The foundation of this piece is some really solid reporting. Nick has tied together a lot of perspectives on the evolution of farming in the Mid-Atlantic, and the "informational" tag is certainly appropriate; I now know a lot more about CSAs, the effect of changing farm sizes, and . I feel like the one thing this piece could use work on is fitting into a larger narrative...it starts out talking about farmer's markets and ends with huge environmental issues related to food use. When it comes to environmental issues, especially stuff like agriculture, which to many is unfortunately not too inherently exciting, you have to really take every effort to keep people's attention. Incorporating all this information into more of a story could have taken this piece into the stratosphere. But still, this clearly took a lot of really solid reporting, and those skills are just about the most valuable things a young journalist can have.
This is one of my absolute favorite youth radio pieces! It takes some really great twists and turns. Some technical aspects which stand out: great use of sound and music (the call with grandpa was really well integrated into the piece especially) and Lacy's voice was very engaging throughout the entire story. It might have to get cut a little at points to be played, (maybe start with some of the longer music portions.) but that 14 minutes still went by amazingly fast, and kept my attention riveted the entire time.
I really love the idea behind this piece: I think spotlighting what youth activists are doing, especially when it comes to environmental issues*, is really important. Unequal water distribution, plastic bag consumption, and working with farmworkers are all really cool, interesting, and underexposed environmental issues. I always love hearing the stories of people working at the grassroots level. I think you guys definitely had the content, but these kinds of stories really call for natural sound. I'd love to hear Josh playing tennis, or hear what a meeting of the angsty teen eco warriors sounds like. I know this requires a lot more work and planning and effort, but using audio beyond interviews is one of the best ways to get people to remember and take meaning from your piece. So in conclusion, you guys have a lot of really good content, and a lot to be proud of, but need some natural sound to take these kinds of pieces to the next level.
It also may have been good to have one person do the introduction and transitions between each activist, because it gets a little hard to tell who's talking and what's going on.
*Even though I'm writing this review as the as part of the editorial environmental board, I also wanted to note that spotlighting queer youth activist groups is also awesome.
I think Dolna chose a good format for this talk with the Bioneers, linking different pieces of the interview with small bits of narration. My favorite parts of the interview were when you specifically asked them for stories they were very memorable and showed some really concrete impact. The one big thing I think you left out of your piece was basic information about the Bioneers conference itself. I was left with a lot of questions: where is the conference? How often is it? Is there a website? Is there any way I could get involved? Maybe you could have faded the song down and given basic contact info at the end. Also, it would have been cool to hear your questions on tape with the Bioneers a little more: I liked the one you left in.
Hearing the different international voices in this piece is really cool; they have awesome perspectives on what it’s like to be in America and environmental issues and organizing in their home countries. Kayla definitely did a great job with interviewing, selecting clips, and setting them up. And the ending is super cute and just perfect for the piece. But, the area where I think this story could improve in its structure. The lead doesn’t really set you up for what’s to come, and it would be cool to know that all these students are working on environmental issues for this one specific organization. With a firmer structure for the larger story in place, the individuals’ stories in the interviews will really shine.
I thought this was an awesome idea for a piece. Using Dr. Seuss is a really cool way of looking at environmental issues which I think connects with a lot of people. I really enjoy how melodic this piece is, and how Grace continues in the book’s tone from the beginning. The song really anchors the piece well too. All that said, a couple caveats; the tone of the piece can verge into getting preachy, which you really have to be careful about with environmental issues, because then people may tune out. Also, I think the piece could have been tightened up a bit in places, maybe by shortening some of the music interludes and cutting out a few parts. But overall, these complaints are pretty minor. Now it’s time for me to go check out the Lorax from the library.
Comments by Diego Ruiz
Comment for "City Farmers City"
Diego Ruiz
Posted on March 15, 2009 at 03:30 PM | Permalink
Youth Editorial Environmental Board Review of "City Farmers City"
The foundation of this piece is some really solid reporting. Nick has tied together a lot of perspectives on the evolution of farming in the Mid-Atlantic, and the "informational" tag is certainly appropriate; I now know a lot more about CSAs, the effect of changing farm sizes, and . I feel like the one thing this piece could use work on is fitting into a larger narrative...it starts out talking about farmer's markets and ends with huge environmental issues related to food use. When it comes to environmental issues, especially stuff like agriculture, which to many is unfortunately not too inherently exciting, you have to really take every effort to keep people's attention. Incorporating all this information into more of a story could have taken this piece into the stratosphere. But still, this clearly took a lot of really solid reporting, and those skills are just about the most valuable things a young journalist can have.
Comment for "How the West was Won"
Diego Ruiz
Posted on March 14, 2009 at 10:52 PM | Permalink
Review of How the West Was Won
This is one of my absolute favorite youth radio pieces! It takes some really great twists and turns. Some technical aspects which stand out: great use of sound and music (the call with grandpa was really well integrated into the piece especially) and Lacy's voice was very engaging throughout the entire story. It might have to get cut a little at points to be played, (maybe start with some of the longer music portions.) but that 14 minutes still went by amazingly fast, and kept my attention riveted the entire time.
Comment for "We've Got the Power: Austin's Youth Activism"
Diego Ruiz
Posted on February 28, 2009 at 03:27 PM | Permalink
YEEB review of Austin's Youth Activism
I really love the idea behind this piece: I think spotlighting what youth activists are doing, especially when it comes to environmental issues*, is really important. Unequal water distribution, plastic bag consumption, and working with farmworkers are all really cool, interesting, and underexposed environmental issues. I always love hearing the stories of people working at the grassroots level. I think you guys definitely had the content, but these kinds of stories really call for natural sound. I'd love to hear Josh playing tennis, or hear what a meeting of the angsty teen eco warriors sounds like. I know this requires a lot more work and planning and effort, but using audio beyond interviews is one of the best ways to get people to remember and take meaning from your piece. So in conclusion, you guys have a lot of really good content, and a lot to be proud of, but need some natural sound to take these kinds of pieces to the next level.
It also may have been good to have one person do the introduction and transitions between each activist, because it gets a little hard to tell who's talking and what's going on.
*Even though I'm writing this review as the as part of the editorial environmental board, I also wanted to note that spotlighting queer youth activist groups is also awesome.
Comment for "The Bioneers"
Diego Ruiz
Posted on February 14, 2009 at 04:44 PM | Permalink
YEEB review of the Bioneers
I think Dolna chose a good format for this talk with the Bioneers, linking different pieces of the interview with small bits of narration. My favorite parts of the interview were when you specifically asked them for stories they were very memorable and showed some really concrete impact. The one big thing I think you left out of your piece was basic information about the Bioneers conference itself. I was left with a lot of questions: where is the conference? How often is it? Is there a website? Is there any way I could get involved? Maybe you could have faded the song down and given basic contact info at the end. Also, it would have been cool to hear your questions on tape with the Bioneers a little more: I liked the one you left in.
Comment for "International Volunteers Preserve the Earth Here and Abroad"
Diego Ruiz
Posted on January 30, 2009 at 03:46 PM | Permalink
Review of International Volunteers Preserve the Earth Here and Abroad
Hearing the different international voices in this piece is really cool; they have awesome perspectives on what it’s like to be in America and environmental issues and organizing in their home countries. Kayla definitely did a great job with interviewing, selecting clips, and setting them up. And the ending is super cute and just perfect for the piece. But, the area where I think this story could improve in its structure. The lead doesn’t really set you up for what’s to come, and it would be cool to know that all these students are working on environmental issues for this one specific organization. With a firmer structure for the larger story in place, the individuals’ stories in the interviews will really shine.
Comment for "The Truffula Trees and WE!"
Diego Ruiz
Posted on January 30, 2009 at 03:19 PM | Permalink
Review of Truffula Trees
I thought this was an awesome idea for a piece. Using Dr. Seuss is a really cool way of looking at environmental issues which I think connects with a lot of people. I really enjoy how melodic this piece is, and how Grace continues in the book’s tone from the beginning. The song really anchors the piece well too. All that said, a couple caveats; the tone of the piece can verge into getting preachy, which you really have to be careful about with environmental issues, because then people may tune out. Also, I think the piece could have been tightened up a bit in places, maybe by shortening some of the music interludes and cutting out a few parts. But overall, these complaints are pretty minor. Now it’s time for me to go check out the Lorax from the library.