The podcast on the Panizzardi Telegram caught my attention as I had learned about the Dreyfus Affair in high school and was interested in the topic. Prior to listening to the podcast, I was unaware of the telegram and the role encryption had in the case.

I enjoyed the beginning of the podcast, as the producer used second-person narrative to hook listeners into the situation at hand. This introduction enticed me to keep listening to the podcast, wondering what would happen next.

Throughout the podcast, the producer did a fantastic job incorporating background music. I liked how the music fit with the tone and mood of each part of the story. The music was not loud enough to be distracting, yet audible enough so there wasn’t just radio silence behind his voice. I also like how he added in sound effects, such as a crowd of people yelling when discussing protests at the trial. These additions helped liven up the podcast and keep it from being dull, and I will definitely be using music and sounds in my podcast as well.

I disliked the section in the middle of the podcast where the elements of the Panizzardi Telegram were explained. In the producer’s defense, he most likely had to break down how the cipher worked to meet the criteria for the assignment, but the dry explanations went on for a little too long and seemed out of place between the exciting narrative of the Dreyfus affair. Perhaps he could have shortened this section and/or somehow incorporated it with the story, such as adding in examples from the Telegram when describing the encryption style.

I also thought the podcaster’s voice was a little monotonous and quiet and could have been more exciting, but maybe that’s just his voice and something he can’t change.

All in all, I enjoyed listening to the podcast and definitely learned something new. I would like to make my future podcast with a narrative, story-like style as well. I will also try to make my voice more varied, but that is probably easier said than done.