Ripped from the headlines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Ripped from the headlines" is an adjectival phrase to describe a storyline in a fictional work that parallels or seems to be inspired by true events reported in print media, usually within the weeks or months prior to the appearance of the fictional work. The phrase creates the image of a printed article being ripped out of a newspaper or magazine for further use.
The phrase may first have been popularized in promotional advertising for the fictional television crime drama Law & Order, which featured many storylines of this type. The underlying concept of drawing details for fictional works from actual events, however, long predates the use of this actual phrase.
