Covering the Paralympics: A virtual conversation

Join the Minnesota Journalism Center for a conversation about covering the Paralympics, just ahead of the Winter Games.

You'll learn about best practices from a Paralympic athlete, a sports journalist and a researcher as we get ready for the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Games.
 

• When: Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026
• Time: 11:30 a.m.
• Location: Zoom
• Register: Sign up to join the conversation

Prepare some questions for Team USA Paralympian Staci Mannella, who will be joining us to share an athlete’s perspective on media coverage and talk about how her training in counseling psychology is helping her prepare athletes for interviews with journalists.

Who this is for: Any journalist or media professional who is interested in learning more about how to accurately and respectfully cover Paralympic athletes and the Paralympic Games. 

What to expect: The first half of the session will feature a moderated discussion in which the panelists will share their experiences and expertise, from competing in the Paralympics, to reporting on Paralympic athletes, to researching media coverage of the Games. The second half will be dedicated to audience questions focused on best practices for covering Paralympic athletes.

About the speakers

Dunja Antunovic is an associate professor in sport sociology and an affiliated scholar at Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota. A former collegiate athlete, her research examines the intersection of gender, sport and media, with a particular focus on international sport. She is the research director of the Media Analysis Research in International Sport (MARIS) group. She has published numerous research studies examining the perils and potential of journalistic coverage of the Paralympics. 

Staci Mannella is a Paralympian, sport psychology provider, and researcher whose work centers on athlete mental health and wellbeing. Specifically within disability sport, Staci research explores the intersections of disability sport culture, athlete mental health, and lived experiences of impairment, with a focus on how athletes’ stories are shaped, represented, and understood. Alongside her research, she brings broad clinical experience working with athletes across a wide range of sports and competitive levels—including those connected to the Paralympic Games.
 

John Affleck is the Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society and the Department Head for Journalism at Penn State. Prior to moving into academe in 2013, he had a full career at The Associated Press, the majority of it as a national manager in news and sports. Between the roles as academic and journalist, he has covered many sports megaevents, including the Super Bowl, Final Four, the men’s and women’s World Cup, the Olympics in Sydney and Athens and the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro and Paris. In both instances for the Paralympics, he took Penn State students to the games and partnered with The Associated Press. He has written about how the relative dearth of attention the Paralympics get in the American media.

Moderator

Carolina Velloso is an assistant professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication. Her research addresses several dimensions of journalism studies from both historical and contemporary lenses, including journalism and identity, journalism practice, journalism ethics, and sports journalism. She earned her Ph.D. in Journalism Studies from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland.

About the sponsor

The Minnesota Journalism Center supports a more vibrant, equitable, and sustainable ecosystem for journalism in Minnesota through educational initiatives, applied research and engagement with newsrooms and journalists across the state.

The MJC is based at the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication and serves journalists across Minnesota in every stage of their careers.