USA Today Audience Editor Sydney Bergan ’23 Lands ‘Surreal’ Olympic Assignment

The internship that launched Sydney Bergan ’23 on a path to covering the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France, started off on an unexpected trajectory.

As a junior at Syracuse University, Bergan landed an internship through the prestigious Dow Jones News Fund with McClatchy, but instead of serving as a reporter—which was her career ambition—Bergan was assigned to the digital media program as an audience engagement intern.

Bergan spent 10 days enhancing her digital media literacy skills at Arizona State University, taking curated stories and repackaging them for different audiences. From there, Bergan worked as an intern for The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer. Before long, The Sacramento Bee hired her as an audience editor while she was still enrolled in classes at Syracuse. Now, she’s an audience editor for USA Today.

Being an audience editor was the perfect blend of content creation and newsworthiness. Bergan excelled by understanding how to create stories that resonate with audiences, and she enjoyed having conversations with people about what types of content they want to see.

“I thought of myself as a reporter and I always knew I loved people and telling their stories,” says Bergan, who earned a magazine, news and digital journalism degree from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

“But once I started, I just fell in love with the audience engagement work. I love the content creation and curation side of journalism. It allows me to be creative. I do a lot of content design for USA Today, coming up with stories that will reach our audiences wherever they’re looking for their content. I love looking at the analytics to see what stories, videos or graphics perform well and which ones don’t. It’s all so fascinating.”

Her next assignment will take her to Paris to create content around the Summer Olympics for USA Today. It’s a dream come true for Bergan.

“I love the Olympics. Always have. It’s crazy I’ll be covering the Summer Olympics! It just feels so surreal,” Bergan says. “I worked hard to get here, and I know I’ve got this, but there’s some imposter syndrome at play. This is a big deal. I’m working with journalists who have covered the Olympics many times before. I’m the new kid on the block and am just trying to learn as much as I can and soak it all in.”

Orange at the Olympics

All eyes are on Syracuse University as students, faculty and alumni make their way to France to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Whether competing in one of 32 sporting events, serving as on-air commentators or working behind-the-scenes for NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Games, following the Olympic Torch Relay or presenting at an international symposium, the Orange are well represented.

Most of the action takes place in Paris, where the modern Olympics were conceived 130 years ago. The “City of Light” has since hosted the Summer Games in 1900 and 1924. In a first, this year’s events are being held amidst famous Parisian landmarks, like the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles and Place de la Concorde.

Students Contribute Behind the Scenes

The Summer Olympics provide hands-on learning opportunities for undergraduates, especially those in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and Falk College. Nico Horning ’26, a junior majoring in broadcast and digital journalism (BDJ), is interning at NBCUniversal’s Stamford Studios in Connecticut. As a programming runner, he gathers highlights, stats and predictions for NBC Sports’ coverage of the Games.

“This internship supports my dream of becoming a TV sports commentator,” says Horning, who credits the Newhouse School’s alumni network for getting his foot in NBC’s door. “I want to learn as much as I can.”

Fellow BDJ major Margaret McCann ’25 is in Paris working for the Acton Style Group, whose clients include NBC Sports. “I’m in NBC’s production studios, assisting with wardrobe and brand management any way I can,” says the CitrusTV social media team member. “This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Other interns include Marguerite Bellotti ’26 (BDJ) at NBC Sports and Livia McQuade ’25 (sport management) at Olympus Sports Group.

Syracuse Alumni Report the Action

When Mike Tirico ’88 returns to anchor NBC Sports’ primetime coverage of the Olympics, he’ll continue a tradition begun by Bob Costas ’74 more than 30 years ago.

Other alumni commentators this summer include:

• Noah Eagle ’19 (men’s and women’s basketball)
• Ahmed Fareed ’02 (NBC daytime host)
• Jason Knapp ’91 (swimming)
• Andrew Siciliano ’96 (NBC Gold Zone co-host)
• Bill Spaulding ’13 (track and field)
• Scott Hanson ’93 (NBC Gold Zone co-host)

Teaching the Global Power of Sport, Olympics Through a Communication Lens

Historically, the Olympics have provided countless memorable athletic achievements—the Miracle on Ice men’s hockey team upsetting the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York; the Dream Team capturing gold at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain; gymnast Kerri Strug shrugging off an ankle injury to lead Team USA to its first-ever team gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, just to name a few.

And while there are sure to be impressive performances when the world’s best athletes converge in Paris, France, for the upcoming Summer Olympics, the Games are also an opportunity to showcase the global power of sport, which is the focal point of Brad Horn’s recently concluded Managing Global Brands of Sport: An International Public Relations Study class, held for three weeks in Lausanne, Switzerland, as part of an immersion experience for Syracuse Abroad students.

“We focus on how to bridge the gap between what Americans know about sports in our country compared to global sport through communications,” says Horn, associate dean for strategic initiatives and professor of practice in public relations in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

“Look ahead to what the U.S. is going to see in sport. We’re hosting the 2026 World Cup, the 2028 Summer Olympics are being held in Los Angeles and the 2034 Winter Olympics potentially will be hosted in Lake Placid. This is a decade where those working in U.S. sports will be working with and dealing with global sport entities like never before, and there’s a big knowledge gap. I want to do my part to help prepare students to better understand that landscape.”

Horn’s professional background in communications and public relations includes working for more than 20 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) and with the Baseball Hall of Fame, serving as an ambassador at the World Series, the World Baseball Classic, the All-Star game and MLB International before heading up communication and education for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

“This idea of global sport has always been part of my DNA,” says Horn, who sat down with SU News to discuss the objectives of his class, the important takeaways and how his students leave with a broadened understanding of the global power of sport.

NBC’s Voice of the Olympics Mike Tirico ’88: Memorable Olympic Moments and a Love for All Things Orange

When the Olympic Games begin later this month, one of the University’s best-known alums will be front and center. In many ways it’s a role Mike Tirico ’88 knew he wanted at an early age.

“My mom will tell you, even as a little kid, I was walking around pretending to be a sportscaster,” he says. “This is what I wanted to do in life.”

As the athletes prepare for competition, Tirico is preparing to anchor NBC’s daily Olympics coverage as he’s done since 2016. But as most broadcast fans know, Olympics studio host is only part of the Tirico portfolio, which includes “Sunday Night Football,” PGA golf, and thoroughbred and Indy racing among others. Those sports he knows well. This summer he’ll be put to the test with new Olympic sports, all while trying to avoid making waves.

“Surfing is happening in Tahiti at the Olympics, I put up my hand to volunteer to be the surfing correspondent,” says Tirico, who adds with a smile that “for some reason, they went with Colin Jost from ‘Saturday Night Live.’ I don’t know what I should read into that but it’s fine.”

Break dancing is another sport new to the games and according to Tirico a sign of the athletic times. “It does speak to what the Olympics does in trying to reach out to new generations and keep the youth of the world involved,” he says. “There was a time that snowboarding came in the Olympics and people were asking why. Now, snowboarding is one of the cornerstones of the Winter Olympics.”

In this “’Cuse Conversations” podcast, Tirico talks about getting ready for the games, his sleep schedule while in Paris (it’s rough), his commitment to helping our young broadcast students and, as a first-generation student who met and married his wife here, his love for Syracuse University.

Paying it Forward

Chris Marino ’13 learned a lot from his time at Syracuse University, including the value of community. Such inclusion wasn’t limited to the classroom; it spilled over into his personal and professional life. “Thanks to Syracuse, I have a group of friends that I couldn’t imagine going through life without,” says Google’s newest head of agency.

In addition to helping Google customers grow their businesses, Marino returns to campus for alumni engagement and student support. He’s especially proud of his involvement with the Young Whitman Advisory Council (YWAC) and Newhouse Emerging Leaders (NEL) Alumni Volunteer Board. These kinds of organizations, Marino explains, let him pay it forward through philanthropic contributions, time and resources.

“YWAC and NEL are committed to alumni volunteerism and philanthropy,” says the former double major in management and marketing management. “They focus on creating a better experience for students.”

We recently caught up with Marino to discuss his Syracuse experience and how it shapes his philosophy of giving.

What led you to Syracuse University?

When I was looking for an undergraduate program, I wanted a community where I felt like I could learn, grow and thrive, both personally and academically. I was attracted to Syracuse’s academic rigor, school spirit and proximity to where I grew up [in Astoria, Queens]. After my first campus visit, there was no doubt that I wanted to be Orange.

How did Syracuse prepare you for a career in digital marketing?

Syracuse gave me a strong foundation inside and outside of the classroom. I learned from some of the best professors in the world, made a diverse group of friends and discovered my passion for marketing.

I initially majored in political science but after taking some business courses, switched to finance in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. It was after my first internship at American Express [AmEx] that I knew I was meant to be a marketer. Double majoring in management and marketing management prepared me for success after graduation at AmEx. [He worked there from 2013-20.]

Outside of hard skills, what I truly appreciated about Syracuse was learning the importance of networking, time management and communication.

Why are volunteerism and philanthropy important to you?

As I have progressed in my career, I continue to be more committed to paying it forward. Mentors have made a transformative impact on me, so I’m eager to provide guidance to students seeking career advice.

In terms of impact, you can accomplish more with a group of like-minded individuals who share your passion than by yourself. YWAC and NEL offer a large platform for giving back to the Syracuse community. They bring together alumni who want to make a difference while providing access to University leadership and an overview of the strategic directions of the Whitman and Newhouse schools.

How else do you pay it forward?

Guest lecturing and mentoring. Last semester, I helped students with their capstone projects in a graduate course in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. At Bloomberg Media [where he worked from 2020-23], I created a project in which I could partner with students for an entire semester. It’s important to give them hands-on, real-world experience—something that the University does well.

Volunteering is a personal motivator for me. No one gets to where they are in life without guidance from others. We must lift others up while we climb. Watching students and mentees that I’ve worked with succeed in their careers is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. My only ask of students is that when someone asks them for guidance that they pay it forward.

Newhouse Unveils New Online Bachelor’s in Strategic Communications

A new online bachelor’s in strategic communications program expands the Newhouse School’s offerings to students seeking flexibility with their schedule but the renowned academic rigor that comes with a Newhouse undergraduate education.  

Courses in the four-year degree program will be taught online by the same faculty who teach on campus at the nation’s top communications school. Newhouse professors designed the curriculum based on the standards set by the accrediting organization for schools of communications.  

“This is a tremendous opportunity for the Newhouse School to extend our outstanding academic programs to new populations and meet the needs of students also balancing work, family or other obligations,” Dean Mark J. Lodato said. 

“What does not change is our commitment to equip all students—whether online or learning on campus— with the skills they need to write, create and lead in the evolving communications landscape,” he added.  

Strategic communications students will have opportunities to connect and network with Newhouse’s large and loyal alumni network. The bachelor’s in strategic communications diploma will be identical to those earned on campus, carrying the same prestige and recognition as any other undergraduate Newhouse degree. 

Applications for the online bachelor’s in strategic communications program open in August, with three start dates a year to begin coursework. Other highlights:  

• Students will be able transfer up to 60 credits. 

• Each course last eight weeks. 

• The program blends asynchronous and synchronous learning.  

Foundational strategic communications classes will cover topics including digital analytics and multimedia production, as well as trends and technology in media. Graduates will be prepared to pursue careers in fields across the communications spectrum including public relations, corporate affairs and digital media strategy. 

The strategic communications bachelor’s program builds on the success of the Newhouse School’s existing online master’s programs in communications and communications management.  

“The Newhouse School has established a reputation for excellence in educating generations of students for six decades,” said Carolyn Hedges, director of virtual instruction. “The new strategic communications program offers students flexibility to pursue a Newhouse degree at their own pace while having the opportunity to learn from our top-of-class professors and make connections with our successful alumni.”  

Game Changers: Esports Degree Program Enjoys Successful Launch

Beginning in the fall, Syracuse University’s electronic sports, or esports, academic degree program will welcome admitted students to campus for classes.

This past academic year served as “Year Zero” for the esports degree program, which employs a holistic, experiential learning-based approach that will prepare students for career success in various industries, leveraging the largest collection of faculty and staff members of any esports program on a college campus.

It’s an all-encompassing venture, including both the academic degree program and the competitive teams that vie for national championships in their respective games.

Academically, students who embark on this first-of-its-kind esports communications and management program, offered jointly by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, will pursue one of three tracks:

• esports business and management, covering such topics as sport promotion, sport venue management and finance for emerging enterprises;
• esports communications, including coursework in virtual reality storytelling, esports and advertising, public relations principles and sports in the metaverse; or
• esports media and design, focused on 3D animation, game experience design and virtual production.

Competitively, Syracuse University fielded its first varsity esports squad in January, with the Orange winning a national championship in the Counter-Strike game and experiencing plenty of success across other varsity and club sports teams.

Joey Gawrysiak, executive director of the esports degree program, was hired last August to bring his visionary research and skills to campus, helping Syracuse capitalize on the tremendous popularity of esports while continuing to offer students innovative career options in emerging fields.

“Students will get a world-class education from esports-specific faculty that are at the top of their field in researching and teaching esports, with industry connections that will help you find an experience, a capstone, an internship and a job. That’s part of your educational journey,” says Gawrysiak, who developed one of the first esports degrees in the country at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. He notes that the best-in-class esports facilities currently underway on campus will create standout opportunities for students to engage with esports and gaming.

On this “’Cuse Conversation,” Gawrysiak discusses the evolution of the esports program on campus, the progress made in its first year, the expanded opportunities available to students and what’s planned for the future.

IDJC’s ElectionGraph Launches Searchable Database, New Report Tracking ‘Inauthentic Influencers’

A new searchable database allows the public to examine groups running social media ads that mention U.S. presidential candidates, including secretly coordinated pages that are running identical videos or messages.

The work is the result of comprehensive research through the ElectionGraph project from the University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship (IDJC). In conjunction with the new publicly available data dashboard, IDJC ElectionGraph researchers released a report that found about 2,200 webpages have run ads on Facebook and Instagram between Sept. 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024.

The ads, which mentioned President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump or other presidential primary candidates, have collectively exceeded 1 billion impressions.

Though a majority of the pages analyzed appear tied to legitimate groups, a portion of the pages appear to be “inauthentic influencers” who are secretly coordinating and running identical videos or messages. Several of these groups include false or misleading information in their ads, the report found.

The research also captured evidence of a deepfake featuring manipulated audio of figures, including Trump and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. And the findings detailed different political issues on which conservative and progressive-leaning pages are focusing their ad spends.

For conservative pages, immigration has been the top issue, surpassing the economy, while the economy was the top issue for progressive pages. Accounting for all pages regardless of leaning, ads related to the economy received the most ad dollars.

This is the second report from ElectionGraph, which seeks to identify misinformation trends in the U.S. presidential election and other top 2024 contests. The project is supported by a grant and use of analytics software from Neo4j, the world’s leading graph database and analytics company.

The Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship is a joint University initiative of the Newhouse School of Public Communications and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

The IDJC ElectionGraph team’s efforts included pinpointing origins of messages and tracing misinformation by collecting and algorithmically classifying ads run on Facebook and Instagram, as well as social media posts on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter.

The network of authentic and inauthentic actors identified in the research represents just a fraction of all coordinated pages related to elections. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is the only social media group that grants approved organizations access to ad data. This data is not required to be disclosed and is not similarly trackable on TikTok, Google, YouTube or Snapchat, according to the report.

“What this research reveals is the surprising number of actors we know very little about who are spending money targeting voters with messaging on social media where there is little transparency,” says Jennifer Stromer-Galley, professor in the School of Information Studies and lead researcher for the project.

“It underscores that tech platforms need to do more to allow academics and journalists access to platform data so that political actors can be held to account with the American public,” Stromer-Galley says.

Johanna Dunaway, IDJC research director and a professor of political science in the Maxwell School, says that what stands out from the analysis is the reminder that the election information environment is more confusing than ever.

“Even as some things stay the same—like emphasis on the economy and more focus on advocacy and attacks than issues—opaque messaging from random one-off groups or complex hidden networks with questionable motives makes it increasingly difficult to identify credible messages and sources in the cacophony of campaign-related information,” Dunaway says.

The prevalence of inauthentic groups, scams and deepfake voices just within the parameters of the search shows a massive amount of manipulation and misinformation targeting Americans through the political information consumed online, says Margaret Talev, Kramer Director of the IDJC, professor of practice in the Newhouse School and a journalist.

“This is a situation of ‘voter beware’ but also ‘consumer beware’ because sometimes what looks like a bid for your vote may actually be a bid for your identity or your credit card information,” Talev says.

Jim Webber, Neo4j’s chief scientist, says that covert operations by coordinated networks in digital civic spaces is a dangerous modern reality—while the company’s graph technology is enabling IDJC’s researchers “to uncover the hidden patterns and actions of those covert actors” and identify misinformation and misleading content.

Bridging Coasts and Building Careers

A look at a map would suggest that Syracuse and Los Angeles could hardly be more distant. But for many Syracuse University students, the experience of living and learning in LA—the sunny entertainment capital of the world and an epicenter for culture in every form—is an integral part of their college journey.

Through the University’s Dick Clark Los Angeles Program, students have opportunities to explore the industries that interest them, expand academically and get a taste of life on the West Coast. They learn from industry professionals, gain hands-on experience in internships and connect with a huge and supportive network of accomplished alumni. Syracuse’s study away programs in LA allow students to experience the best of both worlds: a close and supportive community and extraordinary access into the expansive educational and professional opportunities of LA.

In Training for Sports Journalism

“Los Angeles has every sport—as much as it’s known for Hollywood, it’s also known for sports,” says Luke Backman ’25, who is majoring in broadcast and digital journalism in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and aspires to a career in sports broadcasting. “I knew this would be a great opportunity.”

One of the most impactful aspects of his Newhouse Los Angeles experience has been the sports production class he is taking with seasoned sports media executive Jeff Proctor. “This has been the greatest class I’ve ever taken. Professor Proctor has connections everywhere—he’s done Clippers games, Lakers games, the Angels, boxing—and he brings in the greatest guests,” Backman says. “This course has given me a whole new perspective on sports production and really helped me understand the industry.”

Backman took an internship with MSM Productions, an Emmy Award-winning production company known for its sports-related storytelling, which complements his classroom learning with professional experience. “MSM Productions is doing the best of the best, the biggest of the biggest. This is an amazing place to be for someone who wants to be in sports media.”

Backman has also appreciated the community fostered in the LA program. “The Los Angeles program does a really great job making everyone feel included. We do events together—we toured Warner Bros.—and we have dinners together. I’ve made so many new friends and it really feels like a family,” he says.

Capturing Dreams

For Jiaxin “Joe” Zhao ’24, photography is more than a calling; it’s a way of life. One that she’s traveled more than 7,200 miles for. “I want to work as a photojournalist, focusing on social and political issues,” says the Shanghai native, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in art photography from Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Zhao is so committed to her craft that instead of returning home or entering the U.S. workforce, she’s remaining on campus for another year. In August, Zhao begins master’s studies in multimedia, photography and design in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. “It’s an intensive degree program that will help me launch my career in visual communications,” says the award-winning sports photographer. “I’m excited to study under such luminaries as Gregory Heisler, Paula Nelson G’21 and Bruce Strong.”

Being in the Newhouse School also enables Zhao to take advantage of special opportunities, like the four-day Alexia Fall Workshop (which brings in top professionals from around the world to collaborate with students), while working for The Daily Orange and Student Engagement.

Credit the Forever Orange Scholarship, which covers half of Zhao’s graduate tuition costs, for helping her pursue her dreams. “The scholarship makes everything easier,” she admits. “As a result, I can better focus on my studies.”