Piece Comment

Review of "Obesity in America"


Lech Lor is puzzled about obesity. Indeed, that is the constant atmosphere she projects throughout this piece. Lor tries to cobble together a perspective she may have regarding this phenomenon, which she describes as seeing in many places. Her variety of interview subjects makes for a quest-for-inquiry format common to many programs today, which makes for lovely listening. The setting itself seems to be the life of Lor herself, where she tries to make sense of all the different messages she sees around her. But in her conclusion, Lor seems to arrive at the hope that obese people can become more socially acceptable in today's America.

Things to notice: Lor often reflects back to her own life after a meaningful interview segment. I would love to see more of this, more self-meaning involved in Lor's pieces. She could truly end up being a master of the quest-for-inquiry format if she was more willing to invest more of her own feelings into it. Yes she gives her own opinions about everything, but I'm not getting a true sense of her hand in the construction of this story. My main suggestion for Lor would be to truly let herself go in her stories, to let her passions, cares, and curiosity show a little more. A story does not necessarily become fluffy or "soft news" just because the reporter shows that they have some emotional investment in the story. It is clear that this issue is on Lor's mind: I would truly love to see why exactly it is there.