The Economist: 2012 Olympics: Managing the Media!

Many things can make an Olympics memorable. The hope is always that it will be the new world records, sporting prowess and slick and efficient running of the games that do so. The fear is that instead it will be a doping scandal or worse, a terrorist attack. Sometimes though, the memorable moments are more mundane. One reporter told me that the Vancouver winter games in 2010 was marred for her by the horrible food the media center served. I felt little sympathy towards such a gripe, but she was right that such things matter too. That the media is powerful is hardly news to anyone, but Olympic organizers have grown savvy over the years. Journalists often arrive in a city ten days or so before a games, to take the temperature of the town, the games operation and to enjoy the show. Long before the opening ceremony, they start sending back pieces to their home country about how it is all going, and that sets the tone of the games and affect people's views even before the first heats have been held and the first medals awarded. The organizers of London 2012 have amply recognized this if the media center at the Olympic park in Stratford is anything to go by. The true worth of facilities for the press will be tested only once the games are on, and this will come down to whether its wireless connections and other technology stands up to the strain, but on early appearances, it is kitted out pretty well. The center is spacious, has large work areas, zones to find out about different sports, and a number of staff on hand to advise people how to get to their next event at another location in London, where to get a taxi from, or where to get on one of the red London buses that has been commandeered to take journalists around the Olympic village.