For my multimedia package critique I analyzed “Lebrew Jones and the Death of Micki Hall.” When opening the page I was presented with an editor’s note or an introduction which I found most helpful considering that I had little knowledge of the subject. The intro tells of a man named Lebrew Jones who has been imprisoned for the past 20 years after he was convicted of murdering a prostitute in Manhattan. It also tells of an investigative reporter named Christine Young whose findings have provided evidence that Jones may in fact be innocent of the crime for which he has served two decades behind bars. The intro alludes to the impact Young’s findings have had on Jones and on the mother of the victim as well. Pictures of Jones, Young, and Hall’s mother are made available on the page as well as images of a courtroom, New York City, and police headquarters. The introduction is a flash presentation and also includes a warning to viewers that some of the images in the following story are graphic in nature. I felt the introduction was key to the effectiveness of the package overall. It really sets the scene and creates a degree of interest.
Once I advanced past the intro I was taken to the homepage of the site. I was presented with 10 thumbnail pictures that take you to written text by Young about 10 different aspects of the story when clicked upon. If I click on the thumbnail in the upper left corner, however, I can progress through the story seamlessly (but not chronologically) from one thumbnail to the other (it is supposed to be viewed this way I am assuming but the site also allows you to go straight to the part of the story you might be interested in by clicking on any number of the thumbnails on the homepage).
Young does a remarkable job of tying together the lifelong stories of Lebrew Jones and Micki Hall and how they both ended up in New York City on the night of Hall’s murder. Through a variety of facets Young presents Jones’ innocence, which is the intended purpose of the package. Through detailed interviews, eyewitness accounts, contradictory statements and evidence, as well as pictures and videos, Young makes an overwhelmingly convincing case in favor of Jones’ innocence. She interviewed retired Major Betty Baker of the Salvation Army who has documentation that she was with Micki Hall at the time police say Hall was murdered by Jones, whose only tie to the area was that he worked as a security guard. Young has police interrogation video which suggests clearly that Jones was persuaded to respond in a certain fashion and that his responses were framed (Jones knew nothing of the body until police briefed him on every detail of the murder which they later denied doing). She also details another similar murder that occurred only 12 hours apart from the Hall murder across town and uses a map to show that Jones would have been unable, between his two work shifts, to commit either of the two murders that occurred that night given the timeframe (prosecutors refused to address this in court).
Other video features are used quite effectively as well, including an interview with Hall’s mother, who says even she believes Jones did not kill her daughter and one with Jones’ younger brother. There are also videos detailing Jones and Hall’s childhoods.
Below the 10 thumbnails are several other options that are quite useful. There’s a video page that allows the reader to view the videos without having to read through all of the text present throughout the thumbnails. There’s also a detailed crime scene map with photographs of where the incident occurred as well as gruesome pictures of Hall’s mutilated body. Also included are a timeline, story updates, and credits. Young includes her E-mail address as well. As it stands, the case has been re-opened but Jones remains behind bars. He is currently awaiting DNA tests that could clear him, according to a recent article by Young.
One thing I did not like about the package was that the text portion was not chronological. I understand why it was done this way as a former reporter because this is often how television news stories are presented and that’s what Young makes her living doing. But to the average reader it might come across as confusing. That is why it was a good idea to have the timeline included as well. Overall it’s a great package that did its job in making me feel appalled towards how law enforcement and legal systems have operated at times.
