Former UPI and AP newsman James O. Clifford of Redwood City has written a novel that draws upon his experiences in the news business. “Philip’s Code: No News is Good News to a Killer” recounts the story of a reporter Phil Davis. Here’s a link for more information about the novel. It includes this blurb:

“This nuts and bolts story is Journalism 101 for anyone who ever wondered who decides what is news and what isn’t. It is, to use a favored news media term, a ‘whistle blower.’ With more levels than an elevator shaft, it is also a gripping crime novel in which a man says goodbye to everything he loved, including his soul.”

Like Phil Davis, Clifford spent 40 years in news — a career split between United Press International and Associated Press. His honors include the UPI Broadcast Excellence Award and the San Francisco Press Club’s feature story award for a series on the ethnic history of California. He was the AP’s San Francisco Bay area broadcast editor when he retired in 2000. He lives with his wife, Peggy, in Redwood City, where they raised seven children.