WFXT, Paper To Present ‘Boston Olympics Debate’

Steve Pagliuca, chairman of Boston 2024, a group that is working to bring the Summer Olympics to that city, and Chris Dempsey, co-chair of No Boston Olympics, will face off for the first time in a debate Thursday, July 2, co-sponsored by Fox O&O WFXT Boston (DMA 7) and The Boston Globe.

The Boston Olympics Debate will air live on WFXT from 8 to 9 p.m. and be live streamed on bostonglobe.com, myfoxboston.com and the Fox25 News App. 

Joining Steve Pagliuca in the discussion will be Daniel Doctoroff, a Boston 2024 and United States Olympic Committee board member. On the opposing side, Chris Dempsey will be joined by Andrew Zimbalist, an economist and author who wrote a book on the cost of hosting the Olympics. Co-moderated by WFXT anchor Maria Stephanos and Boston Globe reporter Sacha Pfeiffer, the one hour discussion will provide an in-depth look at all of the issues surrounding an Olympics in Boston as viewers and readers decide whether to support Boston as a host city for the 2024 games.   

“The Olympic bid is one of the most transformational ideas that Boston has had to consider in a generation and also one of the most controversial,” said Boston Globe CEO Mike Sheehan. “In the spirit of constructive civil discourse, the region’s two leading news organizations — The Boston Globe and Fox25 — are proud to partner on a candid and open discussion with the leading proponents and opponents of the bid.”

The debate format calls for participants to answer questions raised by Pfeiffer and Stephanos, as well as questions from the public. Viewers and readers are invited to submit their questions on The Boston Globe and WFXT Facebook pages and via Twitter with the #OlympicsDebate hashtag.

“We hope this open, public dialogue will give viewers a clear picture about the financial viability of the Boston Olympics host city plan and its potential impact on them,” said WFXT VP-GM Tom Raponi.

Following the debate, there will be post-debate analysis live streamed on bostonglobe.com, myfoxboston.com and the Fox25 News App. Reporters from both outlets will discuss the debate and fact-check statements made.  Other news media is invited to attend the debate and speak with the participants following its conclusion.