This episode was co-written by actor Alec Baldwin, who based the episode in part on his own experiences with tabloid journalism.
The victim, whose face is never seen, is named Maggie Abbott. That was also the name of Tom Hanks' dead wife, Maggie Abbott (Baldwin) in Sleepless in Seattle (1993). That role was played by actress Carey Lowell, who plays Jamie Ross, the assistant to ADA Jack McCoy.
Ironically, Alec Baldwin later played a journalist in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) episode "Criminal Stories (2014)".
Adam Schiff makes a comment about how the death of the victim will give the New York tabloids an even worse reputation, like the death of a Princess did for tabloids in Europe. He is referring to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Discussing the ethics of journalism, Adam Schiff said 'The public still remembers a mangled car in a Paris tunnel.' This is a reference to paparazzi harassment initially believed to have been the cause of the death of Diana, the Princess of Wales, in a car crash in a Paris road tunnel.