DePaul University to host Specialized Reporting Institute on Chicago’s 2016 Summer Olympic Bid

Some 26 journalists will gather in Chicago on Sunday for a three-day McCormick Foundation Specialized Reporting Institute on the city’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. The goal of the reporting institute is to help peel back the multi-layered Olympic bid process and give the media a closer look for covering the story in an in-depth, objective manner.

As the media landscape changes and new delivery systems and reporting techniques take root, platforms used as recent as the 2008 Olympics in Beijing have been become outdated. Participants , including journalists from USA Today, Associated Press, Reuters, Financial Times, WLS-TV (Ch. 7), Chicago magazine and Chicago Public Radio, can learn from each other just as they learn about Chicago's bid.

The effort involves a confluence of topics, including politics, government, architecture, culture, environment, and economics, that present a unique opportunity for journalists to present vital information and stories to the public. Speakers at the event will include Lori Healey, president of the Chicago 2016 Committee; Richard Pound, a voting member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Charlie Huebner, executive director of the U.S. Paralympic Association.

As the International Olympic Committee voting Oct. 2 to determine the site for the 2016 Olympic Games nears, it is the goal of McCormick and DePaul to help journalists gather and interview specific, informed sources that can assist them in a timely fashion whether or not Chicago is successful in getting the Games.