The Student Media Initiative

The Student Media Initiative (SMI) at the Shorenstein Center creates the opportunity to explore the use of different forms of media to advance public policy understanding and debate.

SMI offers an experiential learning environment for students to build skills in research, writing, interviewing, editing, data visualization, web development, social media promotion, design, podcasting, and other tools and techniques of media and communication. It has never been easier to reach audiences all over the world and present compelling ideas in engaging and memorable ways. This program allows students to collaborate with one another, with faculty, fellows and the broader HKS community in creating content that elevates and advances the public discourse.

The HKS Student Policy Review is the cornerstone of SMI and provide opportunities for students to research, write, develop policy expertise and publish their research and opinions.

While the publication is administratively housed at and supported by the Shorenstein Center, the student editorial team operates independently. All content is edited and published by Harvard students.

To learn more, contact our Student Editors and Program Staff.

Programming

SMI offers students opportunities to get hands-on experience through programming including:

• core media trainings (audio and video editing, sound editing and mixing, on-camera work, podcast development, writing),
• talks with experts from across all channels of media (TV news, audio journalism, print/digital journalism, social media, etc.),
• talks with experts and faculty from both the Kennedy School and the broader Harvard community