Sept 16 2008 - ESPN Writer to Speak on Covering the Beijing Olympics

Luke Cyphers, a senior writer for ESPN the Magazine and a lecturer in journalism at SUNY Plattsburgh, will speak about his experiences covering the Beijing Olympics at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16 in the Krinovitz Recital Hall located in Hawkins Hall on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus. Cyphers, who has covered three Olympic games, will speak about the special challenges involved in covering the latest games in a nation where government censorship is so prevalent.

According to Journalism Department Chair and Associate Professor Shawn Murphy, Cyphers has brought much to the Plattsburgh campus, through his connections and experience.

"Of course, we're excited to have Luke here teaching sports reporting and our students have benefited from his connections, like bringing speakers to the campus like Buster Olney, John Scher and Mark Kriegel. He's even filled up Krinovitz Hall on an afternoon when we had an ice and snow blizzard. But he's a great resource all by himself," said Murphy.

"He used to be a sports writer for New York Daily News, and now he writes for ESPN the Magazine. I think his talk will be particularly interesting to hear about covering the Olympics under the watchful eye of the Chinese government," added Murphy.

This event is free and open to the public.

For more information contact: Michelle Marasch Ouellette, 518-564-2090