The Racket About Padel: Newhouse Students Partner with Global Media Firm to Track Rise of Sport
Report cites Padel as fastest-growing sport in U.S.
Why all the racket about Padel? Newhouse School students and faculty collaborated with a global communications consulting firm to release a report about the emerging sport’s rapid rise in popularity.
The report, “Celebrities, Community, Content, and Competition: Padel’s Meteoric Rise in U.S. Popularity,” identifies key reasons behind the explosive growth of Padel, a racket sport that combines elements of tennis and squash.
Factors include more ways to stream Padel tournaments, an increase in community-focused clubs and the influence of celebrity enthusiasts like actress Eva Longoria and Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter.
“Padel in the U.S. won’t be just a sport—it will be a cultural phenomenon,” said Ben Nichols, founder of the firm, Padel 22. “We’re seeing the same kind of momentum that once launched pickleball, but this time with a broader lifestyle appeal.”
Baneet Bains ’25, a master’s graduate in public relations, led the Newhouse students that produced the report through the Padel 22 partnership. They were supervised by Brad Horn, professor of practice of public relations and associate dean for strategic initiatives at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.
Said Nichols: “As a former PR student myself, a big part of my mission is to support students in finding their way into the sport industry at a time when Padel is growing rapidly across the country.”
“To have been able to partner with one of the very best public relations programs in the United States has been an honor,” he added. “I’m thrilled Newhouse has been able to blaze the trail in the college sector by producing this industry-first report.”
What is Padel and Why is it Booming?
Padel is typically played in pairs, as doubles, on an enclosed court that is about one-third the size of a tennis court. In Padel, balls can be played off the walls.
There is some social media-fueled debate about how to pronounce the word. Nichols said the correct pronunciation is “PA-dell” (like “paddle”), though some players in the United States call it “pah-DEL.”
Either way, it’s considered the world’s fastest-growing sport, the report said. In the United States, Padel has gained traction through celebrity endorsements, increased exposure through digital content and investment in elite clubs and tournaments.
According to the Padel report released Wednesday, U.S. court construction skyrocketed from fewer than 30 in 2020 to more than 600 in 2024, with projections of 30,000 by 2030.
“Media growth and engagement serves as one of the key drivers of the success of emerging sports across the U.S.,” said Olivia Stomski, director of the Newhouse Sports Media Center. “The report shows that a combination of celebrity influence, community activation and content creation are all key drivers in Padel’s emergence.”
Hands-on Learning at the Newhouse School
For the Newhouse team, the collaboration offered students a valuable opportunity to work on a high-profile project about an emerging sports trend, the first research of its kind about Padel in the United States.
“Providing students with hands-on learning opportunities in global sport communications is central to the Newhouse approach of integrating classroom knowledge with real-world impact,” Horn said. “This academic-industry intersection defines the value of a Newhouse educational experience, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, thanks to our industry partners and their desire to help our students succeed.”
Bains, who graduated in May, led a team that ranged from first-year to graduate students.
“This project was the ultimate hands-on experience of what we’ve been learning in the classroom,” she said, “working together in a setting that mimicked a professional environment.”
Newhouse Faculty, Doctoral Students to Participate in 2025 ICA Conference
Several Newhouse School faculty members and doctoral students will participate in the 75th annual convention of the International Communication Association on June 12-16 in Denver, Colorado. Their involvement includes paper presentations, panel discussions and roles as presenters in workshops.
Note: For times and locations of presentations, please visit the conference website.
Friday, June 13
Journey Into Meaningfulness? How Manipulating a Need for Meaning-Making Impacts Eudaimonic Gaming Experiences
Nick Bowman; Janaki Riji Nair
Socioemotional Connections in Hybrid and Digital Worlds
Nick Bowman
Assessing the Effectiveness of Civic Local Journalism Training: A Mixed-Method Applied Research Study
Joshua Darr
Saturday, June 14
BLUE SKY ADMINISTRATOR WORKSHOP: The Role of Administrators in Advancing Faculty Research and Creative Work
Regina Luttrell
Walking Into the Unknown: Manipulating Knowledge of the External Environment to Promote Presence in VR
Nick Bowman
Conservative Elite News Discourse and Right-Wing Defensive Publics: The Daegu Mosque and Anti-Muslim Sentiment in South Korea
David Oh
Mood Management in Many Dimensions: VR Gaming as a Source of Intervention Potential
Elena Zhao, Nick Bowman
The Power of Pop Culture Narratives in Teaching Intersectional Feminism: A Pedagogical Study
Tiara Johnson, Carrie Welch, Regina Luttrell, Anne Osborne
The Promises and Perils of Being a Popular Youth Online Content Creator
Rebecca Ortiz, Sophia Condemi, Kelly Leahy, Srivi Ramasubramanian
ICA Fellows’ Advice to Their Younger Selves [small-group mentoring sessions]
Jocelyn McKinnon-Crowley, Srivi Ramasubramanian
Destructive or Democratic? Civility, Partisanship, and Perceptions of Protest
Emily Sydnor
Putting Human Agency at the Center of Technology Adoption: Weighing Psychological Empowerment and Risk Appraisals
Joon Soo Lim
Revisting ‘Building a Fugitive Academy’
Srivi Ramasubramanian
Adapting to Hallucination Risks and Privacy Concerns: The Role of Information Verification and Privacy Protection in Continuance Intentions of Generative AI
Joon Soo Lim
Sunday, June 15
Similar But Not the Same: Freelance and Full-Time Journalists in the United States
Lars Willnat, Anuradha Herath, Stan Jastrzebski
Making Their Voices Heard: Adolescents’ Social Media activism and Advocacy for Sex and Reproductive Health
Rebecca Ortiz
Partisan Responses to Cancel Culture on Social Media: Hostile Media Effects on Political Behavior
Joon Soo Lim, Bixuan Ren
Activism, Communication and Social Justice Research Escalator Session
Shannon Burth
Student Journalism as Witnessing, Solidarity, and Resistance: An Analysis of Pro-Palestine Campus Protests in Student-Run Newspapers in New York
Shannon Burth, Srivi Ramasubramanian, Fuhaid Alajmi
Development and Validation of the Motivations of Eudaimonic Gaming (MEG) Scale
Nick Bowman
Time as a Challenge for Game Studies: Conceptualizing a Multi-Faceted Concept
Nick Bowman
Nostalgia, Age, and Gaming
Nick Bowman
Construct Inconsistency
Nick Bowman
Monday, June 16
How Visuals Distractions Disrupt Information Processing: Impact of Floating Ads on News Audiences
Jocelyn McKinnon-Crowley
The Egocentricity and Emotionality of Sense of Place: Scale Development and Validation Across Digital/Physical and Positive/Negative Locales
Nick Bowman
Playing in the Dark: The U.S. Army Esports Team on Twitch
Josh Foust
Embrace or Embargo? Is That the Best Question?: Students’ Attitudes Toward AI and Their Potential Sources
Nick Bowman
Populism and Political Communication, Standard Paper Session
Joshua Darr
Public Diplomacy: Forging Enduring Relationships That Endure Political Disruption, Panel Session
Steven Pike
Newhouse Impact: Award-Winning Faculty; Fluency Report Released; Research and Creative Activity Updates
Nick Bowman, director of the doctoral and media studies programs and an associate professor of communications, was one of 10 Syracuse University faculty members honored with the Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award at a campus ceremony April 24. The award, given annually by the Graduate School, honors professors who have had a significant impact on graduate education through teaching, service and research or creative activities.
Emerging Insights Lab Fluency Report Released
“The 2024–2025 Fluency Report: Bridging the AI Digital Divide,” examines the widening gap between individuals and organizations who have access to AI technologies and those who do not. Unlike earlier versions of the digital divide that focused largely on hardware and internet access, the AI divide is deeply tied to disparities in digital literacy, skills development, transparency and institutional investment.
Newhouse Impact Podcast
On this episode of “Newhouse Impact,” Austin Kocher, a research assistant professor at the Newhouse School, discusses his research into the realities of immigration, deportation, detention and the politics that shape these issues. Kocher’s work provides a data-driven approach to understanding the human consequences of policy decisions, helping us navigate the complexities of immigration reform at a time when public discourse is highly polarized.
A collaboration between WAER and the Newhouse School, the “Newhouse Impact” podcast provides another platform to share the research and creative work of students, faculty and staff across a range of topics in media and communications. More recent episodes include:
- “Can media and information literacy help bridge deep political and social divisions?” Newhouse guest: Regina Luttrell and Jason Davis
- “The impact of AI on crisis communications: Trustworthiness vs predicting potential problems” Newhouse guest: Erika Schneider
Recent accolades, highlights and notes
G Douglas Barrett was awarded a grant from the Central NY Humanities Corridor to support a Sound and Media Working Group.
Makana Chock was the co-author of a research article titled “Exploring the perceived realism of XR experiences: unveiling the impact of cutting-edge simulation tools and their interplay with human and contextual factors.”
Seth Gitner was the faculty speaker at The Disability Cultural Center’s graduation ceremony on May 3.
Bruce Strong was formally inducted as The Alexia Endowed Chair.
Sean Branagan was a guest speaker in an Association of Foreign Press Correspondents-United States (AFPC-USA) program about how entrepreneurial thinking is transforming journalism today.
Newhouse School’s Emerging Insights Lab Releases 2024-2025 Fluency Report
As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies transform society, a new report from the Emerging Insights Lab at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University highlights a critical and growing challenge: the AI digital divide.
“The 2024–2025 Fluency Report: Bridging the AI Digital Divide,” examines the widening gap between individuals and organizations who have access to AI technologies and those who do not. Unlike earlier versions of the digital divide that focused largely on hardware and internet access, the AI divide is deeply tied to disparities in digital literacy, skills development, transparency and institutional investment.
“AI holds tremendous potential—but that potential will remain out of reach for many unless we address systemic gaps in education, access and training,” said Dr. Regina Luttrell, a co-author of the report with Dr. Jason Davis, along with research team members Carrie Welch G’24 and master’s student Chris Fiegel.
“Bridging the divide isn’t just about technology. It’s about building a future where everyone can engage with, question and benefit from AI tools in meaningful ways,” Luttrell said. The senior associate dean at the Newhouse School, Luttrell is also co-director of the Emerging Insights Lab with Davis.
Using a combination of critical media analysis and empirical evaluation of AI detection tools, the team explored how structural inequities, individual skill gaps and the “black box” nature of AI models contribute to the growing disparity. The report also highlights how improved transparency, attribution and human-centered AI practices could help close the gap—especially in fields like journalism and education.
“Without equitable access to AI literacy and detection technologies, we risk widening the gap between those who can critically navigate synthetic media and those who cannot,” said Davis, a research professor. “Investing in transparency and training is essential to protecting digital trust and supporting democratic institutions.”
The report emphasizes that as AI systems become more sophisticated, industries must prioritize digital and AI literacy, invest in equitable access to detection tools and design more transparent systems. These steps are critical for fostering technological innovation and ensuring that the benefits of AI are distributed fairly across society.
University Celebrates Installation of Bruce Strong as The Alexia Endowed Chair at the Newhouse School
Syracuse University celebrated the official installation of award-winning photographer and faculty member Bruce Strong as The Alexia Endowed Chair during a ceremony at the Newhouse School.
With Strong’s family, Newhouse colleagues, industry professionals and students in attendance, the event on Saturday, April 5 in the Newhouse 1 atrium included a medallion presentation for Strong led by Interim Provost Lois Agnew as well as remarks from Chancellor Kent Syverud.
The Alexia began in 1991 as the Alexia Foundation, created with the mission to promote cultural understanding and peace by supporting photographers as agents for change. Peter and Aphrodite Tsairis founded the foundation in partnership with the Newhouse School to honor their daughter, Alexia Tsairis. The 20-year-old photography major was killed in the bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, as she was returning home from a semester abroad in London.
The Tsairises sat in the front row during the ceremony, with relatives and family friends also gathered for the celebration, as well as David Sutherland, a professor emeritus and the program’s founding chair.
Since its inception, the program has provided nearly $2 million in funding in support of hundreds of students, professional photographers and filmmakers. In 2021, the program transitioned to the Newhouse School and became The Alexia.
The following year, The Alexia Chair position was endowed in large part through a $2 million gift from Xin Liu, co-founder and president of The Enlight Foundation and an Alexia grant recipient more than 30 years ago. The Enlight Foundation’s gift provides continuous support for grants and fellowships, as well as teaching, research, programmatic and educational opportunities that inspire more impactful storytelling.
The Alexia continues to receive support through generous donations from alumni, friends, professionals and corporate sponsorship.
“Honestly, I do not see this position simply as an honor; I see it as a responsibility,” Strong said. “As The Alexia Endowed Chair, I promise to work tirelessly to build a community that pierces darkness with light—to help others create images that convey understanding, promote meaningful conversation and inspire action.”
“In the end, the true power of documentary photography is not just in what we see. It’s in the voices it amplifies, the beauty it reveals, the perspectives it challenges and the change it ignites,” Strong said.
During the ceremony, Syverud also presented Strong with a gift befitting of the occasion: a signed first edition of “HALFWAY TO FREEDOM: A Report on the New India” by pioneering photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White.
At Newhouse, Strong teaches photography, video, audio and multimedia storytelling to undergraduate, graduate and military students. He has mentored College Photographer of the Year winners and earned a prestigious Meredith Teaching Recognition Award from Syracuse University. He also has been recognized for his teaching by the National Press Photographers Association.
Strong has traveled to nearly 80 countries during a decades-long career. He has worked at newspapers and freelanced for international publications and nonprofits. His images have been published in Time, National Geographic and other magazines.
Strong has also served as a Knight-Wallace Kellogg Public Policy Fellow at the University of Michigan, focusing on the intersection of journalism and the arts in developing community leadership, as well as the Knight Fellow at Ohio University.
Dean Mark J. Lodato also noted Strong’s encouraging demeanor and spirit of collaboration with faculty and staff at Newhouse.
“In my five years as dean at Newhouse, I consider my appointment of Bruce to lead The Alexia program as truly one of my best decisions,” Lodato said. “He truly honors the mission and values of The Alexia program.”
Newhouse Impact: Award-Winning Faculty; Research and Creative Activity Updates
The Newhouse School is proud of the accomplishments of the following faculty members recognized April 11 at the One University Awards Ceremony. The annual event honors member of the University community who make a difference through academics, scholarship, creative work and dedicated service.
- Erika Schneider, assistant professor of public relations, is a 2025 recipient of The Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Teaching Recognition Award for Early Performance.
- Nina Brown, associate professor of communications, is a 2025-28 Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence.
The Meredith Professorship is a prestigious honor that recognizes and rewards outstanding teaching among the faculty. Brown, who has taught at Newhouse for a decade, plans to focus her tenure on creating a comprehensive faculty development program to support the transition and professional growth of new faculty across the University.
Rebecca Ortiz
Rebecca Ortiz, an award-winning associate professor of advertising, has been named the Newhouse Endowed Chair of Public Communications for 2025-28. The position is bestowed to a faculty member whose accomplishments significantly advance the school’s reputation in research and creative activity.
Ortiz’s research explores how media and communication can improve public health and well-being, with a focus on sexual health communication, sexual violence prevention, and youth and young adult audiences.
Newhouse Impact Podcast
A collaboration between WAER and the Newhouse School, the podcast provides another platform to share the research and creative work of students, faculty and staff across a range of topics in media and communications. More recent episodes include:
- “Can media and information literacy help bridge deep political and social divisions?” Newhouse guest: Regina Luttrell and Jason Davis
- “The impact of AI on crisis communications: Trustworthiness vs predicting potential problems” Newhouse guest: Erika Schneider
- “Doula Care Could Help Expectant and New Mothers – if More Knew About it” Newhouse guest: Bryce Whitwam
Recent accolades, highlights and notes
Michael O. Snyder won The Cliff Edom New America Award in the National Press Photographers 2025 Best of Photojournalism competition for his photography project “The Queens of Queen City.”
Alex Richards worked on the investigative series “Ricketts’ Riches” for the Flatwater Free Press. The series won a 2025 A-Mark Prize for Journalism and Investigative Reporting from the Nebraska Press Association.
Roy Gutterman wrote about the AP’s return to the White House for Syracuse.com.
Aileen Gallagher commented on the em dash in artificial intelligence writing.
Shelly Palmer blogged about writing an artificial intelligence agent and new Model Context Protocol technology within AI.
Michael O. Snyder’s upcoming joint show, “Art x Climate,” at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, was highlighted in Smithsonian magazine.
Alex Richards worked on the investigative series “The Tenant Trap” with Injustice Watch. The series won a prestigious IRE Award from Investigative Reporters & Editors.
Nina Brown Named 2025-28 Meredith Professor
The associate professor of communications will focus on creating a comprehensive faculty development program during her tenure. The Meredith Professorship is a prestigious honor for Syracuse University faculty.
Nina Brown, an associate professor of communications at the Newhouse School, has been named a 2025-28 Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence, a prestigious honor that recognizes and rewards outstanding teaching among the faculty.
Created in 1995, the Meredith Professorship Program aims to improve the teaching and learning environment on campus and foster campuswide conversations about teaching excellence.
Brown, who has taught at Newhouse for a decade, plans to focus her Meredith Professorship on creating a comprehensive faculty development program to support the transition and professional growth of new faculty across the University. The initiative would provide new faculty with tools, training and mentorship to help them thrive in the classroom, and ultimately enhance student learning outcomes, faculty effectiveness and a sense of belonging.
Brown said she plans to work collaboratively with academic units across campus to tailor to each unit’s needs, instead of taking a “one-size-fits-all” approach. She will be among the honorees to be recognized Friday at the One University Awards Ceremony at Hendricks Chapel.
“This is such a deserving honor for Nina, whose dedication to teaching excellence and helping new faculty succeed is well known at Newhouse,” Dean Mark J. Lodato said.
“I am eager to see the impact she will make across the rest of campus in setting new frameworks for faculty development,” Lodato said. “Nina’s dynamic ideas ultimately will bolster the Newhouse School’s standards of excellence as the nation’s top communications school.”
Also a graduate of the Newhouse School, Brown began her career as a copywriter at an advertising agency, and eventually held roles as director of communications for a startup technology company and associate vice president of brand development at a Fortune 500 company.
Brown then attended Cornell Law School, where she focused her coursework and scholarship on First Amendment and intellectual property law. After several years practicing law, Brown joined the Newhouse faculty to teach courses in communications law. Her academic research focuses on the intersection of media law and technology.
Rebecca Ortiz Named Next Newhouse Endowed Chair of Public Communications
Associate professor’s research explores how media and communication can improve public health and well-being.
Rebecca Ortiz, an award-winning associate professor of advertising, has been named the Newhouse Endowed Chair of Public Communications for 2025-28. The position is bestowed to a distinguished faculty member whose accomplishments significantly advance the school’s reputation in research and creative activity.
Ortiz’s research explores how media and communication can improve public health and well-being, with a focus on sexual health communication, sexual violence prevention, and youth and young adult audiences.
Ortiz’s appointment was announced in early March. As endowed chair, Ortiz will work on her project, “Youth Well-Being in the Creator Economy,” which will explore the experiences of youth online content creators and uncover the challenges and opportunities they face in the current online creator economy.
Insights from the work will be shared across various outlets to help youth navigate the online creator economy safely and effectively, while also informing policymakers and social media platforms about the impact of their policies on youth creators.
Ortiz is the 2024 recipient of the Judith Seinfeld Scholar Award, which honors Syracuse University faculty and students who display excellence, creativity and innovation in academic or artistic fields and encourages future contributions to society.
Ortiz recently served as co-editor for “Teens, Sex, and Media Effects: Understanding Media’s Influence on Adolescent Sexuality, Sexual Health, and Advocacy,” a book featuring original empirical research about how the current media landscape shapes adolescent sexuality, including their identity development, romantic and sexual relationships, and sexual health.
A member of the Newhouse faculty since 2016, Ortiz has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Health Communication, Violence Against Women and Journal of Adolescent Health.
Charisse L’Pree, associate professor of communications, is concluding her three-year term as the Newhouse Endowed Chair. L’Pree focused her tenure on creating the “Make America Dream” project.
Formally launched last fall during an event at the Hergenhan Auditorium, the interactive website and multimedia project highlights the breadth and diversity of goals and aspirations of Americans, while also seeking to inspire users to keep dreaming.
Life Together Initiative to Host ‘Decoding Deception’ Lecture March 26
On March 26, members of the University community will come together in an interactive lecture session to explore how to confront mis- and disinformation to restore public trust and strengthen democracy.
“Decoding Deception: Advancing Critical Thinking to Strengthen Democracy” will begin at 6 p.m. in Grant Auditorium in the Falk College Complex. Led by Regina Luttrell, senior associate dean and associate professor of public relations in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and Jason Davis, research professor in the Office of Research and Creativity in the Newhouse School, the session will focus on the critical skills of detection, attribution and characterization, empowering participants to identify and counter deceptive narratives.
The lecture is part of the Life Together: Seeking the Common Good in a Diverse Democracy initiative, led by Gretchen Ritter, vice president of civic engagement and education. The initiative began with an inaugural community conversation in October and expanded this semester.
This event is open to the University community and welcomes all who value informed citizenry and seek actionable strategies to promote a resilient, truth-centered democratic society.
“Part of being an engaged citizen is being well-informed on pertinent public issues. We want to help the members of our campus community to be engaged, thoughtful citizens by helping them to understand whether different sources of information are reliable and trustworthy or suspect and problematic,” says Ritter.
“In an era where trust in civil society is eroding and the shared civic sphere is under strain, this event underscores the importance of regaining public trust in news and information,” Davis says. “By fostering critical thinking and media literacy, attendees will discover how these tools are essential not only for navigating today’s complex information environment but also for safeguarding the principles of democracy.”
“With disinformation everywhere, understanding its long-term impact is critical for protecting democracy, public trust, and informed decision-making,” says Luttrell. “My hope is that people walk away with a deeper understanding of how media manipulation and information ecosystems shape our world and what they can do to assess, challenge and mitigate its harmful effects.”
Luttrell and Davis serve as co-directors of the Newhouse School’s Emerging Insights Lab. The lab serves as a multidisciplinary research center focusing on analytics, artificial intelligence, digital and emerging media as well as an active classroom, and shared lab environment for projects undertaken by faculty and students.
This story was originally published on Syracuse University News
Newhouse Impact: Mis- and Disinformation Lecture; Research and Creative Activity Updates
Luttrell and Davis to Present on Mis- and Disinformation
Senior Associate Dean Regina Luttrell and Research Professor Jason Davis will lead a lecture titled “Decoding Deception: Advancing Critical Thinking to Strengthen Democracy” on March 26. The lecture focuses on the critical skills of detecting, attributing and characterizing mis- and disinformation, and empowers participants to identify and counter deceptive narratives.
Newhouse Impact Podcast
In this episode of “Newhouse Impact” podcast, Newhouse public relations assistant professor Erika Schneider shares findings from research that has people’s reactions to messaging that was created using AI. She also discusses with host Chris Bolt ways using AI as a planning and research tool can greatly improve crisis communications, making many situations more predictable—or even avoidable.
A collaboration between WAER and the Newhouse School, the podcast provides another platform to share the research and creative work of students, faculty and staff across a range of topics in media and communications. More recent episodes include:
- “Doula Care Could Help Expectant and New Mothers – if More Knew About it” Newhouse guest: Bryce Whitwam
- “How an enhanced focus on journalism could reduce illegal doping in sports” Newhouse guest: Brad Horn
Recent accolades, highlights and notes
Tim Mirabito is the co-author of the research publication “Signing Off: An Examination Into Female Journalists Leaving Legacy Media”
Charisse L’Pree’s “SNL101” podcast featured Bob Thompson as a guest to discuss Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special.
Shaina Holmes and Molle DeBartolo attended the SXSW Festival and discussed their film “Summer of ’69,” which was produced by DeBartolo with Holmes serving as VFX producer.
Rebecca Ortiz is the co-author of the research publication “Swipe right to consent: How dating app usage by young adults contributes to sexual objectification and sexual consent miscommunication”
Josh Darr was recognized by the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont for his work growing university-led reporting programs.
Jason Davis talked about a new approach to tackle fake news amid the LA wildfires.
Shelly Palmer discussed how GPT-5 could change our thinking.
Adam Peruta and Milton Santiago won second place in the AEJMC Best Practices in Teaching Awards for “Empowering Students to Critically Engage with AI in Political Messaging.”