In 1988, the first Summer Journalism Institute was held at ASU and has been offered each year since. The two-week program is designed to bring to campus 20 talented high school students who are interested in careers in journalism. The majority of the students have been minorities. The Institute is sponsored by the Cronkite School, ASU's Department of Student Publications and The Arizona Republic, which provides funding. Students at the Summer Journalism Institute for high school students prepare their stories for publication.
Students receive instruction in journalistic techniques, concepts and philosophies.
Classroom instruction emphasizes news values, how to write leads, Associated Press style, interviewing techniques, use of quotations and attribution, how to cover speeches and press conferences, and how to write feature stories. In addition to being indoctrinated to these rudiments, students are introduced to mass communication law precedents and ethical issues. Students also are exposed to broadcast news at KAET-TV, ASU's public television station, and to photojournalism. In addition to receiving classroom instruction, students spend time with professional journalists and with college academic advisers. The culminating project is the student-produced newspaper.