The Summer Journalism Academy offers an array of activities and workshops for students of all levels of journalism background. From hearing from professionals in the field to debating the ethics of journalism, students will get hands on experience of producing a newspaper from scratch. Below is an overview of past programming, and specific activities for 2017 will be confirmed this summer.

  • Past Seminars
  • Discussion Groups
  • Past Activities
The Writer’s Toolbox An accomplished Crimson writer will walk students through the writing process, from brainstorming to proofreading, discussing keys to success along the way. Students will learn how to find sources, how to plan and organize a story, and how to use sentence structure to their advantage. We will show good examples to follow for every step of the process.
Interviewing 101 At the end of the day, stories can often only be as good as the information provided by sources. Make sure to get the most out of your interviewees by utilizing the suggestions of an experienced news reporter. Using a mock interview between reporters to discuss crucial moments in every interview, students will learn the ins and outs of journalism’s most crucial activity.
Social Media The work of journalists is being rapidly transformed by presence of social media. What exactly does it mean to be a journalist in the 21st century? This seminar discusses ways in which newspapers utilize new sites such as Facebook and Twitter as a tool for research and reporting, and a platform from which journalists can reach a broader audience.
InDesigning the Paper Ever find yourself getting bogged down with technical difficulties in the production process? Want to spend less time trying to put stories into the page and more time on the content itself? Our editors have put together an InDesign tutorial to teach you the tricks of the trade.
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When a Story is a Story: Newsworthiness Students will discuss the principles of what makes an article right for their respective news organizations. What elements should one consider when deciding what stories to pursue? Students will learn about the principles of newsworthiness and immediately apply them, debating whether or not a series of pre-selected hypothetical situations should be covered in a local newspaper.
Writing Ethics Journalism is one of the most ethically demanding professions. Moral issues pop up quite often in this line of work, and having a firm idea of what is right and wrong is essential. Through fun and engaging debates about a number of hypothetical situations, students will find their personal beliefs and discuss what is appropriate behavior for a professional journalist.
The Future of the Newspaper as a Business There are many who say the print newspaper as we know it dead already, and publications are quickly evolving to the changing times. How can publications adjust to ensure that journalism remains a profitable endeavor? And what kind of impact are these trends having on college, and even high school, newspapers?
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College Prep Students will be taken on a guided tour of Harvard College and then come back to The Crimson, where a Harvard student will answer any and all questions about college admissions, college life and reporting in college.
Brainstorming Exercise Learn how members of The Crimson come up with stories idea and come up with your own in a brainstorming session. Then get guidance on how to pursue your leads and turn the idea into an article.
Make a Paper Over the course of a week, students will brainstorm story ideas, report on them, write, and edit, all under the guidance of Crimson editors. By Friday, they will have a special Crimson print edition to call their own.