Tupper

Sam Tupper (MA ‘25) is a multimedia journalist and media researcher with over 10 years of experience. He began working at Grady College in March 2026 almost a year after graduating with his M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication. Sam’s love for journalism began when he joined his high school newspaper in 2016 where he worked his way up to copy editor, transitioning the paper into a news magazine along the way. Sam has an undergraduate degree in journalism and psychology from Mercer University, where he previously worked as a staff writer for the Mercer Cluster, Macon Newsroom and The Mercer Den. While at UGA, Sam served as the graduate assistant for each section of the Reporting I and Media Savvy courses at Grady. He also spent a semester interning at the CNN Health Desk, where he covered a variety of topics including breakthrough cancer research and a variety of breaking foodborne illnesses. He spent so much time covering the outbreak of bird flu in raw dairy products. It earned him the reputation of being “The Raw Milk Guy” around the desk.  

In his time as an undergraduate and master’s student, Sam collaborated with journalism and media research professors at both Mercer and UGA to critically examine the news and information the public consumes in a new era of increasingly present artificial intelligence-generated content. He collaborated with researchers on qualitative eye-tracking projects designed to evaluate subjects’ ability to recognize AI images, examined Fortnite’s visual communication methods and integrated the unique ways in which documentary filmmakers employ storytelling innovations. 

Sam works closely with the Office of Communications and the Grady External Relations teams to shape and maintain a positive image for the college through strategic communication and branding. He photographs events throughout the college, writes articles describing the exciting research students and faculty are conducting and manages the college’s social media image.