7 Columbia Journalism School Alumni Who Covered the 2026 Winter Olympics

Alumni of Columbia Journalism School could be found on the slopes, in the mountains and at the rinks, covering it all. 

March 02, 2026

Scooby Axson, ‘12 M.S., chronicled for USA Today the decades-long efforts of curler Rich Ruohonen — the oldest American athlete ever to compete in the Winter Olympics — to make it onto the U.S. Olympic Team. 

As a photographer correspondent for The New York Times, Gabbie Bhaskar, ‘17 M.S., captured the dramatic twists, turns and upsets of men’s and women’s snowboarding events

Scott Cacciola, ‘02 M.S., gave readers of The New York Times a behind-the-scenes look into how Olympic athletes deal with complicated, ever-changing gear and apparel regulations. 

Karina Cuevas, ‘14 M.S., contributed to a PBS NewsHour segment on the overall performance of Team USA across sports and events. 

Nathaniel Herz, ‘12 M.S., spoke with cross-country skier Gus Schumacher about what happens when the Olympics don’t go as planned for Northern Journal, a newsletter founded and published by Herz. 

Marleen Käsebier, ‘23 M.S., covered for Reuters the Olympic debut of the ski mountaineering event, known as SkiMo, and the sport’s ties to the Alpine region surrounding Bormio. 

For an episode of The New York Times podcast “The Daily,” Juliet Macur, ‘97 M.S.discussed Lindsey Vonn, Ilia Malinin, and other big stories she’s taken away while attending her 14th Olympics as a journalist. 


Plus, explore the world of sports through the lens of current J-School students by visiting the CJS Sports Reporting YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CJSSPORTSNYC