By Proxy

Terrence Elshawe sits in his cluttered office, pipe in hand, the picture of a research reporter who never fits the glossy image of a television newsman. When his unconventional boss, Oler Winstein, drops by with a half‑whispered idea, the pair step into a world where the real digging behind the headlines is a solitary craft, yet one that can only survive through uneasy collaboration. Their conversation hints at a mysterious figure—Malcolm Porter—who could become the catalyst for a story that might upend the polished façade of Magnum Telenews.

The novel pulls back the curtain on a media empire built on staged personalities and polished faces, revealing the quiet, often overlooked labor that fuels the broadcast spectacle. As Elshawe grapples with his own quirks and Winstein’s relentless quest for fresh angles, readers are invited to ponder how truth is assembled, who gets to shape it, and what happens when the process itself becomes a dangerous experiment. The first act sets a tone of dry humor and sharp observation, promising a thoughtful look at the machinery behind the news we trust.