Piece Comment

Review of Katrina Photojournalist John McCusker


This is a gorgeous piece. It's very hard to write a piece about a topic that every journalist in the world is going to write about and be authentic and unique. And I think that you have achieved that in this piece. I have not heard or read the side of a reporter before, and it gives me another view on how someone else might feel. But on the same token since your interview with the reporter was as important in telling your piece the recording of the interview should be done in a more quieter place. Radio especially radio journalism is only heard not seen, so what the listener is hearing is most important whether it be ambient sound or the interview. But if there is something that distracts the listener while listening the goal of your story might be lost, because they may have missed something that was said and if its being heard on the radio there is no rewind button. I really appreciated you piece, I especially liked the fact that you made the reporter more human by mentioning that he smoked half a pack of cigarettes. Peolple look at katrina victums as refugees which they are not but by you putting his smoking habits in the story that has othing to do with the topic, it lightens it. It made me realize that this person still has a personality that it could be me tomorrow, just by you mentioning something as small as cigarettes. So I commend you.