Report from Paris: Sports journalism students get a unique chance to cover the Olympics: IU News

Sports Capital Journalism Program Director Malcolm Moran and student Hanna Barton stand next to a replica of the Eiffel Tower in downtown Indianapolis. Barton will cover the 2024 Summer Olympics from Paris, France. Photo: Liz Kaye, Indiana University

As Team USA finalizes its roster of athletes for the 2024 Olympics, two Indiana University in Indianapolis students will also earn a ticket to Paris. Hanna Barton and Madie Chandler, graduates of the School of Liberal Arts’ Sports Capital journalism program, will be right next to the world’s press covering the Summer Games.

“The students have the same media credentials as the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the IndyStar and whoever else,” said Malcolm Moran, director of the Sports Capital journalism program.

“It’s truly a life-changing experience, and that’s no exaggeration. Every day you wake up at the Olympics, there’s a chance you’ll witness history with a world record or an inspiring comeback that you’ll never forget.”

Olympic dreams come true

Barton and Chandler will cover the action from Paris, writing athlete and event stories for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s digital newsletter, USA Daily. Their stories may also be published by various other media organizations, such as The Indianapolis Star. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and something that truly is a dream come true for Barton.

“Growing up, I came from a house where the Olympics were happening,” she said. “We didn’t watch the NFL every Sunday, but our main thing was that when the Olympics were happening, they were on TV from the moment the opening ceremony started until the closing ceremony ended.

“The Olympics were what got me interested in gymnastics as a kid and got me back into swimming when I was in high school, so covering the Olympics as I was starting my journalism career was a dream of mine for a long time.”

Barton, an NCAA Division I swimmer during her undergraduate years at the University of South Carolina, was looking for real-world experience in journalism that would take her career to the next level and make her competitive in graduate school. When she found the Sports Capital Journalism Program, she knew it was it.

The Olympic Games add to an already impressive portfolio of coverage of sporting events. Barton and Chandler received tickets to the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Cleveland, where they witnessed Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks advance past Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. They also got a taste of the Olympic excitement while covering the Olympic swimming trials, which took place on IU Indy’s backyard at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Now they are preparing to travel across the Atlantic – a first for both students – and it all begins with the opening ceremony on July 26.

Madison Chandler, a postgraduate sports journalism student, will cover the 2024 Summer Olympics with Barton. Photo: Liz Kaye, Indiana University “The ceremony itself will be an ‘oh my God’ moment,” Chandler said. “It reminds me of how small I am, but regardless, I think it’s really cool that the humanity comes out. There is a gigantic event taking place with all these sports, all these competitions and all these athletes, and people watch it with pride in their country. They want to see the emotional side of it and I think it will be cool to be there and feel the emotions and translate them for people who aren’t there to understand them.

Chandler grew up playing football and track. After earning her bachelor’s degree in biology, she decided to switch gears and instead pursue her passion for sports through sports journalism.

“I’ve always liked writing, and I think it comes from an emotional place,” said Chandler, who also writes Indiana Fever. “My AP teacher in high school told me she hoped I would pursue writing in the future, so when I emailed her and told her what I was doing, she was really excited. The sports aspect came naturally, so combining that with my writing works.”

Paving the way to Paris

Barton and Chandler are just two of nine students who have covered major sports events abroad as part of the Sports Capital Journalism Program, the first being the 2016 Rio Olympics, where students Becky Harris and Frank Gogola also covered for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

For Moran, it was a partnership that had been 40 years in the making. He met many people in the organization while covering the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and later the Pan American Games in Indianapolis.

“I asked if they would be interested in having students cover events they didn’t have staff for,” Moran said. “Long story short, they said yes.

“Frank and Becky were able to go to Rio and they did a great job. It’s like most of the event coverage we do: every time a student does well, represents us well and is very professional, it helps us prepare for the next opportunity.”

Becky Harris and Frank Gogola covered the 2016 Summer Games in Rio while they were students in the Sports Capital journalism program. Photo courtesy of Malcolm Moran

Covering the Olympic Games is an opportunity that puts even the most experienced journalists to the test. 17 straight days of top-level competition, lots of history, tight deadlines and an overwhelming atmosphere are a lot to take in, but Harris said it’s the ultimate education.

“Going to the Rio Olympics as a journalist was an experience that gave me unique memories and helped me hone my skills in a unique environment,” she said. “I learned to write on tighter deadlines than ever before and received a rapid education.

“I could go back to the Olympics a dozen more times and still experience more; that’s how amazing this learning environment is.”

During these Olympics, it was Barton and Chandler’s turn.

“The hands-on experience made me feel confident and prepared for the journalism industry,” said Barton, who recently started a new job as a sports reporter at WGEM in Quincy, Illinois. “Being able to cover events that some co-workers or bosses haven’t had the opportunity to cover yet makes me feel like I belong and that I deserve to be here.

“I am so grateful to Malcolm, the Sports Capital Journalism Program, and everyone I had the opportunity to talk to at IU Indianapolis because this year I was able to accomplish so many things I wanted to do before I died.”

The 2024 Paris Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11. Barton and Chandler’s stories and thoughts from the Games will be published on the Sports Capital Journalism Program blog and social media pages.

“What’s so special about the Olympics is that it doesn’t really matter what event you’re watching or covering,” Barton said. “There are so many special moments and stories in every sport, I can’t wait to soak it all in.”