Hoosier Star Website Full Evaluation
*READ BEFORE BEGINNING CRITIQUE*

Thank you for helping IHSPA with the Hoosier Star Student Media Evaluation Service!

Overall, Hoosier Star judges should be looking for student media outlets that:
1. Combine a variety of storytelling formats to give the audience a well-rounded insight into the school and community;

2. Enhance the appearance with visuals appropriate for the format, incorporating current design trends;

3. Coordinate the overall coverage and content so a consistent, attractive and reader-friendly appearance is established and maintained throughout the school year;

4. Follow the highest standards of legal and ethical behavior such as those set forth by the Society of Professional Journalists, First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Indiana academic standards for the Journalism and Student Media courses (http://ihspa.net/indianajournalismstandards);

5. Adhere to the Indiana High School Press Association’s core values of truth, courage, integrity, and freedom.

Please rate each area of the criteria accordingly and provide written feedback in a manner that encourages staffs to improve by using the guidelines. IHSPA requires that comments be written in a constructive manner and not in a way that is deemed overly critical or unrealistic. Judges may also recognize specific content and/or ideas as “areas of distinction” and identify the student-produced material that earned this honor.

Thanks again for sharing your time and expertise to help Hoosier student journalists and their advisers!
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School Name *
Website URL *
Staff Size *
COVERAGE/CONTENT
Does the site include web-exclusive content, including blogs, interactive elements, video, audio and breaking news coverage?

Does the staff use blogs to update breaking news, provide coverage of often-overlooked stories and add perspective to news and feature stories?

When used, are video and audio the best method for telling those stories?

Do stand-alone video and audio pieces reflect the value of the medium or do they just look like warmed-over TV and radio packages?

Do complementary video and audio add value to the coverage they accompany?

Do interactive elements add value to, and complement, the coverage they accompany?

Does the staff use the site for special reports and in-depth coverage?

Do students use multimedia components to add breadth, depth to those special reports?

Does the staff understand that its website has a readership beyond the school and its students and staff?

Is this a site that will keep “accidental” readers attention by offering stories that have a universal appeal?
Coverage/Content Strengths & Weaknesses
 *
Coverage/Content Rating *
Distinction
WRITING/EDITING
Does the staff understand how readers gather information online: by scanning the page for relevant words and other information?

Do writers and editors avoid simply “shoveling” the content from their print product onto the website?

Are stories easily readable because they are divided into chunks or sections?

Are paragraphs kept short and relevant?

Do sentences begin with keywords?

Are headlines written using specific words so that search engines easily find and recognize keywords?

For longer stories, do writers and editors make use of other key visual elements in the stories, such as bullet points, sub-headlines and highlighted keywords?

Do writers provide valuable hyperlinks (either embedded into stories or listed elsewhere) to stories that provide the reader with immediate depth?

Do scripts for multimedia elements (audio and video) follow the basic guidelines of“writing for the ear” that broadcast media follow?

Are multimedia elements accompanied by at least some text that allows readers to gain some context before listening to or viewing the multimedia?
Writing/Editing Strengths & Weaknesses
 *
Writing/Editing Rating *
Distinction
BREAKING NEWS
Does the staff report on important news, sports and features in a timely manner?

Does the staff include new content as often as it can, possibly daily or even more often?

Is breaking news verified and updated as new information is learned?

Does the staff follow breaking news for as long as the news changes and is relevant?

Does the site cover sports as it happens or shortly thereafter?

Does live sports coverage remain objective and accurate?

Does the staff use multiple media to report breaking news?

Does coverage include useful information readers, such as notification of school closings for inclement weather or other emergencies?

Does breaking news coverage also include news from other sources that may have an impact on the students, staff and community?
Breaking News Strengths & Weaknesses
 *
Breaking News Rating *
Distinction
INTERACTIVITY/MULTIMEDIA
Are readers able to interact with the publication in a number of ways, including comments, discussion boards and polls/surveys?

Does the staff use social media tools to market its own work, but also to provide readers with valuable information?

Has the staff created online directories and reader services so that the website becomes a one-stop-shop for the community’s information needs?

Do games, polls, quizzes, interactive maps and other interactive tools engage readers with the news?

Does the staff embrace “Citizen Journalism?” Are readers invited to submit photos, stories, blogs and other content that can be used for a stand-alone page or as complementary material to go with the staff’s work? Does the staff use that material?

Do reporters and editors use “crowd-sourcing” to not only develop story ideas, but to enhance and enrich stories that have already been published?

Do useful hyperlinks add value to a story by directing readers to other stories or sites with vital information?

For photo and video stories, does the staff use a variety of shots and adequate graphics or captions to tell a coherent story?

For audio reports, does the staff record clean sound and use VOs, natural sound and sound bites to tell a coherent story?

Does the staff not only understand but follow copyright laws, using only original content or copyright-free material and material in the public domain?


Interactivity/Multimedia Strengths & Weaknesses
 *
Interactivity/Multimedia Rating *
Distinction
DESIGN/NAVIGATION
Does the site balance text and graphics so that both are visible “above the fold” on a computer screen?

Has the staff made effective use of text on the page to attract readers?

Is the home page simple and uncluttered?

Is navigation easy, presenting readers with only enough options on a single page that they won’t easily become confused or overwhelmed?

Are navigation bars and other content presented in an F-shaped pattern that mimic show online readers peruse a page?

Are multimedia viewing panes large enough so that readers can enjoy the multimedia feature, but small enough to not obscure key written elements of the story?

Do visual elements enhance but not dominate a page?

Is there a clear hierarchy of news stories on a page?

Are stories divided into clear categories and sections, and has the staff created tabs that direct readers to those sections?

Are multiple elements in any story placed together in a cohesive package?
Design/Navigation Strengths & Weaknesses
 *
Design/Navigation Rating *
Distinction
OVERALL EVALUATION
SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES
What are three things the staff can do to improve?
Strategy 1
 *
Strategy 2
 *
Strategy 3
 *
RATING
All submissions ranked “superior” or “excellent” are exceptionally well done and finalists for the Hoosier Star, Indiana's top distinction for scholastic journalism.
Website Overall *
Final Comments *
Judge Name
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