Cronkite School of Journalism
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| Cronkite School of Journalism | |
|---|---|
| Name | Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication |
| Established | 1973 |
| Type | Public |
| Parent | Arizona State University |
| City | Phoenix |
| State | Arizona |
| Country | United States |
Cronkite School of Journalism is the journalism and mass communication school at Arizona State University, located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in the early 1970s and renamed for broadcaster Walter Cronkite in 1984, the school serves undergraduate and graduate students with professional training in multimedia journalism, broadcast production, public affairs reporting, and digital media. The Cronkite School emphasizes industry partnerships, experiential learning, and civic journalism across urban, regional, national, and international reporting platforms.
History
The school's origins trace to journalism programs at Arizona State University in the 20th century and were shaped by figures such as Walter Cronkite, whose career included work at CBS News, the United Press International, and coverage of events like the Apollo 11 mission and the Watergate scandal. During the 1980s and 1990s the school expanded amid collaborations with organizations including the Associated Press, the Poynter Institute, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and the Knight Foundation. Its downtown Phoenix building was developed alongside initiatives involving the City of Phoenix, the Downtown Phoenix Inc. partnership, and cultural anchors such as the Herberger Theater Center and Phoenix Art Museum. Major milestones include accreditation by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, establishment of graduate programs influenced by models from the Medill School of Journalism, and international reporting projects tied to outlets such as The New York Times, BBC News, and Al Jazeera.
Academic Programs
Cronkite offers undergraduate and graduate curricula with degree tracks paralleling programs at institutions like Columbia University, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, Syracuse University, and University of Missouri. Majors and specializations include broadcast journalism, digital media, sports journalism, and public relations, framed by partnerships with entities such as NPR, CNN, The Washington Post, Reuters, and Bloomberg. Graduate offerings include professional master's degrees and doctoral study that draw on scholarship from centers like the Shorenstein Center and the Rosenstiel School of Science and Technology, while internships and practicum placements connect students to newsrooms at Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, The Guardian, and Reuters. The school emphasizes multimedia storytelling techniques influenced by practices at Vice Media, Vox Media, ProPublica, and Newsy.
Facilities and Media Outlets
The Cronkite building houses newsroom labs, broadcast studios, and editing suites designed to mirror facilities at CNN Center, CBS Broadcast Center, and Fox News Center. On-site media outlets include a television station and radio studios modeled after operations at NPR member stations, a digital news site reminiscent of The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed, and a student-run publication analogous to The Daily Pennsylvanian and The Harvard Crimson. The building contains control rooms, soundstages, and field-production vehicles comparable to those used by NBC News, ABC News, and PBS affiliates, and training equipment from vendors used by The Associated Press and Reuters.
Research and Centers
Cronkite hosts research centers and initiatives that collaborate with partners such as the Annenberg School for Communication, the Knight Foundation, the Poynter Institute, the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, and the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Projects examine topics explored by researchers at Pew Research Center, Berkman Klein Center, and Rand Corporation, including media innovation, audience analytics, and ethics debates highlighted during events like the 2016 United States presidential election and the Arab Spring. Centers foster comparative work on press freedom alongside organizations such as Reporters Without Borders, Committee to Protect Journalists, and Freedom House.
Student Activities and Organizations
Students participate in organizations and experiential programs that mirror professional associations like the Society of Professional Journalists, National Association of Broadcasters, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and student bodies similar to College Media Association chapters at other universities. Student media includes TV news bureaus, radio programs, investigative reporting teams, and social-media desks producing content comparable to output at Vice News Tonight, Frontline, 60 Minutes, and Dateline NBC. Extracurriculars include chapters of national groups such as SPJ, internships coordinated with outlets like Axios, Politico, HuffPost, and specialty clubs focusing on sports coverage aligned with organizations such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association and professional leagues like the NFL and NBA.
Notable Alumni and Faculty
Faculty and alumni have affiliations with major media organizations and public figures including journalists and broadcasters who have worked at CBS News, NBC News, ABC News, CNN, FOX News, Bloomberg News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Associated Press, NPR, PBS, Al Jazeera English, and VICE. Distinguished alumni have pursued careers at outlets such as ESPN, Fox Sports, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, ProPublica, Axios, BuzzFeed News, Vox, Gannett, and Hearst Communications. Faculty collaborators and visiting scholars have included experts from Harvard Kennedy School, Stanford University, Columbia University, and the University of California, Berkeley.
Awards and Recognition
Cronkite programs and student projects have received awards and recognition from organizations such as the Pulitzer Prize juries, the Emmy Awards, the Peabody Awards, the Scripps Howard Awards, the Society of Professional Journalists awards, the Investigative Reporters and Editors awards, and honors from foundations including the Knight Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation. Student work has been cited by national outlets such as The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and international media including BBC News and Al Jazeera.