagree with certain statements. About half of the people who participated were reporters while almost 26% were editors, 14.5% were photographers or videographers and 2.4% were columnists. Most — 60% — were men and 89.4% were white.

Nicole Dahmen and her colleagues find that age is a powerful predictor of how journalists feel about mass shooting coverage. “Older journalists held a more favorable opinion of the state of mass shooting coverage, more strongly supported coverage of perpetrators, and were less receptive to the idea that mass shooting coverage is an ethical issue,” they write.

They also discovered that editors had a more positive view of coverage than reporters and photographers and that white journalists had a much higher opinion of it than journalists of other races. “Non-white respondents were more likely to be critical of mass shooting coverage,” the researchers write.

Mass Shootings and the Media: Why All Events Are Not Created Equal Schildkraut, Jaclyn; Elsass, H. Jaymi; Meredith, Kimberly. Journal of Crime and Justice , 2017.

For this study, researchers analyzed one large national newspaper’s coverage of mass shootings to see how factors such as victim counts, the location of a shooting and the shooter’s race affect the newsworthiness of each event. Here’s the gist of what they learned: “Race/ethnicity and victim counts are the most salient predictor of whether or not a shooting was covered, with perpetrators of Asian and other descent and those events with higher victim counts generating more prominent coverage (measured as higher article and word counts), whereas incidents occurring in locations other than schools yielded less coverage,”they write.

The research team, led by Jaclyn Schildkraut of State University of New York at Oswego, examined The New York Times’ coverage of 90 mass shootings between 2000 and 2012. The team only included mass shootings in which victims and locations were targeted at random or “for their symbolic value.” Researchers excluded shootings connected to gang violence and militant or terrorist activities.

The team found considerable variation in coverage. For nearly 78% of shootings, coverage was limited to fewer than five articles. Half the shootings received fewer than 1,500 words. Almost 60% of all the articles the Times printed about mass shootings during this period focused on five incidents: the attempted assassination of  Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in 2011 and shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007, the Fort Hood military base in 2009, Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 and a Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado in 2012.

Schildkraut and her colleagues found that when the shooter was Asian or from “other” racial groups — a category that includes Middle Eastern, Indian, Native American and multiracial people — the Times published more and longer stories about the incident than when the shooter was white. The analysis also revealed that shootings occurring in the Northeast garnered more attention than those in the South, which, historically, has tended to be more violent.

The Media’s Coverage of Mass Public Shootings in America: Fifty Years of Newsworthiness Silva, Jason R.; Capellan, Joel A. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice , 2018.

This study also looks at variation in The New York Times’ coverage of mass shootings, but over a longer period — 50 years. Jason Silva of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Joel Capellan of Rowan University analyzed 3,510 articles written about 314 mass shootings that occurred in the U.S. between 1966 and 2016. For the purposes of their research, they defined a mass shooting as “an incident of targeted violence where an offender has killed or attempted to kill four or more victims on a public stage.” Gang-related shootings were excluded.

Silva and Capellan also found a lot of variation in the Times’ coverage. Three quarters of the shootings drew little coverage – fewer than four articles and fewer than 4,028 words each. Meanwhile, 68% of all articles the newspaper wrote about mass shootings during those five decades focused on 15 incidents, starting with the University of Texas tower shooting in 1966. The Columbine High School shooting in 1999 received the most coverage of any of the shootings, followed by the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. The Time s published a total of 503 articles about the Columbine massacre and 248 on Sandy Hook.

Some of the other big takeaways: Massacres at schools, government buildings and religious institutions got more coverage than those occurring at businesses. Shooters of Middle Eastern descent received more coverage than shooters of other races. For example, the Times covered 90% of shootings involving a Middle Eastern perpetrator, 74.3% of shootings with a white perpetrator and 60% of shootings with a Latino perpetrator. Shootings motivated by ideological extremism were much more likely to be covered than those that were not.

“Eight of the top 15 cases were ideologically motivated,” Silva and Capellan write. “The finding that Middle Eastern perpetrators are more newsworthy also suggests the overrepresentation of jihad-inspired mass public shootings in media coverage of the phenomenon.”

Looking for more research on mass shootings? Check out our roundup of research on gun violence, mental illness and firearms background checks . We’ve also pulled together research on how school shootings impact student achievement and what schools are doing to prevent gun violence .

If you’re looking for reporting tips, read these 7 things journalists should know about guns .

About The Author

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Denise-Marie Ordway

C. S. Lakin

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10 Tips on How to Write Believable Crime and Murder Scenes

We’re starting a fun series covering a number of weeks featuring guest posts from professionals who work in medical, police investigation, and legal arenas in order to help writers get “real” in their fiction. Take a peek inside their worlds and ask questions!

Today’s guest post is from Garry Rodgers, who spent years working as a homicide investigator and fornesics coroner and has a lot of great advice for writers who plan to write about crime scenes.

I’ve been around the criminal investigation world for three decades—first as a homicide detective, then as a forensic coroner. I was also the trigger-man on Emergency Response or SWAT Teams and now, in “retirement,” I’m reinventing myself as a crime fiction writer. So I’ve got hands-on experience in life, death, and writing.

I’m also a voracious reader. Not just technical, forensic, and legal stuff but lots of crime fiction. I’m fortunate for on-the-street and in-the-morgue background to draw from, though it’s a curse when I read stuff that I know is improbable or just plain baloney.

I’m not here to knock other writers. Quite the contrary, I want to help fellow crime-fiction writers through my real-life experiences. And I’d like to assure aspiring writers that you don’t need to be an old cop or forensics wizard to write electrifying crime stories. I’ll bet that 99% of the best-selling crime writers never saw a dead body, let alone smelled one. But that doesn’t matter. The best don’t necessarily write what they know . . .  but they all check what they write .

So I’ve compiled my top ten tips on writing believable crime stories.

1. Understand the mechanism of death .

Every human dies because the central nervous system gets unplugged. This happens in many ways, but primarily either the cardiopulmonary system stops, which tells the brain to shut down, or the brain stops, which tells the heart and lungs to give up.

In reality, this is harder to accomplish than it sounds, and it’s human nature not to check out without a fight. So people are actually hard to kill. A bullet to the head is effective, but stabbings, for instance, are time-consuming, difficult, and messy. Poisons are slow, strangling is tough, and folks just don’t stand there while being axed. So when you write the “perfect murder scene,” think about how realistically you kill your victim.

2. Understand time of death.

I’ve read (and seen on the screen) moments in which the coroner/pathologist declares the victim dead at a specific time, such as 10:05 pm. Uh . . . no—not unless someone was there with a stopwatch. Many mortis factors are considered when estimating time of death. Temperature is the biggie, followed by body mass.

A dead body will naturally adjust temperature (algor) to achieve equilibrium with its surroundings and will display time-telling factors, such as muscle stiffening (rigor), blood settling (livor), color (palor), and tissue breakdown (decomp). The presence of toxins also effects body changes. Cocaine amplifies the mortis process, while carbon monoxide retards it. Be careful in getting your forensic guru to commit on specific time.

3. Understand scene access.

Crime scenes are tightly secured. Absolutely no one goes in unless they’re necessary, and then they’ll wear complete personal protective equipment (PPE) to avoid contaminating the scene or themselves. This business of a gumshoe detective in a trench coat, smoking a cigar and leaning over the body, doesn’t happen. Neither does a fifteen-year-old sleuth tagging along to help solve the case.

4. Get the terminology right.

I see writers get basic terms wrong, and it’s the little mistakes that seriously affect credibility. For example, calling a 9mm pistol a “revolver” or saying the body was “prone” on its back on the floor. So much is available through Internet searches or, better yet, having beta readers pick up on errors. Remember: check what you write .

5. Crime-lab results are not so quick.

Processing crime scene evidence is a cumbersome, frustrating, and time-consuming event. First of all, yours is not the only case the lab has, and it will sit in queue to get developed. You’ll probably get bumped to the back of the bus by more urgent files and it could be months before your DNA profile comes in. And, no, a phone call from the scene to your buddy in the lab is not going to speed things up. He’d probably get canned for playing favorites.

6. Don’t get creative with investigational aids.

Most writers fail to consider the multitude of resources used in criminal investigations. DNA is today’s darling, followed by AFIS (the Automated Fingerprint Identification System). Don’t just write in the usual things like forensic autopsies, toxicology, ballistic matching, and document examination. Expand your story by using informants, wiretaps, room bugs and wires, polygraphs, undercover operators, police agents, hypnosis memory enhancement, psychological profiling, computer analyzing, satellite surveillance, and one that’s a real bugger—entomology. Stay away from using psychics, though. I’ve never heard of a case in which psychic information was anything other than a wild goose chase. I think psychics are as toxic to a believable story as a “dream” ending.

7. Use the five senses.

The best page-turners happen when you connect with your reader’s senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. This seems to be the key to pulling off the show-over-tell thing. I keep a little sticky note on the bottom of my screen to remind me to make the most of the senses in each scene—it sure helps in editing.

Smell is the strongest link to emotional connection. It’s one thing to see gruesome photos of a gut-shot corpse, but once you’ve actually whiffed a maggot-crawling, gassing-off decomp, you’ll never forget it. Try writing out that sock-puking stench. Show the detective dumpstering his $500 leather jacket because the putrefaction permeated the calf-skin pores, and dry cleaning it just made it stink worse. True story—happened to me.

8. Craft believable dialog.

Be honest. Cops and crooks swear like sailors, and that’s the reality of the crime world. And some of the most foul-mouthed friends I have are females. One lady pathologist used to slip in some beauts while dictating and dissecting. Fortunately, her assistant was a good editor and covered her butt in reports.

There’s a balance, though. If every fourth word is four letters, it’ll get a little overpowering, but none at all is unrealistic. I read a prominent crime writer’s best seller on a recommendation. I picked up right away that something wasn’t quite right. Then I came to the part where a character had to use profanity—no way around it to be true to the character—and the author wrote it as ‘F@#*!’. I quit reading and I’m sure others did too.

9. Create compelling characters.

Something that’s as true as the fact that you’re going to flush the toilet before bedtime—the best cops and crooks have vibrant personalities. And they’re not entirely good or bad either. One of the Hell’s Angels I know should be a stand-up comedian, and a fellow coroner, who looks like frump-woman, is like travelling with Yoda. She has a terrible drinking problem, though, and sleeps with her incontinent ferret.

10. Understand the science of story.

I can’t stress this enough. There’s every much a science behind storytelling as there is in doing autopsies. Why readers stay up—and can’t put  novel down—is that writers work words that release endorphins in the reader’s brain. One book that all writers, not just crime-writers, MUST read is Wired for Story by Lisa Cron. I promise you’ll never look at storytelling the same.

11. Bonus tip:

This gem is from Joseph Wambaugh. He’s the ex-LAPD guy who wrote The Choir Boys, The New Centurions, and The Onion Field, and invented the character Roscoe Rules, whom every cop loves . Wambaugh said, “The best crime stories are not about how cops work on cases. They’re about how cases work on cops.”

I hope these tips help you to be authentic in your “crime scenes.”

What bits have you seen on TV shows or movies, or have read in novels, that seem inaccurate or unbelievable to you? Got any specific questions?

Garry Rodgers is a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police homicide detective and forensic coroner. He also served as a sniper on British SAS-trained Emergency Response or SWAT teams and is a recognized firearms expert. He’s now an Amazon top ten10 best-selling crime writer and blogger.

Garry Rogers headshot

Feature Photo Credit: projectexploration via Compfight cc

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81 Comments

How fun! I don’t currently write mystery fiction, or any fiction at all. My primary skill set is in nonfiction. But I am moving quickly back toward fiction, and hopefully back toward mystery fiction in the future, with a much deeper understanding than I had the first time I wrote something in that field.

Hi Angie & thanks for commenting. I’ve written mostly non-fiction over the years – investigation and forensic reports, legal documents, and research articles. It was a really big learning curve when I set out to write my first novel and I know I’ll never stop learning. Hopefully you and others get some good from these tips.

Top-rate advice, Garry; thanks. I’m familiar with most of your suggestions, especially about attention to research and getting the details right, but what really caught my attention was point #10. I take free online courses for entertainment, and psychology and brain science is my favorite topic. I’ll be ordering the book you named, just for my own endorphin rush. If it helps my writing, so much the better.

Compliment appreciated, Curtis. ‘Wired For Story’ will change the way you look at storytelling. I highly recommend all writers, fiction & non-fiction read this book by Lisa Cron. Here’s a link to her YouTube TED Talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74uv0mJS0uM

Excellent post. A couple of other things: Crime Scene Investigators don’t solve cases in the field. They are scientists and work in a lab on dozens of cases at time. Leave them in the lab. Second, be sure to get technical facts right. I was lost in the middle of a mystery novel when the main character ‘clicked the gun’s safety off’. Fine, but the gun was a Glock. No safety.

I try to remember that readers are smarter than writers and one gaffe can ruin the reader’s experience and damage their trust in the author.

By the way, I had to check to see how the word ‘gaffe’ was spelled. Do your research!

Good point about the CSI people. In my jurisdiction. British Columbia, Canada, we use a cooperative role between the police Forensic Identification Section (FIS) and the coroner service. The coroners have investigative field agents who visit the scenes along with the “Ident” members and examine the bodies. Depending on the seriousness, these same investigators maintain continuity of the body all the way through to the morgue & autopsy.

Hey – you had me going with the ‘gaffe’ word. I thought I had used it & misspelled it so I went back through the post looking to see how I screwed up. Check what you write 🙂

I mean I had to check my own work. I used the word gaffe. Sorry for not being clear.

So nice to see you here, Garry! Kate Becket on Castle recently said she was putting an APB out for a suspect. What is this the 1980’s? It’s a BOLO! Why the writers didn’t catch it is beyond me. Excellent post as usual, my friend. Sharing widely!

Imagine seeing you here, Sue 🙂 OK, I admit it. I had to Google ‘Kate Becket Castle’ (I rarely watch the CSI / cop shows since Hill Street Blues finished up). We never used APP & BOLO is more of a US term. 10-40 is the radio code.

And here’s another dose of reality for crime writers. Very, very few detectives look as good as Stana Katic 🙂

Well, few women are as attractive as she is! I love watching Castle, but I wonder just how realistic the show is. However, I don’t watch for the realism but to see Nathan Fillion do his thang (loved Firefly!).

I had to Google Nathan Fillion, too. Looks like I have to get out of my Canadian igloo more often.

Totally agree with you, CS. I love Castle being Castle. It’s the best part of the show. Garry, for no other reason, watch it for the laughs. I think, like most writers, you’ll get a kick out of it.

I know who to follow. *wink* This is one of my favorite blogs!

Hi, Garry, Thanks for the link to the Ted Talk by Lisa Cron. It was a very powerful message indeed. I also appreciated your top 10 tips on writing believable crime stories. For someone who knows that the devil is in the details and can spend far too much time trying to get her facts right, can I play devil’s advocate and suggest that while accurate details help to form a story, create atmosphere, transport us to a different place and time, that a writer has to know when to stop being a stickler for detail; that 90% of your readership will not know that a 9mm pistol should not be referred to as a revolver and that in terms of passing on the essence of your story, knowing that a gun was used to commit the crime is as much as most of us need to know to ‘get’ the message from the story. Rightly or wrongly, I do sometimes have to mentally stop myself from chasing down some minor details in the pathological need to ‘get it right’, reminding myself that it is ‘only’ a novel (don’t scream!) and ‘so what’ if I get it wrong, no one will get hurt in the process. I guess what I am talking about is knowing how to strike a balance, when to know which details are important to conveying the message and which are less so. To use Lisa’s example of the dangers of eating red berries, I’m sure that details such as size and color of berries, where they grow are more important than say the fact that the Neanderthal who ate the berries and died wore a wooly mammoth skin verses a generic ‘animal skin’. Would love to hear your feedback on when/if there is such a things as too much detail.

And Brian, I do appreciate your comment, that ‘some’ readers will have the knowledge to know that a Glock does not have a safety, but the vast majority of us wont. Again, it comes back to how sloppy the writer is considered to be because, yes, gone are the days when a writer could ‘create’ their own history and facts deliver a story full of action and inaccuracies and expect the reader to accept them, as opposed to one where the author makes a slip here and there. I would hate to think that one gaffe would break a line of trust, for we are only human after all (isn’t that an interesting saying??). Is it better then to use the generic term ‘gun’ rather than Glock, to steer clear of muddy waters?

You make a great point, Karen. There is a limit to getting the minute details correct. At some point you have to do the best you can, ship it, and get on to the next work.

I’m obviously anal about the correctness of evidence given my background and I agree that most readers wouldn’t have caught Brian’s remark about the Glock safety – I had to do a double take because I’ve never owned a Glock but he’s right about most readers being smarter than a lot of writers take them for. I’d say that they more detailed you write, the more time you have to spend checking the facts and that can be hugely time consuming.

I guess it ‘comes down to letting small errors slide and watching for something as big as calling the red berries ‘blueberries’. That could be fatal.

Hi Garry, Thank you for the article it has made me think about the crime novel I am busy writing. Being authentic is so important. Writing is hard work. It requires a lot of research and I appreciate the advice you have provided in your article. My uncle was a police reservist for the SAP and I am a biometrics officer I hope that this will help me to create authentic stories.

Susanne has been very encouraging and I hope my novel will turn out to be a page turner! Thank you.

I hope these tips help, Angela. Susanne is a wealth of knowledge and experience. I’m looking forward to reading her newest craft book “The 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction”. It’s available on Amazon at

http://www.amazon.com/Key-Pillars-Novel-Construction-Blueprint/dp/0991389476/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Best wishes for your work.

Thanks for mentioning my book (and the workbook is out too!). Now, you really don’t know who Nathan Fillion is? You’ve never seen Firefly? I highly recommend it for some great plots, characters, and dialog!

I feel like a cave-dweller being exposed. I had to Google Firefly, too. My TV time is limited to the news, NFL, American Idol, and Big Bang Theory. God, I love BBT – talk about great writing & characters.

Well, there’s your problem right there: watching American Idol and the NFL. Sheesh!

Thanks for the post, Garry. I learned so much in that short list. I’ve written one crime novel and had to interview quite a few people to get my facts straight but still wonder if I did a very realistic job of it. I think it’s challenging for a writer to tackle something that requires a lot of research to be accurate on so many levels. But it’s great to have help from pros like you, websites, and agencies willing to answer questions.

Love doing these posts, Susanne. Thanks for the opportunity & exposure. Looking forward to reading other in this series.

I guess I write what I know… it’s my comfort zone. I can’t imagine me trying to write romance or God forbid, erotica. I’d probably turn out something like ’50 Shades Of Guts’ 😉

Thank you Garry, for such an inspiring post, and I loved the Lisa Cron video. I am working on my first novel and I am plotting a murder, but the body will not be discovered for thirty years. Yes, this is a very cold case! Since it is set in Nevada, the body will be found in an old mine shaft. My question is: Would it still be possible to test for DNA on remains that old? How could what is discovered link back to a suspect in the present? Thanks for your help. 🙂

I’m thrilled that you found the information helpful, Rebecca. And I think Lisa Cron’s science is bang-on.

Now you’ve got a interesting concept going on here. I’d think that a body left in a Nevada mine shaft for 30 years might be pretty well preserved. The temperature would be pretty cool & uniform which would seriously effect the rate and method of decomp. So much then would depend on the relative humidity. If it were high – say over 30% then the body would be intact but skeletolized. If the RH were very low, say 5-10%, then it would be mummified.

Regardless of skeleton or mummy, there would be lots to work from in DNA. Teeth are the best source of historic DNA material – being extracted from the pulp. Also, the bone marrow would likely be present, so there’s going to be a whack of DNA available.

30 years later it would be unlikely that the subject’s DNA standard would be kicking around to compare, but that’s where the relatives come in. Once the investigators have a name, then they’d look to the maternal upline for mitochondrial DNA from the mother or other female relations. Failing that, the subject’s children (if any) would be matched.

Something to keep in mind in criminal investigations is that there are only 4 ways of getting caught.

1. The suspect leaves something behind that incriminates them. 2. The suspect takes something away. 3. Someone is a witness and identifies the suspect. 4. The suspect confesses.

Here’s a link to a popular post I did called ‘How To Get Away With Murder’.

http://dyingwords.net/murder/#sthash.DigQIsqH.dpbs

I’ll leave it up to your imagination 🙂

Hi I have bookmarked. One question cost of consultancy advice?

There’s no cost, vivienne. I do this to give back to the writing community. If you have any questions about crime scenes, autopsies, bodies, firearms, just send me an email at [email protected]

I’m guessing you don’t want attached the bodies or firearms though…

Firearms are fine – lots of room left in my collection, but the backyard is full-up with bodies 🙂

This is a really interesting article. I was critiquing a novel someone had written about a gun crime that took place, and I realised then how little I knew about police procedure after an incident like that. You don’t realise what you don’t know until you try and write about it.

Hi Elise. I’m with you on realizing what I don’t know so I’m not going to try writing vampires, wizards, erotica, or politics.

I don’t often comment on blogs, partly because so many are alike and give the same or similar messages about writing. But this one? Totally different! A brilliant exposition of the things to look for and avoid. I’m a little bit fortunate having spent years in criminal jury trials but even then, techniques and scientific approaches change. Many thanks Garry, much appreciated.

Mark, I’m really touched by your comment. Thank you so much!

I took a look at your website and a bit of your work and I see that we’ve walked a common line. For reader’s info, Mark McGinn is a Christchurch, New Zealand crime-writer who comes from a legal background. Here’s a look at Mark’s work:

http://www.mcginncrime.com/

Your look at crime from a courtroom perspective enthrals me, Mark. I’ve focussed my writing from a blood & guts POV, but there’s a fascinating angle to the crime/legal genre from your expertise. Courtroom dramas are as riveting as crime scene stuff. They take it to a higher psychological level.

As a cop on the stand, I watched jury member’s eyes and then watched them again as a coroner holding inquests. I’d die to be a fly on the wall in a jury room.

Det. Rodgers, you’ve justified why I find “The First 48” more compelling than “NCIS.” My parents are big fans of the latter, and yes, I’ve watched it, too. But I have to laugh at the rapid pace in which the “investigators” find information, sort through forensics and DNA, and then nab the perpetrator. I understand the reality of forensic testing and analysis, as well as the difficulty interviewing suspects and witnesses. Even though I don’t write crime fiction, every scribe of that genre should keep this list of tips within reach. They’ll prove invaluable.

Thanks for the reality check, Alejandro. Crime scene investigation is a slow, methodical process that has only one chance to get it right – but has years after to rip it apart in courtroom second-guessing.

I am a HUGE fan of crime fiction, and am hopelessly addicted to learning the technique. It is an EXTREMELY difficult genre to pull off. I agree with P D James, who said that a good crime novel should also be a good novel.” Thanks for the advice!

Hi Deborah,

PD James was one of the masters of storytelling, not just crime writing. I’ve never tried writing anything outside of the crime genre so I have no idea how difficult things like YA, Romance, or especially erotica would be. I’m sure they have their idiosyncrasies.

Great post. It drives me crazy that many critiquers will tell me things like ‘you have the lead detective going into the crime scene. But they can’t do that until the CSIs process the scene and check for DNA and fingerprints. Then the CSI will give the detective permission to enter.’ (Not outside CSI-New York, my friend.)

One thing I would point out is that the pointers are correct from a modern standpoint. I had had people say ‘you forgot to have your detective put on plastic booties before they entered.’ My books are set in the early 1980’s. AIDS was first identified in the US in 1981 and the concept of blood-borne pathogens wasn’t understood outside some in the medical community for a while after that. In the 1980’s, detectives often wore latex gloves, but more to keep from touching decomp or cooties. Blood wasn’t considered a danger. I think we started using booties about 1992.

Thanks for the comment & compliment, Mike.

You bang-on about the lead detective role. Any crime scene that I’ve been to, the lead investigator takes control and directs who’s doing what, who’s coming & going, and who collects evidence. That’s why they’re the lead. Somebody has to be in charge and it’s not Forensics anywhere I’ve been.

You’re also right about PPE. I started in the business back in 1978, long before we heard about bb pathogens. I used to carry a couple pairs of rubber dishwashing gloves in my briefcase for the really messy stuff and once I had to crawl inside an airplane wreckage that had been down for eleven days in the summer before being found. There were six bodies inside in advancing state of decomp that had to be pulled out through disarticulation. My PPE was a pair of mechanics coveralls and an army gas mask with Vics Vapo-Rub in the filter. The smell of Vics still makes me want to puke. Today we’d wear a full biohazard suit with a power-vented E-Z Breathe hood.

I’m definitely not saying the good ol’ days were better but when writers set their scenes they should do it with accuracy for the time and location. Good points, Mike!

Eww!! TMI! Let’s keep this blog site clean shall we! Lol. All I know after reading all this technical info, is as you said, Garry, if you are going to write in detail, stick to what you know. Otherwise, keep to generals and hope you stay out of trouble. I do have an investigation as part of my second novel, but other than letting readers know that there is one going on, I am not delving into the details and I am now very glad I made that decision.

You shouldn’t watch Fringe then, Karen! Great show but gory!

Talking about gory, avoid watching the church scene in the movie Kingsman. They have redefined the word gratuitous violence! I have heard the the TV show The WIRE is very good for character development. Difficult to run down up here in Canada though unless you do the online streaming thing but we have something called Crave, a Netflix look alike, which I think does carry it. Will stay clear of Fringe though. Thanks for the tip. Lol

Garry, It’s so nice to find someone in Canada who writes mystery or detective novels. I just started mine and it’s based in Saskatchewan and find that watching crime shows on TV is not necessarily a good thing when police forces work differently in different countries. Luckily I have a cousin in the RCMP whom I hope will help with procedure. This is very different from my usual writing, but I love to push the envelope! marilyn

Hi Marilyn. Hopefully some of these tips will help you and don’t worry about the TV shows. They do get a fair amount right – it’s just that they’re pressed for time so they shorten things up.

I’m curious about your setting in Sask. Which part?

Wonderful post followed by excellent discussion. I’d like to add that when I had questions about a gun fight, I querried the members of the crime writers group on Linked-In and got wonderfully helpful responses. Most writers are very generous with their knowledge. Second point. Novels should be careful not to imitate tv crime shows where the protagonist finds the telling piece of evidence right away. Garry can correct me if I’m wrong, but solving most crimes is like putting together a jig-saw puzzle. A lot of pieces need to fall in place before the picture becomes clear.

You’re 100% right about investigations being like putting a jigsaw puzzle together, Peter. It’s all about the collection of information and how they form the picture of what went down.

Something that most civilians probably don’t know is that the first 24-48 hours after a crime is committed is the most valuable time in an investigation. As soon as the scene is secured and the basic details are correlated, the investigation team will hold a ‘Blitz’ where everyone assembles and throws out ideas. This is a no-rank affair where everyone’s ideas, no matter how far out, are valued. I remember one Blitz where I looked around the room and counted over 300 years of combined police service. One of the junior members came out with a suggestion that led to solving the case. So you never know unless you listen.

One other thing – once a crime is solved and a person has been charged, it’s vitally important to anticipate and investigate all defences that an accused person may raise as well as eliminate all other outstanding suspects. Lawyers, like readers and writers, love red herrings.

I was involved in a case, a quite famous murder, that was run completely the opposite to how you describe. There was no ideas blitz, the only opinion that received any consideration was that of the senior detective in charge of the case. On Day One, several of us on the specialist search team (all uniform branch officers) had previously been working on a case with distinct similarities in another area of London. This was pointed out but dismissed out of hand. The chief investigators favourite suspect was arrested, tried and acquitted, with a multi-million pound law suit following on. Ten years later the suspect for the previous murder we had highlighted on the first day of the murder enquiry was convicted of it on DNA evidence.

It would be worth a book in itself but British officers are gagged for twenty years by the Official Secrets Act.

I took a MOOC on Forensic Psych and they set up a hypothetical daylight robbery/kidnapping, fully enacted and filmed. Two investigators were assigned, and one of them was methodical and followed the best procedure while the other had a preconceived perp he wanted to bust. He cherry-picked information and led the witnesses in questioning. Lousy procedure.

The course is coming up again:

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/forensic-psychology

and they have another, that I haven’t taken:

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/forensic-crim-justice

Interesting stuff; the one I took covered a lot of the problems with human perception and how it makes witnesses unreliable, and they have you experience it for yourself with perceptual tests.

You can never know too much.

Peter, I would add one thing. Sometimes you DO find the telling piece of evidence right away, the thing that will make the entire case. But you don’t often KNOW that it’s the telling piece, or even significant. Sometimes, you have the key right in your hand (or in the evidence room) and you don’t realize it until some other pieces put it in perspective.

Excellent observation Mike. That gives authors another path to portray how our protagonists discover what they need to know to solve cases.

To what extent do the rest of you match your protagonist’s personality with the discovery process. In other words, if you character is a Sherlock Holmes type, does he always see it right away? If your character is a beginner and unsure of himself, does he find it fast, but not trust his instinct? Do you go with type or against? So many options!

There are definitely excellent points here but I will admit the hardest issue I have involves the use of foul language. The crime fiction books I’ve written in the past, though, are typically of a Christian-fiction nature. I suppose I can get away without using swear words in such a genre as to write the words would offend most of the audience. Thoughts?

Norma, it is an interesting dilemma because you really can’t predict reader reaction. I once had a woman email me on behalf of her book group. She said that, while the group liked my book generally, they couldn’t recommend it to their friends because the antagonist used the ‘F-word.’ I would have been a little more concerned had not the antagonist committed murder by laying his victim open from shoulder to hip. So apparently, a woman being eviscerated didn’t bother them, but the ‘F-word’ did.

While there is no need to gratuitously pepper the language, you have to stay true to the character. You can probably get away without using swear words at all, but you may be cutting off one avenue that defines the character. But everyone uses explicatives on occasion and the fact is, murders, rapists and robbers don’t normally say things like “Shucky darns” and “Golly gee whillikers.”

Mike is right about staying true to your character. If you’re going to write realistic crime-fiction, then your dialogue has to reflect an accurate portrayal of how that person would act. Every writer is in control of their own work but I think that by leaving out all swearing, the end-product would suffer. I also think that if a writer can’t handle the four letter language, then the crime genre isn’t suited for them.

Here’s a quote from Stephen King “If you intend on writing as honestly as you can, then your days as a member of polite society are numbered.”

I have attended more crime scenes than I can remember and finger-tipped some horrific murder scenes over thirty years. It is not the description of the scene that is the problem it is the ever evolving protocols and procedures due to new technology or ‘stated cases’ in court. I retired in 2011 and I think my knowledge became time-expired within six months and even then it was limited to the way things are done in just one country.

As for a member of the public/PI telephoning his favourite cop to ‘run some plates’ (He was a devil, that Rockford guy) Sgt Becker would be doing a two year stretch for data protection offences and corruption in office.

TV has a lot to answer for.

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your knowledge, sir.

Great post Gary, I only wish you had written it this time last year when I was writing my first book! Not too late though, I’m sure it will be helpful as I squelch my way through the second one. I think I have got most of your points down, but I am going to make my current D a bit more cautious about contaminating the scene. The swearing thing is a bit of a bugger isn’t it 🙂 I only slipped the occasional swearword into my first story for character credibility. I have been avoiding foul language altogether in the second one — but maybe I shouldn’t be so tight about it. I know teens and grandparents read my books, but as you point out, shouldn’t they be more traumatised by the violence than the language? Seems a bit kooky.

There is nothing stopping you producing an abridged edition Greg, however I would not do so again on Amazon. They are incapable of correctly linking titles despite ISBNs so it is a coin toss as to which version is delivered to your reader. I withdrew all of my abridged and the large print versions after many complaints.

Hi Greg, Thanks for your comment.

My feeling about coarse language is that you have to write to suit the genre. The nature of cops & crooks is that they continually use foul language and that’s the reality of it. Of course you can go overboard but to leave all 4-Letter words out just for the chance that it might offend someone will, in my opinion, diminish the effectiveness of the story – certainly from the subconscious effect of realism.

I know what you mean about teens & grandparents – I was once caught in a dilemma where my character had to use the C-Word. I struggled with ‘What would my mother think?’ but I made the decision to stick to my character and, in that situation, there was no other response that character would make.

I have to say that my writing is peppered with 4-Letters because that’s what my true voice is like (I promised Susanne that I’d keep it clean here 🙂 and in all the critiques I’ve had of my writing – good, bad & otherwise, I’ve never had anyone comment that they thought the language was too foul. Also, the demographic of my readers is about 75% middle-aged women.

So, I’d say that you have to go with what you’re comfortable with and stay true to your style. I don’t know if you read Stephen King but he can get really crude. He’s probably offended a lot of people but he’s made a @#$%-load of money off of others.

Greg Read my 3/10 post above about violence v. language.

Thank you for this great article. I’m working on my second book, but first crime fiction. I have been doing research but still have doubts. Any help is welcome.

Thank you for the great article. I’m working on my second book, but first crime fiction. I did a lot of reached but still have doubts.

Very interesting, but can not agree with all of it. Columbo leans over body, smoking etc but very popular, made writer a fortune. Patterson’s characters the same, and as for Lee Childs Jack Reacher does things that are impossible. They are all very, very popular. As long as the story is good you do not need to be correct. One comment said that a “Glock has no safety” but who cares 99.9% of readers have never seen a real gun so why worry.

All good points and adequately made. Many readers require entertainment rather than up to date realism.

In Columbo’s time the majority of serious crimes were solved by continually kicking in the doors of known villains every 4am until someone told you who you were looking for (no honour among thieves, etc).

Crime Scene, cold, wet, no toilet available and certainly none of the coffee shops nearby that TV shows seems to have.

Murder Enquiry, interesting but certainly not exciting and rarely complete in thirty minutes. The enquiry is based in an old and grubby Victorian era building with no heating in the winter and no A/C in the summer. No flashy IT, hot female detectives, or male ones either for that matter, no leads thrown up in the first 5 minutes by a hot/quirky/super intelligent Scene’s of Crime Officer either.

No surprise that many prefer their novels to mirror the TV version BUT you can still provide a level of realism that both the CSI fan and the discerning thinker can enjoy.

Yes, I agree, you can have realism and a good story. That is what I try for. I think that is best, but it does not alway’s produce good book sales.

Stephen, if you’re writing a crime novel, your target audience probably has a very high percentage of readers who are sticklers for correct detail. Fans of other genres may not know or care, but why risk being shredded when you can get things right?

Besides, I get a great deal of enjoyment out of the research itself.

Thank you, I take your point. I also enjoy the research, but I do not think it is always needed.

Is it OK if I write a crime novel with a fantastic character (EX: He/she has a special ability like Nicholas Cage in the movie “Next”, or has an imaginary friend that helps in the crimes.)

If not, is it OK if I make ONE of the characters a bit fantastic, but not the detective/investigator?

Thanks so much for sharing Garry – very useful indeed.

I am in the prepping stages of my first crime novel. I don’t have the years of experience in law enforcement. However, I do my research. TONS of it. I found this article and comments to be extremely helpful. This is going to be a long process. But, seems like it will be fun taking tiny pieces to create a bigger picture of what looked to be a harmless well-known guy to many. FUN FUN FUN! LOL

Sounds great! And if you need an expert to help you, you can hire Garry as a consultant!

Hi Garry – just discovered your website, great work. I guess there is a similarity between us as I used to be a Murder DCI in the UK and now advise writers on police actions and procedures. I think your site is really good and will be subscribing to receive your posts. If you ever get anyone who needs help from the UK police perspective I’m happy for you to point them in my direction. I have a website at http://www.gibconsultancy.co.uk Cheers Stuart

Great advice! After writing a children’s book which I didn’t get published, I thought I’d try a murder mystery novel. I’ve been totally put off the idea though as I don’t think I’m good enough to do all of that research!

Wow! This has been very enlightening and, not to mention, scary. I don’t mean that in a bad way. Honestly, I mean that I am afraid that my first and current novel will fail to capture the actuality of the investigative field. I do have a strong fear of failure. However, I am hopeful. I believe that it will all work out through the extensive use of coffee, Google, and blogs. Thank you for your tips! Perhaps, I could email you for further help? If you don’t mind, of course. 🙂

How fun! I don’t currently write mystery fiction or any fiction at all. My primary skill set is in nonfiction. But I am moving quickly back toward fiction, and hopefully back toward mystery fiction in the future, with a much deeper understanding than I had the first time I wrote something in that field.

Hi, this helped a lot, I am writing a murder mystery but I am having a hard time adding more detail to it or even coming up with reasons the people were killed. Also how to let the reader try to figure out the murder and leaving clues leading to the murderer. Thanks again for the article.

Great article and replies, make you really think more into crafting a crime scene. What about Robin Hood motivations. What were some of the more original motivations you’ve seen over the years for people committing acts of robbery for money and not for greed or drugs or thrills. Like, i.e, saving the farm, paying a mortgage.

I really enjoyed the article and a lot of the replies/comments. I’m putting together a crime scene for a mystery short story, so I’m doing my research. By the way, you mentioned that you didn’t want to write about wizards and vampires, but you may have a winner with vampire and wizard politicians in an erotica novel…just a thought.

This has stirred up some dormant story plans for me. I’ve been a paramedic since the tail end of the Reagan administration. So I suspect I’ve every wrong or stupid thing humans can do to each other. Most of my story ideas lean much closer to science fiction that crime fiction. But I keep considering writing something based on the actual murders that have happened around my social circle growing up. The fist girl I had a crush on was killed by her stepfather the summer after I met her. But he was rich so he got off. Several books and a few movies were made about the case. But they all seemed to minimize the person I was most focused on in the real case. Then a few years later, a guy at the end of my block was a known schizophrenic whose parents tried and tried to get committed. The insurance companies refused because he’d never acted like a danger to himself or anyone else. Then he killed five people. He was eventually executed. And finally I was sent on a call to check on someone who wasn’t answering calls from out of town family members. We call those kinds of calls a ‘welfare check’ and much more than 90% of them are benign. This one wasn’t. She’d been killed. The killer was later executed.

The catch is that these things happened in the 70’s, the 80s, and the early 2k’s. I can’t imagine how the science changed over those years.

Gary, I was happy to find this page. I have a murder case i was set up on in Oregon and its Cmplex but when a Person had ADHD- and Dyslexia it seems the courts can use that against a person. How can a person who cannot formulate a well writen timeline when they cant write well.

After what I had gone thru in Oregon how many other people are in the same boat.. you cant write well so you can’t get justice. And if you cant write well people will not read it. And so on..

It seems to me in a murder case when the Person Close to the victim believes that the Police and DA are not honest that there would be a Person who writes the facts… but they did not..

When you are also a victim of the crime it’s hard to know what else the police had so that your able to connect the dots .. how can you get the FOIA filled when the DA and Police are coruopt… (like my case for a murder in Oregon) they will not give one single thing… and its a closed case…

Anyways I wanted to thank you for the article …

Thanks for the tips! This really helps. Just a question here: do you see anything wrong in The X Files related to this post?

Thank you for the advice! I love writing and forensic studies so I’ve been trying to smash them together in one book ;). I currently have only scary things written, but if you have any links that could help me with any kind of other writing, that would be amazing. Thank you! -Lissy Depp

Thanks Gary. Because I like to write crime, for me it was an interesting article. I was writing about bones found and checked missing persons on goggle. I emailed a sergeant who worked in the area. I asked basic questions and he gave me all the answers I needed. Like what equipment do they set up at a crime scene, who attends etc. I realised these guys are very helpful if you have a question. I have approached the police force a few times now and once you tell them it’s research for a novel they are really helpful. Thanks Gary and I just ordered one of the books you suggested.

Regards Desley Polmear

Hi Delsey – Thanks for commenting. It’s nice to hear this post is still being read and appreciated this long after being published. Best wishes for your crime writing! ~Garry

Comments are closed.

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  • Volume 8, Issue 2
  • The nature of newspaper coverage of homicide
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  • C A Taylor ,
  • S B Sorenson
  • UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California
  • Correspondence to:
 Catherine A Taylor, Violence Prevention Research Group, UCLA School of Public Health, 650 CE Young Drive South, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095–1772, USA;
 cataylor{at}ucla.edu

Objectives: Previous research has shown that some homicides are more likely than others to receive newspaper coverage (for example, homicides by strangers). The present investigation examined whether, once the decision has been made to report on a homicide, the nature of the coverage (that is, how much visibility is given to a story, what information is included, and how a story is written) differs according to two key variables, victim ethnicity, and victim-suspect relationship.

Setting: Los Angeles, California (USA).

Methods: Homicide articles from the 1990–94 issues of the Los Angeles Times were stratified according to the predictors of interest (victim ethnicity and victim-suspect relationship) and a sample was drawn. Data that characterized two primary aspects of newspaper coverage, prominence and story framing (including background information, story focus, use of opinions, story tone, and “hook” or leading introductory lines) were abstracted from the articles. Descriptive statistics and cross tabulations were generated. Multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the predictive value of victim ethnicity and victim-suspect relationship on the nature of the newspaper coverage.

Results: Newspaper coverage of homicide was generally factual, episodic, and unemotional in tone. Victim-suspect relationship, but not victim ethnicity, was related to how a story was covered, particularly the story frame. Homicides by intimates were covered consistently differently from other types of homicides; these stories were less likely to be opinion dominated, be emotional, and begin with a “hook”.

Conclusion: Victim-suspect relationship was related to the nature of coverage of homicides in a large, metropolitan newspaper. Given the agenda setting and issue framing functions of the news media, these findings have implications for the manner in which the public and policy makers perceive homicides and, consequently, for the support afforded to various types of solutions for addressing and preventing violence.

  • newspaper coverage
  • partner violence

https://doi.org/10.1136/ip.8.2.121

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The recent dominant discourse about violence in our society has been primarily focused on the entertainment media and its potential for harmful effects on children. 1– 4 Although the connection between entertainment media and violence deserves further exploration and attention, the role of the news media should not be ignored in discussions of violence prevention. The mass media, especially television and newspapers, are a primary source of information for the general public about crime and violence. 5 News stories about violence, intentionally or not, provide the public with a critical framework for thinking about violence, its causes and solutions. The news media has the unique ability to tell people what to think about and how to think about it—two functions which can have a critical impact on public health practice and policy. 6– 9

The power of news organizations to influence what people think about, often referred to as agenda setting, comes from their ability to choose the stories that will gain media attention. 6, 8– 10 Greater visibility of an event leads to greater public awareness and concern for an issue. For example, despite the fact that most children are safer in school than they are at home or in their neighborhood, 11 the unprecedented news coverage of certain US school shootings in the 1990s led many to believe that US schools were unsafe. This media coverage not only focused the attention of the general public, but that of policymakers as well. In Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General , the first lines of the preface read as follows: “The immediate impetus for this Surgeon General's Report on Youth Violence was the Columbine High School tragedy that occurred in Colorado in April 1999 . . . In the aftermath of that shocking event, both the Administration and Congress requested a report summarizing what research has revealed to us about youth violence, its causes, and its prevention”. 2

The choices made by the news media to cover some events but not others are not random. A disproportionate share of news coverage is dedicated to homicide, a relatively rare form of violent crime. 5 In addition, particular types of homicide victims (for example, female, young, those from wealthier neighborhoods, and those killed by a stranger) have been over-represented in news coverage, whereas other victims (for example, black, Hispanic, those killed without firearms, and those killed by an intimate partner) have been under-represented. 12– 14 Misrepresentations such as these, regardless of intent, tend to skew public awareness and perceptions about the prevalence and nature of public health issues—in this case, violence. 15, 16 For example, despite the fact that the most likely victims and perpetrators of US school shootings are African-American and Hispanic males in poor, urban environments, US news coverage of these events led many to believe that most school violence takes place in white, suburban or rural areas. 2, 11

The manner in which an event or issue is presented in the news media can also have an impact on knowledge and understanding of public health issues. However, due to economic considerations, value judgments, and social norms, there is wide variation in how stories get covered. 17 There are two main aspects of the nature of news coverage: prominence and framing. The prominence, or visibility, of a story refers to things that signify the relative importance of the story compared to others in the paper; for example, where is the story placed, how long is it, and does it contain photographs? Story framing, by contrast, refers to “ . . . the process by which someone packages a group of facts to create a story (p 68)”. 9 Language used, sources and opinions cited, what background information is provided, and how the story is begun and focused are all elements of a story frame. How a story is framed can contribute substantially to readers' or viewers' thoughts, feelings, and ideas about blame and responsibility for an issue. 18

It is critical to consider how the nature of newspaper coverage might affect public opinion, influence public policy, and have an impact on the allocation of resources for health issues. For example, news reports rarely describe the broader social context associated with violence. 19 Focusing on violence as an episodic rather than a thematic issue can influence the public's attribution of responsibility for both the causes of and the solutions for violence. 18 This could subsequently, or independently, make policymakers more likely to focus on individual oriented solutions (for example, punishment) rather than broad, societal based violence prevention efforts.

Because several victim characteristics are associated with whether a homicide receives newspaper coverage, 12– 14 it is also important to understand how victim characteristics are related to the nature of reporting. One variable believed to be related to how the news gets reported is ethnicity (for example, minority victims may be presented less favorably in the news). Another key variable that might be related to how news about homicide is reported is the type of homicide (for example, a gang related homicide). The present study examined whether these two key characteristics of homicide victims—victim ethnicity and victim-suspect relationship—were related to how homicides were covered in a large, metropolitan newspaper. Specifically, does the manner in which a homicide is reported differ by the victim's ethnicity or the victim's relationship to the suspect?

Sample selection and data sources

This investigation focused on stories about homicides published in the Los Angeles Times . The Los Angeles Times serves a very diverse population and is second only to the New York Times in newspaper circulation in the US. From 1990 to 1994, the Los Angeles Times published 2782 stories about a total of 1241 homicide victims. The paper prepared a large dataset on the articles as well as on all criminal homicides that occurred in the county during those years. The data provided the basis for a five part series published in December 1996 that was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and comprised part of the data for the present study.

The Los Angeles Times database provided story information (for example, section of paper, page number, number of words, publication date) as well as homicide data from state and county offices including the California Department of Justice, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, Los Angeles County Department of the Coroner, and Los Angeles County Municipal and Superior Courts. The state and county offices provided information on victims and suspects including age, gender, ethnicity, and relationship.

The sample of articles used for this study was chosen by stratifying the 2782 homicide articles using two variables: ethnicity of the victim (Asian, black, Hispanic, white) and relationship of the victim to the suspect (acquaintance, child, gang, intimate, stranger). Stories about Hispanic victims, who constitute the largest ethnic group of homicide victims reported in the Los Angeles Times , were used as index cases for matching purposes. Forty five Hispanic victim articles were randomly selected, 10 from each adult relationship category—acquaintance, gang, intimate, and stranger—and five from the child category. (The number of stories about the homicide of a child is less simply because fewer such articles were published.) Articles for the Asian, black, and white strata were obtained by matching on two variables, victim-suspect relationship and publication date, using stories published as closely as possible in time to those about Hispanic victims. Because fewer stories were published about Asian and white homicide victims, a match could not be found for each index article. Table 1 reports the strata and numbers of the articles selected.

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Newspaper articles by sample strata: victim ethnicity and victim-suspect relationship

Data coding process

Copies of the 156 selected articles were made from microfiche and news coverage variables were abstracted. All articles went through two full reviews by independent coders (graduate students). After the first review, variable definitions were refined and a second review was conducted. The average inter-rater reliability for all nine abstracted variables was 88%, with agreement ranging from 84% to 98%. Some variation between reviews was expected due to coder subjectivity as well as slight alteration of definitions due to refinement. As a further consistency check, a 10% random sample of the reviewed articles was drawn and a third review was conducted by the second reviewer. Classifications remained consistent for eight of the variables; one variable, “genre”, was again refined and the variable was recoded again for all 156 articles.

Newspaper coverage variables examined

This study focused on two aspects of covering a homicide story—prominence in the newspaper and story frame. Three of the variables used to assess an article's prominence were taken directly from the Los Angeles Times database—section of the paper, page in section, and number of words—while two were abstracted from article copies. These included the placement of an article on a page (above or below the fold) and whether photographs were included in a story.

Story framing goes beyond the facts of a homicide to add depth to the persons involved, provide a social context, and provide an overall angle on how to think and feel about an incident. The following story frame variables were abstracted from the sample of articles and coded dichotomously according to the process described above: (1) victim background, (2) suspect background, (3) issue background, (4) use of a hook, (5) focus of the story, (6) genre, and (7) tone.

Victim and suspect background were coded as positive when any descriptive information was provided about the victim or suspect beyond basic facts such as age, gender, and race or ethnicity. In other words, any attempts to provide more depth to the victim or suspect were coded as “yes” for victim and suspect background. Similarly, if there was any mention of the broader social context and issues of concern related to the homicide, then issue background was coded positively.

A hook was defined as a first or second sentence in an article that focused on a catchy human interest element to the story rather than on facts. Hooks are used to draw a reader into a story. For example, a story with a hook might start out with, “A community is in shock today as a woman much loved and respected was murdered . . .”, whereas a story without a hook might begin with, “A 30 year old woman was killed . . .”. Each story was coded to indicate whether or not it had a hook.

The focus of a story was categorized as episodic or thematic. A story was coded as episodic if it focused on a particular incident or incidents rather than on the broader issue. To be classified as thematic, a story had to focus on a broader issue of which the fatal violence was a part (for example, child abuse, gang violence). For example, a thematic article might embed a gang homicide incident within a larger story about the history of gang violence in a particular neighborhood or a child's death within a story about the larger issue of child abuse.

Genre was coded as primarily factual or opinion based. Stories were coded as factual when journalists primarily transmitted unattributed statements and relatively objective facts. In contrast, stories were coded as opinion based when they were dominated by quotes from any sources or subjective personal descriptions (that is, beyond demographics), or when they were mainly issue narratives (that is, more like story telling than fact telling). Quotes generally add a personal angle to a story; for example: “Her brother said, `She was a devoted mother'” or “The officer said, `This is the worst case I've seen'”. An example of a subjective personal description is: “Neighbors described the man as friendly and always willing to lend a helping hand”. These are subjective because other persons might not have perceived the person or situation in the same way, thus, it is information that gives the story a selected angle.

Tone was classified as non-emotional or emotional. Stories were coded as non-emotional if feelings were not transmitted in the coverage. Stories were considered emotional if one or more sources, generally personal, raised feelings such as sadness, loss, or shock in the story. The following are some “emotional” tone examples: “The principal said that the whole school mourned the loss of their hero”, or “His mother said, `I don't know how I will ever get over this'”, or “The neighbor said, `I just can't believe this happened'”.

Data analysis

Descriptive statistics were generated to provide general information about the sampled homicide articles. Simple analyses were conducted using cross tabulations and χ 2 tests to examine associations between the predictor variables and each of the outcome variables. In addition to findings that meet the usual criterion of p<0.05, we included those at p<0.10 due to their potential substantive interest to some readers.

Multivariate analyses were conducted using binary, ordinal, and categorical logistic regression equations modeled to test the relationship between the two predictors (victim ethnicity and victim-suspect relationship) and the identified newspaper coverage variables. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to measure differences in newspaper coverage by the two predictors. Stories with white victims and victims whose assailants were strangers were chosen as the reference groups since these victims tend to be more represented in the news than others.

Description of newspaper coverage

The majority of sampled homicide articles were printed in the second section of the newspaper on page one or two of that section (see table 2). At least half were printed “above the fold”, and most consisted of 500 or fewer words. Most stories (71.2%) did not include photographs.

Newspaper coverage variables

Most articles did not report on the victim's or the suspect's background, nor were background issues discussed. Most articles did not contain a hook (69.9%) and were predominantly episodic (85.9%), factual (74.4%), and non-emotional (66.0%). Additionally, half of the homicides were murder-robberies (17.3%), murder-suicides (16.0%), or gang motivated (16.7%).

In the following results sections, findings of substantive importance will be described as well as those that reached statistical significance.

Newspaper coverage by predictors: cross tabulations

The prominence or visibility of a homicide story was generally not associated with victim ethnicity (see table 3). Although there were significant differences in story placement on a page by victim ethnicity (χ 2 = 13.6 (6) , p = 0.04), it is important to note that page placement could not be determined for 24% of the stories. Stories about black victims were least likely to be classified as “above the fold” (χ 2 = 9.65 (1) , p = 0.002), while stories about Asian victims were most likely to be classified “above the fold” (χ 2 = 5.90 (1) , p = 0.015). Homicides of child and gang victims were given the most visibility overall in the newspaper, although none of these associations were statistically significant. Gang homicide stories were more likely than others to appear in the first section of the newspaper (25.0%), to have over 500 words (44.4%), and to have photographs (37.0%). Child victim stories were more likely than others to be printed on page one (47.1%) and to be above the fold (70.6%).

Newspaper coverage “prominence” variables (%), by victim ethnicity and victim-suspect relationship

As shown in table 4, white and Asian victims were more likely to have a story with a positive or more descriptive frame. (Although of substantive interest, none of these associations were statistically significant.) Articles about white homicide victims were more likely to discuss the victim's background (36.8%), have a hook (34.2%), and be opinion dominant (34.2%); stories about Asian victims were more likely to discuss the suspect's background (25.0%), have a thematic focus (21.4%), and have an emotional tone (42.9%). White (18.4%) and Asian (17.9%) victim stories were both more likely to include a discussion of background issues.

Newspaper coverage “story frame” variables (%), by victim ethnicity and victim-suspect relationship

Overall, stories regarding child and gang homicide victims appear to have been framed with more of a human interest angle than those concerning other homicide victims. Child victim articles were most likely to contain background information about both the victim and the suspect, however only differences for suspect background were statistically significant (overall χ 2 = 29.5 (8) , p = 0.000; child victim χ 2 = 8.97 (1) , p = 0.003). Gang homicide articles were more likely to have a thematic focus and to discuss background issues, but only issue background differences were statistically significant (overall χ 2 = 17.1 (4) , p = 0.002; gang victim χ 2 = 12.91 (1) , p = 0.000).

In contrast, stories about intimate partner homicides were less likely to have humanistic story frames. These articles rarely discussed background issues (3.0%) or made use of a hook (9.1%). They were also rarely thematic (3.0%), opinion based (9.1%), or emotional in tone (15.2%). Statistically significant differences were found regarding issue background (overall χ 2 = 17.1 (4) , p = 0.002; intimate homicides χ 2 = 4.57 (1) , p = 0.03) and use of a hook (overall χ 2 = 11.8 (4) , p = 0.02; intimate victims χ 2 = 8.80 (1) , p = 0.003). Although overall comparisons for genre and tone did not reach statistical significance (both were p<0.10), specific comparisons of intimate partner homicide compared with other articles were statistically significant for genre (χ 2 = 6.01 (1) , p = 0.01) and tone (χ 2 = 6.61 (1) , p = 0.01).

Multivariate analyses

Consistent with the simple cross tabulation findings, newspaper coverage (that is, prominence and story frame) was not statistically associated with victim ethnicity when victim-suspect relationship was taken into consideration (see table 5). However, some of the findings may be of substantive interest. For example, stories about Asian victims were less likely to discuss the victim's background and less likely to be opinion based, adjusted odds ratio = 0.33 and 0.34, respectively, both with p<0.10.

Adjusted odds ratios (and 95% confidence intervals) for the likelihood of newspaper coverage outcomes, based on victim ethnicity and victim-suspect relationship

In contrast, victim-suspect relationship predicted aspects of coverage more frequently, particularly the way in which a story was framed. Coverage differed most consistently for one type of relationship—intimate partner homicides. In comparison with stranger homicide articles, those concerning intimate victims had less overall visibility and more perfunctory story frames than the others examined. Nine out of 12 adjusted odds ratios indicated lower likelihoods of prominence and descriptive, humanistic story frames for intimate victim articles; three of these findings were statistically significant. Findings for other types of relationships will be presented first.

Stories about gang homicides tended to garner greater visibility and more descriptive story frames, with almost 75% of the variables examined having adjusted odds ratios greater than 1. Two of these findings were statistically significant. Gang homicide articles were almost 10 times more likely to discuss the relevant background issue (in this case, gang violence), and they were almost six times more likely to be printed in the first section of the newspaper (both p<0.05). In contrast, none of the examined variables were statistically significant for acquaintance homicides, although there was a trend for these stories to appear more frequently in the front section of the paper (p<0.10).

Child victim homicides also tended to be given greater prominence and more descriptive story frames, with two thirds of the variables examined having adjusted odds ratios greater than 1. Stories about child homicide victims were 6.5 times more likely to discuss the suspect's background (p<0.05); the suspect was generally a parent. Of substantive interest, these articles were more likely to address the relevant background issue of child abuse and to be printed on the top half of the page (both p<0.10).

The overall picture for intimate partner homicide stories stood in contrast to all other victim-suspect categories. Seventy five per cent of the examined variables had adjusted odds ratios less than 1, suggesting that overall, these articles were less visible and less likely to have a descriptive, humanistic story frame. While no prominence variables were statistically significant, intimate homicide articles tended not to have photos (p<0.10). Three of the story frame variables were statistically significant at p<0.05. Stories about intimate partner homicide victims were less likely to be emotional, less likely to be opinion dominated, and less likely to make use of a hook to draw in the reader (adjusted odds ratios = 0.23, 0.23, and 0.13, respectively).

Although “focus” was not statistically significant, it is important to note that just one out of the 33 articles about intimate partner homicide had a “thematic” rather than an “episodic” story frame; the headline for this article was “When women abuse their spouses”. Thus, despite the fact that most of the intimate homicide victims in these articles were women, the one article with a thematic story frame focused on male victims of abuse. The article stated that “95% of domestic abuse victims are women”, then focused on the fact that the woman (in the article) accused of killing her husband “contradicted the statistics”.

For about one third of the intimate homicides, the article reported additional details about the relationship between the victim and suspect: they were estranged (21%), the victim was leaving the suspect (6%), and the victim had written but not filed a restraining order against the suspect (3%). Relationship problems or acute arguments were reported in just over one third (36%) of the intimate homicide stories.

Newspaper coverage of homicide

One factor commonly believed to be related to news coverage is ethnicity. Previous research has documented the association between victim ethnicity and whether a homicide is covered at all. 12, 14 Other work has found that story frames often differ when comparing stories about risk for black and white victims. 20 We found no such association for the nature of homicide coverage. Ethnicity of the homicide victim, when victim-suspect relationship was taken into consideration, was not related to the nature of coverage in a large, metropolitan newspaper.

Homicide reporting differed by victim-suspect relationship, even when victim ethnicity was taken into account. The most consistent differences were observed in how articles about homicides by intimate partners compared to those about homicides by strangers. Gang related and child homicides were also covered differently, while those committed by acquaintances were covered very similarly to homicides by strangers. Stories about intimate homicide victims were less likely to be given a human interest angle through the use of opinions and emotional tones, or by opening with sentences that would hook the reader. Articles about gang homicides were more likely to appear in the first section of the newspaper and also to address broader issues related to the homicide. While 37% of gang homicide articles addressed the issue of gang violence, only one of the 33 intimate partner articles addressed domestic violence as a social issue. Moreover, the sole story that discussed domestic violence as an issue focused on women's violence against men, a type of violence that is less likely to result in injury than men's violence against women.

The nature of news media coverage generally reflects a combination of economic pressures and the professional values of the journalist. 17 Once they decide to cover a homicide, the Los Angeles Times appears to do so in a comparable manner across ethnic groups and victim-suspect relationship, with intimate homicides being the main exception. Newspapers may be reluctant to “aggressively” cover stories about domestic violence due to the belief that domestic violence is a private or family matter. 21, 22 Unfortunately, the subjective choices made in media coverage can lead to unrealistic perceptions and biases regarding the issue of violence against women, some of which tend to blame the victim or otherwise shift ideas about responsibility. 22– 28

Because this study reports on news articles that were published before the O J Simpson case, one might wonder whether news reporting on domestic violence has shifted since the news media rediscovered domestic violence. 22 Maxwell and colleagues found that while the amount of coverage regarding domestic violence did increase after the murders of Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ronald Goldman, the nature of the coverage did not differ. 29 Before their murders, 23% of the articles primarily about domestic violence were socially rather than episodically focused; a percentage that remained consistent afterwards. Accordingly, Maxwell et al also found that most coverage continued to focus blame and responsibility on individual rather than social solutions.

Whereas the amount of media coverage may be proportional to the level of attention an issue receives, the nature of the coverage is important in determining the type of attention it gets. News story frames influence how people think about issues and how they assign responsibility for causes and solutions. 18, 30 Responsibility for solving problems is assigned more often to government or society when an incident is discussed in its broader social context than when it is described as an isolated event. 18 Thus, from a public health perspective, a thematic frame is desirable. Nonetheless, episodic coverage is five times more common than thematic coverage of violence in television news. 19 Stories that draw in the reader, evoke sympathy, and present opinions are also more likely to garner attention and interest. Not only can framing have an impact on public opinion, but it can also have a direct or indirect influence on policy decisions (for example, Gandy et al , 20 Feigenson and Bailis, 31 and Jones 32 ).

Study limitations and future research

Many factors may contribute to how a story is reported in the news media. The focus of the present investigation focused on two key victim variables. Whereas victim-suspect relationship was a consistent predictor of the nature of homicide coverage, it is important to keep in mind that a number of potential confounders were not examined. Two obvious ones are gender and number of persons killed in an incident. Whereas only about a third of the homicide victims overall were female, the vast majority of intimate victims were female, which may explain part of the findings. Although most of the homicides had just one victim, intimate homicides had the highest percentage of multiple victims. Associations between potential covariates (for example, female gender and intimate partner homicides) precluded simultaneous examination of other factors.

Certain characteristics of a homicide have been associated with the amount of newspaper coverage a homicide receives.

In follow up, this study examined the nature of newspaper coverage (that is, how a story is written and the prominence given to a story) of homicides in the Los Angeles Times.

Victim ethnicity and victim-suspect relationship were examined as predictors of newspaper coverage.

Multivariate analyses indicated that while victim ethnicity was not associated with the nature of coverage, victim-suspect relationship was.

Intimate partner homicides differed most from the other homicide types examined in that they were less likely to be written using a descripive or humanistic story frame.

Future research using a different design and a larger sample size may benefit from examining multiple potential covariates simultaneously. For example, previous research found that while intimate partner homicides received less newspaper coverage than expected, homicides with female victims were more likely to receive coverage. 14 In addition, the present study examined stories in one large, metropolitan newspaper during a five year period. Future research involving newspapers from other locales and other time periods will help elucidate whether and how news media coverage relates to characteristics of a homicide.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PREVENTION

In summary, the nature of homicide reporting is critical because the news media can influence public beliefs and perceptions, help establish specific agendas, and influence public policy. Differences in the amount and nature of news coverage are likely to have a corresponding influence on the perceived importance of and potential solutions for an issue. Given the findings of this and other studies, for example Dorfman et al 19 and Maxwell et al , 29 one could expect members of the general public not to take a population based or public health view in considering the basis of and potential solutions for violence. Given that the primary goal of commercially-run media, even news media, is not necessarily education, it is especially critical that public health professionals work to frame stories in a way that will garner media attention. 9, 10, 33– 36 Violence prevention program and policy strategies are likely to gain more attention, support, and resources when efforts are also made to help journalists frame their stories in a way that invokes public health notions of causality and supports public health solutions to violence.

Before discussing an issue with the media, it is critical for public health professionals to consider how they want their issue to be framed and ultimately portrayed to the public and policy makers. While journalists are the decision makers regarding how to write a story, guidance from public health professionals may help to invoke a public health framework. Some critical elements to consider when deciding how to frame a story include the attributed cause(s) of the problem, the effects of the problem and/or proposed solution, who supports and opposes these viewpoints, who is responsible for the solution(s), and the credibility of the information sources. 33 For specific examples and case studies on framing public health issues including violence, see Wallack et al , 9 Chapman and Lupton, 33 and the Berkeley Media Studies Group. 34

Acknowledgments

We thank the Los Angeles Times for making these data available for analysis. Thanks also to Julie G Peterson Manz and Manissa Pedroza for their help in the early phases of this study and to Richard A Berk for his encouragement about statistical matters. The California Wellness Foundation provided partial support for this research. Findings were presented at the American Public Health Association annual meeting, 2000, in Boston, MA, and at the Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles biannual meeting, 2001, Los Angeles, CA.

  • ↵ Rosenbaum DE . News analysis: protecting children from sex and violence in the media. New York Times 2001 June 27.
  • ↵ US Department of Health and Human Services . Youth violence: a report of the surgeon general . Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services; and National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, 2001.
  • US Federal Trade Commission . Marketing violent entertainment to children: a review of self-regulation and industry practices in the motion picture, music recording & electronic game industries . Washington, DC: US Federal Trade Commission, September, 2000.
  • ↵ Zillmann D , Bryant J, Huston AC, eds. Media, children, and the family: social scientific, psychodynamic, and clinical perspectives . Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1994.
  • ↵ Graber DA . Crime news and the public . New York, NY: Praeger, 1980.
  • ↵ Cook FL , Tyler TR, Goetz EG, et al . Media and agenda setting: effects on the public, interest group leaders, policy makers, and policy. Public Opinion Quarterly 1983 ; 47 : 16 –35. OpenUrl Abstract / FREE Full Text
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  • ↵ McCombs ME , Shaw DL. The agenda-setting function of mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly 1972 ; 36 : 176 –87.
  • ↵ Wallack L , Dorfman L, Jernigan D, et al. Media advocacy and public health . Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1993.
  • ↵ Muenchow S , Gilfillan SS. Social policy and the media. In: Zigler EF, Kagan SL, Klugman E, eds . Children, families, and government: perspectives on American social policy . New York: Cambridge University Press, 1983: 223–45.
  • ↵ Kachur SP , Stennies GM, Powell KE, et al . School-associated deaths in the United States, 1992–1994. JAMA 1996 ; 275 : 1729 –33. OpenUrl CrossRef PubMed Web of Science
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  • ↵ Gandy OH , Kopp K, Hands T, et al . Race and risk: factors affecting the framing of stories about inequality, discrimination, and just plain bad luck. Public Opinion Quarterly 1997 ; 61 : 158 –82. OpenUrl CrossRef Web of Science
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  • ↵ Kozol W . Fracturing domesticity: media, nationalism, and the question of feminist influence. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 1995 ; 20 : 646 –67.
  • Howe A . Men's violence in the news: the war against women. In: Cook S, Bessant J, eds. Women's encounters with violence: Australian experiences . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997: 177–202.
  • Lamb S , Keon S. Blaming the perpetrator: language that distorts reality in newspaper articles on men battering women. Psychology of Women Quarterly 1995 ; 19 : 209 –20.
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How to Get Away with Writing about Murder

Journalism program director offers insights on crime reporting.

Murder. Mystery. Mayhem. Hearing these words is enough to make some people shudder. But when you are a seasoned journalist like Professor Maureen Boyle , someone who has seen and reported on it all, subjects like this do not phase you.

The veteran crime reporter, who previously wrote for outlets like The Enterprise of Brockton, Massachusetts and The Standard-Times of New Bedford, Massachusetts, recently hosted a lecture on the true crime genre as part of an event sponsored by the Martin Institute . Boyle, the director of Stonehill’s journalism program , focused the speech on her experiences writing two books: Shallow Graves: The Hunt for the New Bedford Highway Serial Killer (2017) and The Ghost: The Murder of Police Chief Greg Adams and the Hunt for His Killer (2021).

“True crime stories are about finding justice – for victims, for their families and for the community,” Boyle said in a statement given prior to the lecture. “I want people to remember these are stories about real people who suffered immeasurable loss.”

For writers interested in taking a page from Boyle’s book, here are the top takeaways and tips from her speech about crime reporting.

Boyle is the author of two books:  Shallow Graves: The Hunt for The New Bedford Highway Serial Killer (2017) and  The Ghost: The Murder of Police Chief Greg Adams and the Hunt for His Killer (2021). She is currently working on several other true crime books.

1. Do your due diligence. Boyle relied on witness testimony and other interviews to help illustrate the crimes at the center of her works; however, these conversations alone were not enough. “You can’t simply rely on people’s memories,” she said. “You need a lot of back up when it comes to dates and details.” As such, Boyle spent hundreds of hours sifting through thousands of documents to confirm facts and fill holes in people’s recollections. Government records, prison files, police and FBI reports, property records, history books, newspaper articles, school yearbooks and scrapbooks were among the countless items she examined.

2. Be persistent. Boyle notes that it was hard to get ahold of some of the documents she ultimately relied on to help craft her stories. In particular, she cited FBI records as being difficult to access. In some cases, she spent weeks and months trying to cut through red tape to get her hands on this information. Despite some roadblocks, the writer persisted, knowing that she needed these documents to accurately illustrate the cases about which she was writing.

3. Know when to take a step back. Thirty years before she wrote Shallow Graves , Boyle reported on the New Bedford Highway Killings as a journalist for The Standard-Times . She admits that the mystery surrounding the killer’s identity weighed on her heavily back then. “I was obsessed by this case,” she said. “I was essentially working 24/7 reporting on this.” The journalist said she had to learn to take a step away from the case every so often to ensure she was not becoming totally consumed by it.

4. Recognize the importance of storytelling. In Boyle’s view, coming to terms with the fact that her novels would not bring back the deceased people on whom her books focus was one of the most difficult aspects of writing her novels. Still, the author believes true crime books like hers serve an important function: they help people remember the victims, even years after their deaths. “In the case of the New Bedford Highway Killings, where 11 women went missing in 1988 and nine of them were later found dead, I hope the increased attention to the case will finally lead to someone coming forward with the identity of the killer,” she said. 

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How Reporters Can Write Great Follow-up News Stories

Finding a fresh lede is key

  • Writing Essays
  • Writing Research Papers
  • English Grammar
  • M.S., Journalism, Columbia University
  • B.A., Journalism, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Writing a single basic breaking news article is a pretty straightforward task. You start by writing your lede , which is based on the most important facts in the story.

But many news stories are not simply one-time events but rather ongoing topics that can last for weeks or even months. One example would be a crime story that unfolds over time - the crime is committed, then police search for and finally arrest a suspect. Another example might be a long trial involving an especially complex or interesting case. Reporters must often do what is called follow-up articles for long-lasting topics such as these.

The key to writing an effective follow-up story starts with the lede . You can't write the same lede every day for a story that continues over an extended period of time.

Instead, you must construct a fresh lede each day, one that reflects the latest developments in the story.

But while writing a lede that includes those latest developments, you also need to remind your readers what the original story was all about to begin with. So the follow-up story lede really combines new developments with some background material about the original story.

Let's say you cover a house fire in which several people are killed. Here's how your lede for the first story might read:

Two people were killed last night when a fast-moving fire swept through their house.

Now let's say several days have passed and the fire marshal tells you the fire was a case of arson. Here's your first follow-up lede:

A house fire that killed two people earlier this week was deliberately set, the fire marshal announced yesterday.

See how the lede combines important background from the original story - two people killed in the fire - with the new development - the fire marshal announcing that it was arson.

Now let's take this story one step further. Let's say a week has passed and police have arrested a man who they say set the fire. Here's how your lede might go:

Police yesterday arrested a man who they say set the fire last week that killed two people in a house.

Get the idea? Again, the lede combines the most important information from the original story with the latest development.

Reporters do follow-up stories this way so that readers who may not have read the original story can figure out what is going on and not be confused.

The Rest of the Story

The rest of the follow-up story should follow the same balancing act of combining the latest news with background information. Generally, the newer developments should be placed higher in the story, while the older information should be lower down.

Here's how the first few paragraphs of your follow-up story about the arrest of the arson suspect might go:

Police said Larson Jenkins, 23, used rags soaked with gasoline to set the fire at the house that killed his girlfriend, Lorena Halbert, 22, and her mother, Mary Halbert, 57.

Detective Jerry Groenig said Jenkins was apparently angry because Halbert had recently broken up with him.

The fire started around 3 a.m. last Tuesday and quickly swept through the house. Lorena and Mary Halbert were pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was injured.

Again, the latest developments are placed high in the story. But they are always tied to background from the original event. This way, even a reader learning about this story for the first time will easily understand what has happened.

  • Learn to Write News Stories
  • How to Avoid Burying the Lede of Your News Story
  • 10 Important Steps for Producing a Quality News Story
  • 5 Key Ingredients for Great Feature Stories
  • 10 News Writing Exercises for Journalism Students
  • Avoid the Common Mistakes That Beginning Reporters Make
  • Six Tips for Writing News Stories That Will Grab a Reader
  • Writing a Compelling, Informative News Lede
  • How to Write Feature Stories
  • Constructing News Stories with the Inverted Pyramid
  • These Are Frequently Used Journalism Terms You Need to Know
  • 6 Ways Reporters Can Avoid Conflicts of Interest
  • Writing a Lead or Lede to an Article
  • Here's How to Use Attribution to Avoid Plagiarism in Your News Stories
  • Learn What a Feature Story Is
  • Tips for Writing Broadcast News Copy

how to write a news article about murders

Writing about Murder: Really Useful Links by Lucy O’Callaghan

Lucy O'Callaghan

Lucy O’Callaghan

  • 29 June 2023

Murders on TV shows and in movies can feel very real but writing murder scenes in a novel is very different and can be hard to do effectively. It is important to realise that most murderers don’t kill someone because they’re crazy. This does happen sometimes, but it is more likely that a character’s backstory has a huge influence on their actions. A killer’s backstory along with a combination of triggers can create a perfect storm leading to violence.

I have put together some articles and podcasts about how to write about murder effectively.

  • 10 Tips on How to Write Believable Crime and Murder Scenes | Live Write Thrive

This article is from Gary Rodgers, who spent years working as a homicide investigator and a forensic coroner. He gives the writer great advice on what to keep in mind and has ten top tips for writing believable crime stories.

  • Understanding The Essentials Of Writing A Murder Mystery (standoutbooks.com)

There are a few cast-iron conditions that authors need to respect when writing about murder. Here it is recommended that you plot backwards. The answer to the mystery needs to feel like realisation, not revelation.

  • Things About Death, Dying, & Murder Writers Need To Know – Springhole.net

This is a fascinating article about what writers need to know about death, dying, and murder. Topics such as stabbing someone is not as simple as it looks in the movies, and dead bodies are not easy to make vanish, are discussed along with plenty of other things for the writer to consider.

  • How to Write a Murder Scene | Read to Write Stories

Watching a murder on screen is very real, and it’s harder to create the same feeling when reading about a murder. It’s difficult to replicate the speed of a gunshot or the blind, chaotic feeling of a fight. Here they take a scene and break down what works well. Using simple sentence construction to convey the choreography and keeping the information plain is advised. A writing exercise is given along with four tips to do it well.

  • Writing a Murder Mystery: 10 Motives for Murder featuring JC Gatlin — What Is That Book About

Motives for murder are explained in this article, including revenge, obsession, and the need to protect personal status.

  • Murder Mystery: Crafting an Intriguing Puzzle of Justice (storygrid.com)

Your violent character must represent something greater than themselves. What does the murderer represent? What does the protagonist represent? Lots of tips and advice from the story grid about this.

  • The Making of a Murderer | Psychology Today

This article is very interesting when considering the backstory of your character. What has happened to them in the past that has contributed to them becoming a murderer? What causes a hurt child to become a violent adult?

  • Murder On… – Listen to All Episodes | Arts & Culture | TuneIn

Murder One is the podcast of Ireland’s international crime writing festival. Best-selling crime writer Sam Blake presents some of the world’s biggest authors talking crime, crime fiction, and true crime.

  • How to Craft Impactful Character Deaths — Well-Storied.

This podcast encourages the writer to ‘use death as an impactful narrative tool rather than a momentary source of drama.’

Reading deep into this genre will help you immensely as a writer. Listening to true crime podcasts can also help, not only with ideas but with how the crimes played out. I hope this week’s column has been helpful. As always if there are any topics you would like me to cover, please get in touch.

(c) Lucy O’Callaghan

Instagram: lucy.ocallaghan.31.

Facebook: @LucyCOCallaghan

Twitter: @LucyCOCallaghan

About the author

Writing since she was a child, Lucy penned her first story with her father called Arthur’s Arm, at the ripe old age of eight. She has been writing ever since. Inspired by her father’s love of the written word and her mother’s encouragement through a constant supply of wonderful stationary, she wrote short stories for her young children, which they subsequently illustrated. A self-confessed people watcher, stories that happen to real people have always fascinated her and this motivated her move to writing contemporary women’s fiction. Her writing has been described as pacy, human, moving and very real. Lucy has been part of a local writing group for over ten years and has taken creative writing classes with Paul McVeigh, Jamie O’Connell and Curtis Brown Creative. She truly found her tribe when she joined Writer’s Ink in May 2020. Experienced in beta reading and critiquing, she is currently editing and polishing her debut novel. Follow her on Instagram: lucy.ocallaghan.31. Facebook and Twitter: @LucyCOCallaghan

how to write a news article about murders

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How to Write a News Story

Newspaper article outline, how to write a news story in 15 steps.

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The Purdue Owl : Journalism and Journalistic Writing: Introduction

From Scholastic: Writing a newspaper article

Article outline

I. Lead sentence

Grab and hook your reader right away.

II. Introduction

Which facts and figures will ground your story? You have to tell your readers where and when this story is happening.

III. Opening quotation 

What will give the reader a sense of the people involved and what they are thinking?

IV. Main body

What is at the heart of your story?

V. Closing quotation

Find something that sums the article up in a few words.

VI. Conclusion  (optional—the closing quote may do the job)

The following is an excerpt from The Elements of News Writing by James W. Kershner (Pearson, 2009).  This book is available for checkout at Buley Library (Call number PN 4775 .K37 2009, on the 3rd floor)

1.       Select a newsworthy story. Your goal is to give a timely account of a recent, interesting, and significant event or development.

2.       Think about your goals and objectives in writing the story. What will the readers want and need to know about the subject? How can you best tell the story?

3.       Find out who can provide the most accurate information about the subject and how to contact that person. Find out what other sources you can use to obtain relevant information.

4.       Do your homework. Do research so that you have a basic understanding of the situation before interviewing anyone about it. Check clips of stories already written on the subject.

5.       Prepare a list of questions to ask about the story.

6.       Arrange to get the needed information. This may mean scheduling an interview or locating the appropriate people to interview.

7.       Interview the source and take notes. Ask your prepared questions, plus other questions that come up in the course of the conversation. Ask the source to suggest other sources. Ask if you may call the source back for further questions later.

8.       Interview second and third sources, ask follow-up questions, and do further research until you have a understanding of the story.

9.       Ask yourself, “What’s the story?” and “What’s the point?” Be sure you have a clear focus in your mind before you start writing. Rough out a lead in your head.

10.   Make a written outline or plan of your story.

11.   Write your first draft following your plan, but changing it as necessary.

12.   Read through your first draft looking for content problems, holes, or weak spots, and revise it as necessary. Delete extra words, sentences, and paragraphs. Make every word count.

13.   Read your second draft aloud, listening for problems in logic or syntax.

14.   Copyedit your story, checking carefully for spelling, punctuation, grammar, and style problems.

15.   Deliver your finished story to the editor before deadline.

Kershner, J.W. (2009). The Elements of News Writing. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

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How to Write a Newspaper Headline

Last Updated: May 5, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Megan Morgan, PhD . Megan Morgan is a Graduate Program Academic Advisor in the School of Public & International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She earned her PhD in English from the University of Georgia in 2015. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 281,456 times.

Choosing a limited number of words to convey the main point of an article is the key challenge when considering how to write a newspaper headline. Because newspaper headlines are limited by the space available on the printed page, word choice and clarity are crucial to a good headline. In the digital age, newspaper headlines for online publications must also be searchable and make readers want to click on them to read more. [1] X Research source

Understanding the Purpose of a Newspaper Headline

Step 1 Understand the key elements of a newspaper headline.

  • Accuracy is very important when writing a newspaper headline, as you do not want to create an unintended meaning or confuse your reader. Avoid exaggerating or embellishing the content in the article by using an overblown headline. Instead, aim to communicate clearly with your reader through a short, one to three word headline.

Step 2 Try to solve a problem or answer a question.

  • Often, readers will be willing to read a headline that provides factual information that will solve a problem they might have or provide the answer to a question. For example, the headline: Lincoln: ‘The war has begun' would be of interest to people reading the newspaper in 1860, as it would answer their question: What is going on with the civil war in the United States?
  • As well, a reader may continue reading an article with a headline like: Make Your Car Engine Sparkle if she is looking to solve the problem of cleaning her car engine.

Step 3 Use search engine optimization if you are writing a headline for an online newspaper.

  • Keep in mind the expectations for newspaper headlines for online publications have shifted from more traditional rules of newspaper headline writing. Many websites will sacrifice accuracy and information for headlines that over promise or exaggerate a news story. Online newspaper headlines, and some print headlines, are also using emotion to tap into a reader’s curiosity and encourage the reader to read the rest of the article. [6] X Research source
  • For example, headlines like: The Cutest Otters on the Internet and You’ll Never Believe Who Prince Harry is Dating Now contain very little actual information and are full of hyperbole. However, these types of headlines are very common in online publications and some current print publications. You may also come across headlines that telegraph emotion, or tap into the reader’s emotions, such as: Daughter Comes Out to Father in Video. His Response Will Make You Cry , or Images of Men That Will Make You Happy on a Monday .
  • These types of headlines appeal to a certain audience and are usually used for light news stories. Hyperbolic headlines are not recommended for breaking news stories about local events, world events, and social and political topics as they can weaken the professionalism of the article. Rather than appeal to emotion or exaggeration, focus on creating newspaper headlines that inform your reader and that are based on fact.

Writing a Newspaper Headline

Step 1 Identify the key terms in the article to create the headline.

  • For example, in an article about migrants found dead in a truck in Vienna, the first sentence of the article might read: “The decomposing bodies of as many as 50 people assumed to be migrants being smuggled across Europe were found in a truck abandoned on a highway east of Vienna on Thursday, the police said.” You may then highlight key details that should be included in the headline, such as the location of the incident (Austria), the number of people dead (as many as 50), who the people were (migrants), and where they were found (in an abandoned truck). Your headline may then be: Austria Finds Up to 50 Bodies Thought to be Migrants in Truck . [7] X Research source
  • Another example is an article on Google and the European Union’s antitrust laws, with the first sentence: “Google on Thursday rejected claims from the European Union’s top antitrust official that the company favored some of its own search results over those of rivals, saying there was significant competition in the region’s online search market and that the company’s services increased choice for local consumers.” You may then come up with a short, clear headline that identifies the subject of the article (Google), the action the subject is taking (denying or rejecting), and who the subject is reacting to (European Union’s accusations of violating antitrust laws): Google Denies Europe’s Antitrust Accusations . [8] X Research source

Step 2 Use action verbs and the active voice in the headline.

  • Avoid verbs like “think”, “believe” or “feel”, as these are not verbs based on fact or statements. The headline should use only factual evidence from the article and should not be based on emotion or uncertainty. [9] X Research source
  • An effective headline should also be written with logical sentence structure and a strong present tense verb. Using the active voice will make the headline feel immediate and draw your reader in. For example, a weak headline in the passive voice, with weak verbs, might be: No affair, says Clinton, suggests witness should ‘tell the truth’ . A better headline in the active voice, with action verbs, might be: Clinton claims no affair, urges witness to ‘tell the truth’ . The second headline is much clearer and the subject of the article (Clinton) is stated first in the headline.
  • You should also avoid using words that could be read as either a noun or a verb. For example, in the headline Violinist linked to JAL crash blossoms , the verb “blossom” can be read as a noun or a verb in the context of the rest of the headline. The reader is not sure if “crash blossoms” refers to the noun “blossoms” or the verb “to blossom”. [10] X Research source If you read the article, you will understand the headline is referring to a violinist. Her father dies in a crash, but her career blossoms. The headline only makes sense once you read the article, which means the headline itself is confusing and not useful to the reader.

Step 3 Put the headline in the present tense if the events are happening now.

  • You likely will not create a headline for an event that happened in the distant past, unless there are new developments in relation to the event. You can use the past tense or the present tense for the headline. For example, Robert Durst Murder Case Reopened in Light of New Evidence or Robert Durst Murder Case Reopens in Light of New Evidence .
  • Whenever possible, remove articles like “an”, “a”, “the” and connecting terms like “because” or “due to” in the headline. These are considered padding in a headline and are not necessary to get the key points of the article across. For example, The Robert Durst Murder case will be reopened because of new evidence can be shortened to Robert Durst Murder Case Reopens in Light of New Evidence .

Step 4 Do not use jargon or slang in the headline.

  • For example, Syrian head visits Senate . In this headline, “head” is a headlines, as it is not clear if the headline is referring to an actual head of a Syrian or a Syrian who is the head of a department or office.
  • Similarly, the headline FBI probe expected in hijacking case is confusing as it uses the headline jargon “probe”, but this term does not give the reader any clear information about the actions of the FBI. A stronger headline might be: FBI investigation expected in hijacking case .

Step 5 Include humor or puns in the headline only when appropriate.

  • For example, a news story on a former environmental disaster zone in Hungary that use reinvented itself as a center for sustainable energy might have a headline like: Town hit by red sludge goes green . This headline works because it is factually accurate, and uses a simple pun (red to green). [13] X Research source

Step 6 Do the TACT test.

  • Is it in good taste? Is there anything possibly offensive in the headline? Can anything in the headline be taken the wrong way?
  • Is it attractive to the reader? Can it be improved so it is more engaging and interesting, without sacrificing accuracy?
  • Does it communicate the key points of the article? Is it clear and simple? Does it use the active voice and active verbs? Are there any odd words or double meanings that could confuse the reader?
  • Is it accurate? Are the proper words or terms from the article used in the headline? Is the headline factually correct?
  • If you answer no to any of these questions, you will need to rethink the headline and adjust it so it meets the TACT criteria.

Formatting the Headline

Step 1 Capitalize the first word of the headline.

  • All headlines should be flush to the left and should not take up more than one to two lines in the publication. In general, shorter headlines are best.

Step 2 Do not spell out numbers in headlines.

  • For example, 3 dead in car crash , or 20 dead in explosion .

Step 3 Use punctuation properly in the headline.

  • Use periods for abbreviations only in headlines. For example, U.S. fights Iranian government .
  • Use single quotes for any double quotes in the article. For example, Lincoln: ‘The war has begun’ , Clinton urges witness to ‘tell the truth’ .
  • You can also use a colon as a substitute for the word “said” in a headline. For example, Lincoln: War inevitable, victory essential .

Community Q&A

Community Answer

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Write a News Article

  • ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-a-catchy-headline-in-1-minute-and-7-seconds/
  • ↑ http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/isaacs/client_edit/Headlines.html
  • ↑ https://www.wyliecomm.com/2021/06/how-long-should-a-press-release-headline-be/
  • ↑ https://crowdfavorite.com/how-to-write-effective-attention-grabbing-headlines/
  • ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34073534
  • ↑ https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/es/MEMO_17_1785
  • ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/09/secrets-great-headline-writing

About This Article

Megan Morgan, PhD

To write a newspaper headline, identify the key terms in your story that tell readers what the article is about. You want the headline to clearly reflect the content without exaggerating or embellishing the story. Once you have a short list of keywords, connect them using action verbs, which makes the headline more exciting. For example, “Shopkeeper defends store from thieves.” Make sure your headline is in present tense, which makes it sound more immediate and engaging. If it’s a casual or fun story, you can use a pun or joke, but avoid using these for serious articles. For more tips from our English co-author, including how to use Search Engine Optimization for online headlines, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Author Interviews

Police raided george pelecanos' home. 15 years later, he's ready to write about it.

Andrew Limbong headshot

Andrew Limbong

how to write a news article about murders

Writer George Pelecanos reads The Washington Post every morning in his home. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption

Writer George Pelecanos reads The Washington Post every morning in his home.

It was August 2009 when the police raided writer George Pelecanos' home in Silver Spring, Md., just outside of Washington, D.C., with a no-knock warrant.

He was performing his daily ritual of sitting on the couch reading The Washington Post when he saw cars enter the driveway. "I saw these guys wearing black and holding automatic rifles and battering rams," he said in an interview at his home. The police broke down the door overlooking the driveway, and the basement door, too. Pelecanos said they put him on the floor and zip tied his hands.

The police were looking for his then 18-year-old son, Nick. The younger Pelecanos was a part of the robbery of a weed dealer, with a gun involved. So, the cops executed the no-knock warrant looking for evidence of guns or drugs.

After not finding anything, George Pelecanos said the officers started needling him about his liquor cabinet, his watch, his home. "One of the SWAT guys was looking at my books, and he goes 'maybe you'll write about this someday.' And he laughed," Pelecanos said. "And right then I knew that I would write about it. He challenged me."

No knock warrants have been banned in multiple states

Pelecanos is known for his gritty, realistic crime stories. For television, he co-created The Deuce , about the burgeoning porn industry in 1970s New York City, and We Own This City , the mini-series detailing a real-life corrupt police ring in Baltimore. As an author, he's known for his deep catalog of stories set in the streets of Washington, D.C.

His new short story collection is titled Owning Up . And it features characters grappling with events from the past that, with time, fester into something else entirely. There's a story about two guys who knew each other in jail, crossing paths years later. Another has a woman digging into her own family history and learning about the 1919 Washington, D.C. race riots.

how to write a news article about murders

Many of Pelecanos' crime fiction book are set in Washington, D.C. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption

Many of Pelecanos' crime fiction book are set in Washington, D.C.

But Pelecanos said he wanted to write about the August 2009 incident because he wanted to further show the effects of no-knock raids. The Montgomery County police department confirmed they executed the warrant but they didn't immediately provide any additional details. Pelecanos did share a copy of the warrant, which states: "You may serve this warrant as an exception to the knock and announce requirement."

The practice of issuing no-knock warrants has been under increased scrutiny since the police killings of Breonna Taylor in Louisville in 2020, and Amir Locke in Minneapolis in 2022. They're banned in Oregon, Virginia, Florida and Tennessee.

"They don't accomplish anything except mayhem and violence," Pelecanos said.

The story "The No-Knock" starts with a journalist named Joe Caruso drinking his coffee and reading the morning paper when the vehicles pull up. The same beats follow — the guns, the zip ties, the pinning down on the floor. Pelecanos writes like he remembers every sensation from that night, because, he said, he does.

It deviates further into fiction from there. Caruso wants to write about it, but he can't. He's too close. He starts drinking heavily, instead. Pelecanos, on the other hand, knew he could write about it, easily. But he waited for over a decade on purpose. He wanted his son's permission, first.

"I wanted my son to grow up," he said. "And so that I could say to you today – he's fine."

Owning Up to the past

"He allowed time for me to grow as a man, and develop myself as a responsible person," said Nick Pelecanos in an interview. He now works in the film industry as a director and assistant director. He got his start working on jobs his dad helped him get. So he's attuned to his father's storytelling style — how he favors details and facts over sepia-toned nostalgia.

"When he writes something, you know that it's technically correct," he said. "And has come to his objective, as non-biased as possible opinion."

how to write a news article about murders

In Owning Up , Pelecanos writes about a non-knock incident inspired by real events. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption

In Owning Up , Pelecanos writes about a non-knock incident inspired by real events.

As personal as "The No-Knock" is, Pelecanos calls the title story in the collection his most autobiographical. It's about a kid in the 70s named Nikos who works a job where he gets in with a bad crowd, and eventually gets talked into breaking into a guy's house.

"It's just the way my life was in that era and on this side of Montgomery County," Pelecanos said. "It was about muscle cars, playing pickup basketball, drinking beer, getting high."

Listening to Pelecanos talk about this story, it sounds familiar. You get the sense that history does repeat itself. That the same lessons get taught again and again. But that's O.K., because some lessons bear repeating.

"I got in trouble occasionally," he said. "But I always came home to the warmth of my family, you know? That's all you need."

Meghan Collins Sullivan edited this story for radio and the web.

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How to Write a News Article: Headlines

  • What Is News?
  • How to Interview
  • The Intro or Lede
  • Article Format/Narrative
  • How To Write A Review
  • Writing News Style
  • Naming Sources
  • Revising/Proofreading
  • Photos/Graphics
  • The Future of News?

About Headlines

Headlines are becoming increasingly important in the internet age. Not only do they capture the reader's attention, they serve as source material for search engines. Today a reader is just as likely to come across an article by reading a list of search engine results as by scanning a newspaper page.

Headlines should be clear and specific, telling the reader what the story is about, and be interesting enough to draw them into reading the article.

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  • Last Updated: Oct 23, 2023 11:28 AM
  • URL: https://spcollege.libguides.com/news

What's Hot

Killers on camera: 5 murder cases that remain unsolved despite video evidence.

Drusilla Moorhouse

Senior Reporter, Crime

This is an excerpt from our true crime newsletter, Suspicious Circumstances, which sends the biggest unsolved mysteries, white-collar scandals and captivating cases straight to your inbox every week. Sign up here .

Surveillance footage has become a crucial element of modern criminal investigations, and cases often hinge on video evidence. But several high-profile murder cases remain unsolved despite investigators finding and publicly sharing video of a prime suspect.

Case in point: It seemed like a slam-dunk for investigators when they linked not only DNA of a Maryland woman’s alleged killer to a suspect in a Los Angeles home invasion — they also had doorbell video of the suspect leaving the crime scene.

Despite that video, alongside widely shared flyers about the crimes, six months have passed without a witness to identify the man suspected of killing Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five whose body was found on a hiking trail last summer.

Six months after Morin’s killing, authorities last week released additional sketches of the suspect, hoping it will finally lead to a break in the case. But as it stands, Morin’s killing joins a number of baffling murder cases that remain unsolved despite video evidence of a suspect near a crime scene — or even of the killing itself.

Midlothian Police publicly released video and stills of the suspect in the killing of Terri "Missy" Bevers on April 18, 2016.

Missy Bevers

On April 18, 2016, Terri “Missy” Bevers, a 45-year-old married mother of three daughters, was killed inside the North Texas church where she was scheduled to lead a 5 a.m. fitness class. Surveillance footage captured her driving into the church parking lot at 4:16 and entering the Midlothian Creekside Church at 4:20 a.m., according to a police timeline . One of her bootcamp students found her body just before 5. The person suspected of killing her, investigators said, was first captured on video at 3:50 a.m., so they had been there at least half an hour before Bevers arrived.

Midlothian Police publicly released a chilling two-plus-minute video combining snippets of motion-activated security footage from inside the church that morning. In the nearly soundless footage, a person dressed in what appears to be riot gear, including a helmet, is seen wandering the halls of the church. “Police” can be seen in white block letters on the front and back of their tactical vest. Their movements are unhurried, almost casual, as they open various doors, peek inside, and continue on. Some rooms are locked, and a few times they try to break in, using a large hammer that they casually swing at their side while roaming the halls.

Police have estimated the person in the video to be about 5 feet, 8 inches tall. They emphasized their “ unique walk or gait ,” noting that their feet point outward (“more predominantly” on the right), possibly due to an injury. Investigators couldn’t determine the person’s gender, though one search warrant described the suspect as having a “feminine sway.”

It’s unclear whether the hammer was used in the attack, because police haven’t shared many details about Bevers’ death. They revealed only that Bevers had suffered “ multiple puncture wounds ” on her head and chest, which they said were “consistent with tools the suspect was carrying throughout the building.”

Bevers, who worked for the fitness company Camp Gladiator, posted a message on Facebook to her class the night before her killing. The class, which would normally take place in the parking lot, would be held inside because of rainy weather, she said, writing, “NO EXCUSES… You are Gladiators!” If her killing was targeted, it pointed her killer to exactly where should be — and when — that morning.

Investigators also released video surveillance footage of a sedan, possibly a Nissan Altima, slowly circling the parking lot of a nearby business in the “early morning hours” before Bevers’ killing. The suspect flips the car’s lights off and on “multiple times,” briefly parks, and then leaves.

Nothing from the church was stolen, and investigators found Bevers’ purse, iPad and gun inside her pickup truck.

In one search warrant, investigators claimed to have found evidence that Bevers and her husband, Brandon, were having problems with their marriage and finances , but they confirmed that Brandon was in Mississippi for an annual fishing trip at the time of her death. In a recent interview , he said that he believed his wife’s killing was “ untargeted ,” which contradicts investigators’ theory.

Nearly eight years since Bevers’ killing, investigators have yet to identify a person of interest or make an arrest.

Elizabeth Barraza

Elizabeth “Liz” Barraza was gunned down in her driveway just before sunrise on Jan. 19, 2019. The 29-year-old Houston woman was setting up for a garage sale outside her home when a person walked up and shot her four times with a revolver . Despite video of the shooting from a neighbor’s home security camera, the killer has not been identified. Like the Bevers case, it is unclear whether Barraza’s killer was a man or woman; it was still dark and the cameras were not close enough to capture more than a shadowy figure. Also, authorities have said the killer might have been wearing a disguise: a wig, a long jacket and tall boots .

The suspected shooter was driving a dark-colored four-door Nissan Frontier pickup truck, which security cameras, including the Barrazas’ own doorbell camera, captured driving around the neighborhood before and after the shooting. Investigators believe the driver was waiting for Sergio Barraza to leave for work. After he left, the driver parked on the street near the Barrazas’ home, leaving their headlights on. After firing the last shot, the shooter ran back to the truck and drove away, but authorities said the truck returned, likely to confirm that Barraza was dead . (She died the next day at the hospital.)

According to investigators, Barraza said “good morning” to her killer before they shot her three times point-blank. She can be heard in the video footage screaming as she falls to the ground. The shooter fired a fourth round while Barraza was on her back.

No motive has been identified for the killing. Sergio Barraza, who met his second wife, Amber, about a year and half after Liz’s death, told KHOU-11 last year that he knows he’s “the prime suspect in people’s eyes,” but investigators have never named him as a person of interest. He told the news station that both he and Amber had passed lie detector tests.

Barraza’s husband said the couple planned to use the proceeds from the garage sale for an upcoming trip to Florida to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. The two were both Harry Potter and Star Wars fans, and Barraza often wore a Stormtrooper costume when she volunteered at local hospitals — including the one where she died the day after the shooting .

Kris Jake-Moon

Security cameras captured Kris Jake-Moon, a 31-year-old Native American mother of two, leaving the Oasis Casino in Mesquite, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 1998. Hours later, authorities said, she was beaten to death. In the video, she is seen leaving with several people, including a man in a cowboy hat. He remains a person of interest in her killing but has never been located. A co-worker told investigators that he knew the man only by his first name, and that he never returned to work or collected his paycheck after Jake-Moon’s disappearance, ABC15 reported .

Jake-Moon’s body was found Feb. 16, covered by a blue blanket in a brushy desert area near the Arizona-Nevada border. Mojave County Sheriff’s officials said she had been struck multiple times in her head , and an autopsy concluded she had died from blunt force trauma. Investigators found no evidence to indicate she had been sexually assaulted.

Relatives of Jake-Moon told USA Today that they believe that one reason Jake-Moon’s case remains unsolved is because of a shoddy investigation, emblematic of the uninvestigated and underreported widespread violence against Indigenous people, which the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement is seeking to combat.

Barry and Honey Sherman

The bodies of Canadian billionaire philanthropists Barry and Honey Sherman were found in their Toronto mansion on Dec. 15, 2017. They had been dead for about 36 hours. Despite their wealth and prominence, the case remains unsolved and shrouded in mystery. Investigators are hopeful, however, that surveillance video of an unknown person walking on a sidewalk in their neighborhood on Dec. 13 might someday lead to a break in the case.

The Toronto Police Service shared the video with the public in December of 2021, saying that the walker’s “purpose in the neighborhood is unexplained” and that the timing lines up with when investigators believe the Shermans were killed.

Interestingly, authorities asked people to pay attention to the suspect’s distinctive gait — one of the things that stood out in the videos of the suspect in Missy Bevers’ killing. Authorities determined the person to be between about 5 feet, 6 inches, and 5 feet, 9 inches tall.

Barry Sherman, 75, and his wife, 70, had been married for more than 40 years and had four children, who each stood to inherit one-quarter of the couple’s estate . Barry Sherman, who founded a pharmaceutical company that sold generic drugs, was worth at least $3 billion when he died, according to Forbes.

The initial investigation got off to a rocky start. According to CTV News Toronto , authorities said they found no signs of a break-in and that investigators were not looking for any “outstanding suspects” — suggesting either a murder-suicide or that the couple had both killed themselves.

But according to crime scene and autopsy photos and notes obtained by the Toronto Star , the couple had been killed and their bodies were staged. They were found in a semi-seated position on the deck of their indoor pool, their necks tied to a low railing with men’s leather belts. They were fully clothed, including their shoes, and Barry was wearing his glasses.

The Shermans’ relatives hired a private investigator and paid a more experienced pathologist to conduct second autopsies. That pathologist determined that the couple had been bound at the wrists and strangled with ligatures significantly thinner than the leather belts. No bindings or ligatures matching his findings were found at the scene.

On Jan. 26, 2018, authorities announced at a news conference that the Shermans’ deaths were a “targeted” double homicide.

The family has originally offered a reward of $10 million (Canadian dollars) for information that could help solve the crime. In December 2022, the couple’s son announced that the family had added another $25 million , bringing the total reward to $35 million. No one has publicly come forward to identify the man walking in the surveillance video.

Libby German and Abby Williams (the Delphi killings)

More than five years after the bodies of 14-year-old Libby German and 13-year-old Abby Williams were found near a hiking trail in Delphi, Indiana, on Feb. 14, 2017, authorities announced they had arrested and charged a local man, Richard Allen, with their killings. Grainy video of a man walking on a bridge — filmed by one of the alleged killer’s victims — gained nationwide attention after it was circulated by police.

But there was a problem: Nobody in Delphi recognized Allen, despite video and audio evidence recovered from German’s cellphone, in which the suspect said, “Guys, down the hill.” Investigators had apparently unearthed a 2017 interview Allen gave with a police officer in which he placed himself at the scene when the girls disappeared.

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The Ethicist

I Witnessed a Murder. Is It Wrong to Write About It?

The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether we have the right to tell the story of someone else’s tragedy.

how to write a news article about murders

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

Recently, I rented a private office in a co-working space so I could work on personal writing projects. About two weeks into my tenure, I heard screams. When I went to investigate, I saw a man beating someone savagely with a metal pipe. I ran to my office, called 911 and then returned, only to see the man walking in my direction. I ran back to my office and hid until the police arrived. The victim — she was the office manager — was rushed to the hospital, where she was declared dead. The story that emerged is that the man, a fellow client who had been living in his office, was being evicted by the office manager.

Because I’m a writer, it’s not surprising that a number of my friends — writers and nonwriters alike — have asked whether I am writing about this story. Yet, from the beginning, I have struggled to even talk about what I witnessed. I do not want to dine out on it.

It feels unseemly to me, if not outright wrong, to take advantage of my very accidental connection to this murder and its victim. I am troubled by the idea of viewing another woman’s death as “material.” What are the ethics of writing about what is, at heart, someone else’s tragedy? Name Withheld

It’s worth recalling that “tragedy,” a word we use to describe events like this one, originally designated a literary genre, a form of storytelling. Whatever is going on in us when we experience a tragic narrative — Aristotle wasn’t the last to speculate about it — we surely learn something about our own emotional repertory; it may serve as a rehearsal of our responses to actual horrors. Classic novels have taken inspiration from real homicides; nonfiction works immortalizing such events have joined the literary canon, too.

There’s no single way of narrating an event, however banal, however horrific.

“We dream in narrative, daydream in narrative, remember, anticipate, hope, despair, believe, doubt, plan, revise, criticize, construct, gossip, learn, hate and love by narrative,” the literary scholar Barbara Hardy maintained. “In order really to live, we make up stories about ourselves and others, about the personal as well as the social past and future.” But to whom does a story of a homicide belong? Is it shared by the perpetrator and the victim? Is it inherited as part of someone’s estate, like a piece of property? Is it a possession only of those who cared deeply about the life that was taken, or about the person who took it? Whose is it?

We’ll do better, in my view, if we don’t think about what happened as someone’s possession. To regard what happened merely as material for your writing, to be sure, would be to lose track of the fact that it was an event in which another human being suffered terribly and died. And it’s a natural anxiety that the friends and family of the murdered woman would be pained by what you might write. Yet they don’t own the event; indeed, there’s a sense in which it really did happen to you as well. Certainly your own experience, at once accidental and terrifying, was unique. Intimacy with your principals can be valuable for a writer; so can distance. That’s because there’s no single way of narrating an event, however banal, however horrific. And nobody has the “lived experience” of having been killed. Writing about the event you witnessed will be justified if what you write has value.

My elderly mother lives halfway across the country. Her eyesight is impaired, but she is otherwise very healthy and lively. She lives independently and has managed to stretch her modest financial resources to last for three decades since my father died. My brother lives in the same town as my mother. He has been battling depression for many years. He is on medication and sees a therapist, but he has been unemployed for several years and receives no public assistance. He lives in a nice apartment, drives a nice car and has lots of “stuff.” My mother supports him by depositing money directly into his account.

We don’t know how much money she has left — she doesn’t like discussing her finances — but it can’t be much, as my parents were never wealthy. My mother and the rest of us avoid confronting my brother about his situation; he tends to blow up and get very angry and emotional when we do so. His depression apparently keeps him from applying for benefits or seeking even part-time employment, although we have all encouraged him to take those steps. I’m worried about making it too easy for him to continue in his current situation, and I’m not comfortable giving him money directly. I’m also concerned that he may have racked up a huge amount of credit-card debt buying things he doesn’t need. I send money to my mother from time to time, but I have serious qualms about doing so, because the funds I send to her end up going toward maintaining my brother. How can I reconcile my desire to help my mother financially with my frustration about my inability to change my brother’s unsustainable situation? Name Withheld

Depression may not be a full accounting of your brother’s condition. Psychiatric research suggests that people with personality disorders — as you might find in people who respond to well-intended efforts to help with outbursts of rage, or who are spendthrift with other people’s limited resources — often struggle with major depression too. But we can leave diagnosis for the professionals. The point is that you’ve concluded your brother won’t change his habits so long as he can depend on your mother’s support, and that, in the longer term, your mother can’t really afford to keep it up.

Those are reasonable concerns. Your mother may, like many elderly people, come to need daily assistance of some sort. And whether it involves home caregivers or a move to a facility, that’s likely to increase her expenses. Neither she nor your brother is facing up to the possibility that her funds will run out at some point. Given the risks of a dire outcome, your mother’s reluctance to discuss her finances isn’t a sufficient reason not to press her for a sense of her circumstances. If she’s embarrassed to discuss these things with family, perhaps you could persuade her to talk to a financial planner. You refer to other family members. You could all work together on making this happen.

It would be good, too, if you could join forces to improve your brother’s situation. There are public programs (including the disability benefits provided by the Social Security Administration and by Medicaid) that are set up to help those who, owing to their physical or mental condition, are unable to hold a job. A legal professional might be able to figure out how he could receive whatever benefits he’s legally eligible for, rather than living off someone on a fixed income.

You say he responds badly to family interventions. You might seek family counseling in order to help you all sort through what’s going on. All of you have your reasons for letting things coast (your brother will blow up, your mother will shut down, it will be unpleasant in a dozen ways). But all of you have stronger reasons for heading off a disaster.

I recently left a job that I worked at for a short period of time before accepting a better opportunity. My former boss insisted that I leave her my personal cellphone number in case questions came up. I briefly trained someone who will take on some of my responsibilities, and I do anticipate some questions will arise, because this person is not an expert for the business unit that I was employed in. But I’m not sure I am obliged to answer them or to be responsible for anything once I surrendered my ID and laptop. (To reduce company costs, my former boss will not be hiring my replacement anytime soon, if ever.) I expect to be fairly busy with my new job, and probably do not want the headache of explaining something that I have already gone over at length with my former place of employment. Thoughts? Name Withheld

It’s a fine thing to maintain a healthy relationship with your previous employers. But once you stop working for someone, you aren’t obliged to go on providing free services. If you don’t have the time to consult, just say so. And if you do, you can decide that you’ll charge a consulting fee.

Kwame Anthony Appiah teaches philosophy at N.Y.U. His books include “Cosmopolitanism,” “The Honor Code” and “The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity.” To submit a query: Send an email to [email protected]; or send mail to The Ethicist, The New York Times Magazine, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018. (Include a daytime phone number.)

The Ethicist’s Answers to Your Moral Quandaries

Kwame anthony appiah helps us handle the tricky situations that put our values to the test..

Is Shoplifting OK if the Shop Owner Is Awful?: How bad a theft is depends on how it affects the welfare of others .

Do I Have to Make Nice With My Nephew?: If you’re not cut out for sharing space with kids , let alone helping care for him, you should be frank about it

Do I Share Shocking Ancestry Results With My Family?: This information is relevant to your relationship with these people, and it would be a betrayal of trust not to share it .

A Fellow Cop Let My Father-In-Law Slide. What to Do?: You’ll have to decide whether reporting the behavior of the police officer  is a risk worth taking.

My Son Is a Webcam Model. Should I Be Troubled?: There’s nothing hypocritical about compartmentalizing a cam gig .  

My Friend Is Bad With Money. Should I Tell His Companions?: A financial therapist, who combines coaching about managing finances with psychotherapy , might be able to help.

To submit a question to the Ethicist, send an email to [email protected].  To receive advice directly in your inbox, sign up for the Ethicist newsletter .

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What to know about the Minnesota shooting that killed 2 police officers and a firefighter

Two police officers and a first responder were shot and killed early Sunday and a third officer was injured in a Burnsville, Minneapolis home in an exchange of gunfire while responding to a call involving an armed man who had barricaded himself inside with family. Officials say the suspect in the shooting also died. The shooting claimed the lives of two 27-year-old officers and a 40-year-old first responder. Seven children were in the home, but officials say the family was able to leave safely. A Burnsville police official said a sergeant was hospitalized with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries. (Feb. 19)

Taylor Jacobs, center, who was with Burnsville Police for 10 years, embraced members of the department's honor guard Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024 outside the Ballad-Sunder Funeral and Cremation in Jordan, Minn. Two young police officers and a firefighter-paramedic were killed in a burst of gunfire Sunday as they responded to a domestic disturbance call in the Minneapolis suburb of Burnsville. Another officer also was injured, and the man identified as the shooter fatally shot himself, police said. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

Taylor Jacobs, center, who was with Burnsville Police for 10 years, embraced members of the department’s honor guard Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024 outside the Ballad-Sunder Funeral and Cremation in Jordan, Minn. Two young police officers and a firefighter-paramedic were killed in a burst of gunfire Sunday as they responded to a domestic disturbance call in the Minneapolis suburb of Burnsville. Another officer also was injured, and the man identified as the shooter fatally shot himself, police said. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

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Photos of Burnsville police officers, from left, Paul Elmstrand, Matthew Ruge and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth are displayed during a community vigil, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024 in Burnsville, Minn. Members of the community gathered to honor the three first responders, who were killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic situation Sunday, Feb. 18. A fourth police officer, also shot by the suspect, was wounded and is recovering. (Mara H. Gottfried/Pioneer Press via AP)

Jacob Swartout, a Sergeant with Savage Police, bumps his fist against the bumper of a fallen officer’s squad car Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024 outside the Burnsville Police Station in Burnsville, Minn. Two young police officers and a firefighter-paramedic were killed in a burst of gunfire Sunday as they responded to a domestic disturbance call in the Minneapolis suburb of Burnsville. Another officer also was injured, and the man identified as the shooter fatally shot himself, police said. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

This undated photo released by the City of Burnsville shows Burnsville firefighter and paramedic Adam Finseth. Two police officers and Finseth were shot and killed early Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, and a third officer was injured at a suburban Minneapolis home while responding to a call involving an armed man who had barricaded himself inside with family. (City of Burnsville via AP)

This undated photo released by the City of Burnsville shows Burnsville police officer Paul Elmstrand. Two police officers, including Elmstrand, and a first responder were shot and killed early Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, and a third officer was injured at a suburban Minneapolis home while responding to a call involving an armed man who had barricaded himself inside with family. (City of Burnsville via AP)

This undated photo released by the City of Burnsville shows Burnsville police officer Matthew Ruge. Two police officers, including Ruge, and a first responder were shot and killed early Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, and a third officer was injured at a suburban Minneapolis home while responding to a call involving an armed man who had barricaded himself inside with family. (City of Burnsville via AP)

This photo provided by The City of Burnsville, Minn., shows Sgt. Adam Medlicott. Two police officers and a first responder were shot and killed early Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024 at a home in n Burnsville, Minn. Medlicott, was injured and being treated at a hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries, the city said. (The City of Burnsville, Minn., via AP)

This booking photo provided by Dakota County Sheriff’s Office shows Shannon Gooden, on Aug. 29, 2007. Authorities on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, identified 38-year-old Gooden as the man who opened fire on police in the suburb of Burnsville, in Minneapolis, after they responded to a domestic disturbance call early Sunday. Two police officers and a firefighter-paramedic were killed and the man identified as the shooter fatally shot himself, police said. (Dakota County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

Burnsville, Minn. , Mayor Elizabeth Kautz speaks during a vigil outside Burnsville City Hall, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, for Burnsville Police Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth, who were killed in the line of duty on Feb. 18, 2024. From left to right are Burnsville City Council Member Dan Gustafson, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Minneapolis police chaplains David Engman and Scott Brekke. (Mara H. Gottfried/Pioneer Press via AP)

A poster sits the grass outside the Burnsville, Minn. police station, where people could leave handwritten messages, during a vigil, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, for Burnsville Police Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth, who were killed in the line of duty on Feb. 18, 2024. (Mara H. Gottfried/Pioneer Press via AP)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Investigators are still piecing together what happened when two police officers and a firefighter were slain while responding to a domestic incident at home in suburban Minneapolis.

The three were killed early Sunday by a man who began shooting from the home in Burnsville, a city of around 64,000 that’s about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of downtown Minneapolis, investigators say. Seven children were inside.

The fallen first responders were Burnsville Police Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27, and Adam Finseth, 40, a firefighter and paramedic who was assigned to the city’s SWAT team. A third officer, Sgt. Adam Medlicott, was wounded and is recovering at home.

The gunman, Shannon Gooden, 38, of Burnsville, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, the medical examiner said. Court records show he wasn’t legally allowed to have guns because of his criminal record and had been entangled in a yearslong dispute over the custody and financial support of his three oldest children.

Here’s a look at what’s known — and not known — about the shootings:

Zach Osterberg, of the Savage Fire Department, hugs his son Lincoln as they paid their respect at three memorials in front of the Burnsville Police Department in Burnsville, Minn., Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. Two police officers and a first responder were shot and killed early Sunday and a third officer was injured at a suburban Minneapolis home in an exchange of gunfire while responding to a call involving an armed man who had barricaded himself inside with family. (Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via AP)

WHAT’S KNOWN

Police got a 911 call around 1:50 a.m. Sunday about a “domestic situation where a man was reported to be armed and barricaded with family members in the home,” according to Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension , which is leading the investigation. That included seven children ages 2 to 15 years. Evans declined to say which resident called.

The arriving officers “spent quite a bit of time” negotiating with Gooden, Evans told reporters Sunday. At some point — he declined to specify when — Gooden opened fire.

Gooden was “reported to be deceased in the home” around 8 a.m., Evans said, and the children and other family members were later able to escape. The superintendent declined to say how long officers negotiated with him.

WHAT ISN’T KNOWN

Because the case is still under investigation, the BCA hasn’t released more than broad outlines of what transpired. That’s common in major cases as investigators gather evidence. But that also leaves major gaps in the narrative.

Evans declined to say what kind of weapons Gooden had, except that investigators found “several guns and large amounts of ammunition.”

Authorities haven’t said how Gooden obtained the guns . Court records show the state barred him from possessing firearms after he pleaded guilty in 2008, when he was 22, to second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors said he threw rocks and pulled a knife on a man in a shopping mall parking lot. He unsuccessfully petitioned a court in 2020 to have his gun rights restored.

BCA spokeswoman Bonney Bowman said the bureau didn’t plan to issue any updates Wednesday but may issue a news release by the end of the week.

People gather at a candlelight vigil after two police officers and a first responder were shot and killed Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in Burnsville, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

People gather at a candlelight vigil after two police officers and a first responder were shot and killed Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in Burnsville, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

THE VICTIMS

Elmstrand, who grew up in North Branch, joined the Burnsville Police Department in 2017 as a community service officer and became a full-fledged officer in 2019. He was a member of the mobile command staff.

Ruge, who grew up in Wabasha, joined the force in 2020. He was part of the crisis negotiations team.

Finseth was an Army veteran from Rochester who was twice deployed to Iraq. He joined the fire department in 2019.

Medlicott joined the police force in 2014 and was promoted to sergeant in 2022. He was named Burnsville Officer of the Year in 2020.

People attend a candlelight vigil after two police officers and a first responder were shot and killed Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in Burnsville, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

People attend a candlelight vigil after two police officers and a first responder were shot and killed Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in Burnsville, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

THE POLITICAL ANGLE

Lawmakers who support stronger gun safety laws were reluctant Wednesday to link their proposals to the Burnsville tragedy. They held a news conference to highlight bills that would mandate reporting of lost and stolen firearms, tighten requirements for safe storage of guns and ammunition at homes, and secure new funding for violence prevention services.

“What we do know are real people are losing real lives that mean a lot to them. And we must continue to have these conversations to put things in place to stop this and prevent it from happening,” said Rep. Cedrick Frazier, a Democrat from New Hope.

Rob Doar, a lobbyist for the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, said it’s too early to speculate on what could have been done to prevent the shootings, given that authorities haven’t said how Gooden got the guns.

THE COMMUNITY AND STATE MOURN

Flags have been flying at half-staff at public and other buildings across Minnesota. People gathered Sunday and Tuesday outside Burnsville City Hall for candlelight vigils.

Processions of emergency vehicles escorted the victims’ bodies from the medical examiner to a funeral home Monday and Tuesday, passing under several bridges where firefighters stood on their parked engines and flew American flags in tribute.

The city is steering people who want to contribute to the victims’ families to a site run by the union that represents Burnsville officers, Law Enforcement Labor Services.

how to write a news article about murders

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  1. Newspaper Article Edna Bailey Murder Charge 1974

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  3. Holiday murder unsolved 20 years later

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  4. 3 Clear and Easy Ways to Write a News Report

    how to write a news article about murders

  5. Newspaper coverage of the murders. The bodies were discovered Jan. 5, 1970

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Write a Crime Article

    For example, you might use terms such as "assailant," "arson," "embezzlement," "domestic abuse," "larceny," "prostitution," "trespassing," "charged," "witness," "crime scene investigator," "detective," "accessory," "conviction" or "aggravated assault" to clearly explain what happened.

  2. 10 Tips: How to Write a News Article About Murders in 2024

    1. Understanding the Importance of Accurate Reporting When writing a news article about murders in 2024, it is crucial to prioritize accuracy in your reporting. The public relies on journalists to provide them with reliable information, and any inaccuracies can have serious consequences.

  3. Crime Reporting: How to Write about Criminal Activities

    Don't try too hard. You're not writing a Hollywood screenplay. You are writing a quick, easy-to-read news brief that tells the reader about a recent crime. If you absolutely must use cop slang in your crime reporting, then keep it with actual dialogue from the police themselves. If they say it as a quote, then OK.

  4. Murders and Attempted Murders

    Letters The Killings at a Jerusalem Synagogue Readers react to the tragedy in Israel. Sinosphere When Calls for Revenge Overwhelm China's Courts As the top court tries to shift the nation away from...

  5. Chapter 37: Writing about crime

    Chapter 37: Writing about crime In the first two chapters of this four-chapter section, we looked at the practical aspects of reporting crime. Here we suggest how to write about crime effectively and also avoid some of the pitfalls of poor writing. In the final chapter we will discuss the ethics of crime reporting.

  6. How journalists cover mass shootings: Research to consider

    Journalism Practice, 2019. Researchers analyzed news coverage of mass shootings in Las Vegas in 2017 and Orlando in 2016 to determine whether there are differences in the way journalists portrayed the two perpetrators — an American Muslim of Afghani origin and a white, non-Muslim American. They found big differences.

  7. Covering Breaking News: Interviewing Victims and Survivors

    The story you write about the people you interview will be an article your sources keep forever as a memento and historical artifact. Be aware of how you tell the story and know that the story will impact the people you interviewed and others impacted by the traumatic event. Talk with your friends, family, advisor or editor.

  8. A Shift in Crime

    A drop in murders. First, the good news: Murders in major cities have fallen by 4 percent so far in 2022, compared with the same period in 2021. Shootings nationwide have fallen 2 percent. The ...

  9. How the Spike in Murders Impacted the U.S.

    By German Lopez. Jan. 18, 2022. In 2020, murders in the United States spiked more than 27 percent — the largest percentage increase in at least six decades. Last year, murders went up again ...

  10. PDF Sample News Release Traditional Media

    about crime in your community. Sample News Release You can use the sample news release in this section as a guide to help write your own NCVRW release, or to provide a model for colleagues to use in publicizing your local events. The news release announces National Crime Vic-tims' Rights Week, explains the theme, quotes the director

  11. 10 Tips on How to Write Believable Crime and Murder Scenes

    1. Understand the mechanism of death. Every human dies because the central nervous system gets unplugged. This happens in many ways, but primarily either the cardiopulmonary system stops, which tells the brain to shut down, or the brain stops, which tells the heart and lungs to give up.

  12. How to Write a News Article

    Regardless of the type of news article you're writing, it should always include the facts of the story, a catchy but informative headline, a summary of events in paragraph form, and interview quotes from expert sources or of public sentiment about the event.

  13. The nature of newspaper coverage of homicide

    Objectives: Previous research has shown that some homicides are more likely than others to receive newspaper coverage (for example, homicides by strangers). The present investigation examined whether, once the decision has been made to report on a homicide, the nature of the coverage (that is, how much visibility is given to a story, what information is included, and how a story is written ...

  14. How to Get Away with Writing about Murder

    3. Know when to take a step back. Thirty years before she wrote Shallow Graves, Boyle reported on the New Bedford Highway Killings as a journalist for The Standard-Times. She admits that the mystery surrounding the killer's identity weighed on her heavily back then. "I was obsessed by this case," she said.

  15. How should I start a newspaper article about Duncan's murder in Macbeth

    The first step in writing a news story about the murder of Duncan in Macbeth by William Shakespeare is understanding the structure of most breaking news stories. Newspapers generally use a format ...

  16. How Reporters Can Write Great Follow-up News Stories

    The Lede The key to writing an effective follow-up story starts with the lede. You can't write the same lede every day for a story that continues over an extended period of time. Instead, you must construct a fresh lede each day, one that reflects the latest developments in the story.

  17. How to Write Crime Stories: 13 Steps (with Pictures)

    1 Try working backward. Most crime stories begin with the crime, and this can be a handy technique for the author as well. Briefly describe an exciting or mysterious crime scene: jewels disappearing from inside a locked safe, a fortune teller found dead in a canoe, or the prime minister's secretary caught carrying a bomb into 10 Downing Street.

  18. How to Write a News Article: 14 Steps (with Pictures)

    Part 1 Planning Your Article Download Article 1 Research your topic. To begin writing a news article, you need to research the topic you will be writing about extensively. In order to have a credible, well written, well-structured article, you have to know the topic well.

  19. Writing about Murder: Really Useful Links by Lucy O'Callaghan

    Lucy O'Callaghan. 29 June 2023. Murders on TV shows and in movies can feel very real but writing murder scenes in a novel is very different and can be hard to do effectively. It is important to realise that most murderers don't kill someone because they're crazy. This does happen sometimes, but it is more likely that a character's ...

  20. How to Write a News Story

    1. Select a newsworthy story. Your goal is to give a timely account of a recent, interesting, and significant event or development. 2. Think about your goals and objectives in writing the story. What will the readers want and need to know about the subject? How can you best tell the story? 3.

  21. How to Write a Newspaper Headline: 12 Steps (with Pictures)

    1 Understand the key elements of a newspaper headline. A good newspaper headline will be factually correct, connect to ordinary readers, attract attention using active words, and match the tone of the article. Accuracy is very important when writing a newspaper headline, as you do not want to create an unintended meaning or confuse your reader.

  22. Crime writer George Pelecanos on 'Owning Up' in his new story ...

    Keren Carrión/NPR. As personal as "The No-Knock" is, Pelecanos calls the title story in the collection his most autobiographical. It's about a kid in the 70s named Nikos who works a job where he ...

  23. Headlines

    Today a reader is just as likely to come across an article by reading a list of search engine results as by scanning a newspaper page. Headlines should be clear and specific, telling the reader what the story is about, and be interesting enough to draw them into reading the article. 5-10 words at the most. should be accurate and specific.

  24. 5 Murder Cases That Remain Unsolved Despite Video Evidence

    Security cameras captured Kris Jake-Moon, a 31-year-old Native American mother of two, leaving the Oasis Casino in Mesquite, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 1998. Hours later, authorities said, she was beaten to death. In the video, she is seen leaving with several people, including a man in a cowboy hat.

  25. I Witnessed a Murder. Is It Wrong to Write About It?

    The Ethicist I Witnessed a Murder. Is It Wrong to Write About It? The magazine's Ethicist columnist on whether we have the right to tell the story of someone else's tragedy. 233 IIlustration by...

  26. Kansas City shooting believed to have stemmed from personal dispute

    Baker vowed to "get answers" in a post on X Thursday morning, writing in part, "I will use every tool at my disposal under Missouri law that allows me to address this tragedy.". The ...

  27. US immigration and crime questions, answered by criminologists

    A new Pew survey finds that 57% of Americans say the large number of migrants seeking to enter the country leads to more crime. But scholars who have crunched past data say there's essentially ...

  28. What we know about the Minnesota shooting

    People attend a candlelight vigil after two police officers and a first responder were shot and killed Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in Burnsville, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) Flags in Minnesota have been lowered to half-staff in honor of those killed. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged people walking past them to remember the fallen first responders.