The New York Times put together an excellent news package back in 2007. It is titled “Exonerated, Freed, and What Happened Then.” NYT Reporters interviewed 137 of the 200 exonerated former prisoners who had been released from jail due to DNA evidence since 1989. I stumbled upon this page randomly while looking for a good package. I expected to find something with video, but I was pleasantly surprised by this audio-driven page. When you first visit it, audio snippets immediately start playing at random. 1 minute samples from each ex-prisoner play continuously, and you can choose to learn more about each interviewee. A read-able quote also pops up, along with the name and conviction of each person. If you select a name, you can read a sizable amount of information about each ex-prisoner.
Since the package is based on how the men are doing after being released from jail, there are details about how their family life is, marital status, and how they got back to work. You can use the drop down menu to compare how many of them got compensation, and how much they received, all while listening to the interviews.
It is a bit heartbreaking to listen to, because many of them have trouble being around other people after prison. Since they were all released from prison because of evidence to help their case, one would hope they all actually deserve to be free. If this is true, anyone who listens to the commentary is touched by their struggles.
The media package overall is very well done. It is clear, easy to navigate, and moves at a quick pace. There is no waiting for audio or text to load. There are no videos, but they are not necessary to the piece. Hearing the men’s heartfelt words is enough. Pictures of the men are included on the page.
On another note, there were not any women interviewed, from what I could see. Then again, most of the men interviewed had been held on rape charges. So statistically, I am guessing mostly men are convicted of rape charges.
