‘Once-In-A-Lifetime’: Students Report On The 2024 Paralympic Games For USA TODAY
The School of Journalism and Media partnered with the USA TODAY Network to cover the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, France this summer.
School of Journalism and Media junior and sports writer Gabriel Jackson was sitting in the press box at the Place de la Concorde reporting on the 2024 Paralympic Games opening ceremonies in Paris, France.
He was taking notes for his story when the French national team walked in and the crowd erupted in cheers and song.
He stopped.
“I just wanted to enjoy it,” he said.
That was the moment it all sunk in for Jackson. He was in Paris for a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity covering the Games for the USA TODAY Network.
Jackson and his team might have been students, but they were also news professionals on an international stage.
“We were so impressed with the students’ coverage of the Paralympic Games for the USA TODAY Network, which included everything from profiles on top American athletes to analysis of the biggest moments of the opening ceremony and news coverage after historic performances on the field of play,” Executive Editor and Vice President of USA TODAY Sports Roxanna Scott said. “The storytelling was rich with detail from Paris and the reporting gave readers a true appreciation for the athletes as people.”
Thanks to a partnership with the school and the College of Communication and Information with USA TODAY, nine students traveled to Paris to cover the Games and were credentialed under the national media outlet. Accompanying them were School of Journalism and Media faculty members Erin Whiteside and Nick Geidner, and CCI doctoral student Aman Misra.
In less than a week, students wrote 27 articles, photographed numerous events, and produced more than fifteen videos for social media as part of their on-the-ground coverage of the Games.
“Our students were complete professionals at the Games,” Whiteside said. “They developed impactful and creative ideas and gave the USA Today editors polished final stories that resonated with audiences. I’m so proud of the work they put into making this an overwhelmingly successful immersion learning opportunity.”
Working for USA TODAY
From the moment the students landed in Paris on August 27, they were running at full speed.
Junior journalism major and sports writer Caleb Jarreau said he went to Paris with the goal to take advantage of this opportunity. He visited as many sporting venues as possible and challenged himself to be more creative in his storytelling.
“I made sure I was writing and talking to as many people as I could because there’s no do-over,” Jarreau said. “If I go to a football game and don’t meet anybody, there’s another football game next week. There’s not another Paralympic trip next week, so I wanted to make sure I took advantage of that.”
Senior and sports writer Catherine Ligon was grateful for the opportunity to work for USA TODAY. Prior to the Games she covered the 2024 US Paralympic Track and Field Team Trials, so she was one of a few students who had bylines for USA TODAY prior to Paris.
However, she said it was still surreal seeing her name in USA TODAY with a Paris dateline.
She said it reinforced that her writing is being read by an international audience and feels honored to have such a privilege as a college student.
One moment that made her appreciate the scope of this experience was hearing her mom tell her about what happened at an AutoZone while she was away.
Ligon’s mother was telling a stranger all about her daughter’s USA TODAY article about Paralympian Brittni Mason and how she was reporting on the Games live from Paris. The stranger thought the story was familiar only to discover she had just read Ligon’s article that morning.
“So it was just a really funny moment,” Ligon said. “I know the lady from AutoZone read my story, but there are also thousands that have read it, which is crazy to think about. It’s just really cool and I’m just really grateful.”
Journalism and media sophomore and photographer Ryan Beatty viewed the opportunity to shoot the Games as his chance to grow his portfolio and set himself apart from other candidates. He aspires to be a Major League Baseball photographer and believes his experience in Paris will give him an edge when applying for future jobs.
He shot thirteen different sports and the Games’ opening ceremonies while in Paris. Some of his favorite photos were from US Paralympian Matt Stutzman’s gold medal run at the Paralympics.
Beatty really enjoyed telling the story of the “Armless Archer” and highlighting Stutzman’s passion for the sport, as well as the love the Paralympian has for his family, who were by his side throughout the competition.
A great partnership
Though there were other college students in Paris covering the Games, Beatty said he felt the partnership with USA TODAY was a higher quality experience than others may have had.
He recalls touring another major SEC university during his senior year of high school and being told about how they planned to send students to cover the Paralympics. Beatty ultimately decided to become a Volunteer, unaware at the time the school also planned to cover the Games.
“It was absolutely incredible. The best week-and-a-half of my life,” Beatty said. “Without Tennessee’s support we wouldn’t have been able to do this, and I am grateful to everybody in the journalism school for giving us this amazing opportunity.”
Whiteside said the experience exposed students to the tempo of daily news and trained them on how to adapt quickly in a fast-paced environment.
She said it was also the first time most of them covered adaptive sports and athletes, so they also learned the importance of research and preparation in the field of journalism and media. In addition to traveling to Paris to cover the Games, students were required to take a summer course researching the Games. On the ground, they worked closely with USA TODAY and team media relations to ensure their work was accurate and thoughtful.
They also gained lessons on working in groups and the importance of their individual contributions to the group’s overall success.
Scott said it was wonderful to see the enthusiasm, knowledge, and skill of the group of students from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In addition, she praised Whiteside for helping the team focus on the biggest moments from the Games and delivering a multi-platform report that was compelling, timely, and relevant to the USA TODAY Network audience.
“As editors, we see the value in providing opportunities for students to gain experience covering live sports at a global event,” Scott said. “These are the future beat reporters, columnists, editors, producers and photographers of our industry. It was so rewarding to see the students’ passion for sports journalism resonate so deeply in their work.”