Omika Jikaria: The Type A Teenager

This was a very well done story. I think that the reporter did a good job combining pictures with audio. He let Omika tell her own story and then highlighted this story with pictures of her activities and awards. I think that beginning and ending with pictures of Omika working while on the subway did a very good job of highlighting her propensity for working all the time.


Rivka Karasik: The Religious Runaway

I also enjoyed this story. I think it was interesting how it started with Rivka explaining how she felt while in the community that she left with pictures of people in that community running in the background. This helped to give a sense of what sort of life she lived without her needing to explain all the details. Instead, she could just explain how she reacted to this situation. I think that the short text blurb for this story was important because it gave a few of the details not brought out in the story. Especially important i think was that she grew up in the Lubavitch community of Hasidic Jews. this just helps put the story in context without distracting the audience from the mood of the story.

Andrew Baum: The Rookie Detective

This was a very interesting story. Part of the interest of course is just the subject: who wouldn't want to hear about a private investigator? But the reporter did a good job of highlighting the interesting stories and letting Andrew explain things. I liked the fact that they left in his laugh a couple times: it gave the story authenticity and helped you pay more attention to what he was saying because he thought it was funny.

What Killed Sergeant Gray--American Radio Works

I listened to most of this story, and it was very well done. There is a good mix of narration and quotes from different soldiers. The reporters were able to interview several people who shared their views and experiences, so the story was not limited to one person's knowledge.

A guardian of the Unknown Soldiers--USA Today

This story had less emotion than I would have expected. It was a good slideshow, and it was very interesting, but I think that a story with this topic could have been more compelling to watch. I think this could have been done well with less talking and maybe more music. I liked how it ended with the bugle music, so maybe some more of that would work well.

Musical Maysie

unfortunately, my computer will not open this slideshow

edit: I was able to open this story
This story was amazing. It was very touching. I think that the orchestra music in the background added a lot to this piece. not only was it good for setting the scene (because the topic was violin playing) but it also set the mood. Letting Maysie tell her own story was key. It was great to hear her own innocent and naive perspective on life, and then when the other people in the story pointed it out you knew her well enough to agree with them. The pictures also helped a lot. I liked how they were sort of darker and subdued because that fit well with the story. This whole piece just flowed very well and helped to convey the mood and the story of this young girl in a beautiful way.

Ski Cross Brings Excitement, Danger To Olympics


I enjoyed this story for the most part. They did a good job of incorporating natural sound into the piece. This was especially true for the sounds of the skiers coming out of the start gate and then later on the collective groan of the crowd when one of the competitors fell. The reporter used several different sources, which was good. We were able to hear several different points of view on this new sport. One change that I would have made was keeping in a quote that must have been taken out: the narrator said that someone described ski cross as a “carnage fest,” and I think this would have been one quote that would definitely benefit from the voice of the actual speaker.


Texting Underground Can Save Lives And Caves


The story “Texting Underground can save Lives” was another solid story. The reporter did a good job of interviewing the kid who is involved in the story: there was a quote from someone talking about the boy saying that he is really good, and then a quote from the boy basically proving that. Throughout the story, there are good examples used and very good descriptions of the people involved in the story.


Act One. Tornado Prom.


This story was a very good one. It gives out a nice picture of small town life to begin with. The reporter made good use of the natural sound in this story, with sounds such as music, talking, singing, and the chaos of a high school dance have been recorded. The reporter also gets very good quotes throughout the story. The quotes about prom, what it is like, what the dresses, etc. are very small town oriented and therefore fit with the story. On the other hand, this story had a lot of information that made it a bigger story. The quotes from the highschoolers from after the tornado were very touching. The whole story was realistic and down to earth.