The new Student Media Initiative at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School is launching this fall. The program’s goal will be to provide public policy students with a home base for experiential learning opportunities, networking, and mentorship within the world of media.
It has never been easier to reach audiences all over the world and present compelling ideas in engaging and powerful ways. In the digital era, the information ecosystem is driving both problems and solutions that can impact people worldwide and drive change at an ever-increasing rate. Students at the Kennedy School will become leaders addressing these changes. This program allows students to collaborate with one another, with faculty and fellows and the broader HKS community, in understanding how the information ecosystem works, how they can engage with it, and how to create content that elevates and advances the public interest.
The Student Media Initiative, led by Shorenstein Center Director Nancy Gibbs, will offer workshops and trainings in media topics including audio and video editing, sound editing and mixing, on-camera work, podcast development, writing, and storytelling. It will also host talks with experts from across all channels of media (TV news, audio journalism, print/digital journalism, social media, etc.), and talks with experts and faculty from both the Kennedy School and the broader Harvard community. It will offer students networking and mentorship relationships with faculty, fellows, and Harvard alumni who are working in and with media.
The Student Media Initiative is also now the home base for the fourteen student-run policy journals and publications at the Kennedy School. These journals give students experience running a digital publication, writing and creating interactive content, and soliciting and editing pieces from experts and scholars. The journals each have a distinct topical focus which deliver a rich diversity of opinions, perspectives, and issues. To learn more about the journals visit: shorensteincenter.org/programs/student-media-initiative/journals
To learn more about the Student Media Initiative and ways to get involved, contact SMI Program Director Maja Niksic: maja_niksic@hks.harvard.edu.
