Philly Inquirer Tosses Paid Internships, Asks J-Schools to Foot Bill

Yep, you read the headline correctly: the Philadelphia Inquirer says it can't pay the wages of the handful of interns from which the paper happily accepts work:

"The Inquirer has decided it can no longer afford to pay interns–but union contracts also don’t allow the newspaper to let interns work without being paid.

The Inquirer now is asking journalism schools to pay the newspaper a stipend to support the internships. Each school that agrees to do so will have one guaranteed internship."

"UNC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication won’t be participating in the Inquirer’s program."

To which j-schools are responding, "thanks, but no thanks. We'll take our impoverished graduates elsewhere, thank you." Journalists 1, Philadelphia Inquirer 0.

NYT Woe-Is-Me: Magazine Interns Denied Summer Fridays, Real News

The New York Times hates puppies.

That's because the Fashion & Style section made a poor editorial decision to run a story that covered (rather, created) news that New York City's highfalutin fashion and women's magazine interns can't bear to stay home from the Hamptons and work a full Friday (rather than get "Summer Fridays" and depart at 2 p.m.).

Are you kidding me?

On July 20, 2008, in an article titled, "At Magazine Offices, Another Summer of Jitney No-Shows," by former WSJ staffer Lauren Lipton, the twenty-something interns of Glamour, Vogue, Interview, Harper's Bazaar -- hell, virtually every in-demand magazine by Conde Nast, Hearst, Time Inc., HFMUS and Meredith -- lament staying and working on Friday while everyone else in the entire city hops on the Jitney to the Hamptons.

"Woe!" a rail-thin intern shouts as her fingers get sticky paste all over them as she puts the final touches on "the book" for a certain top editor. "Lament!" another shouts, as she gets tangled in a webbed Dolce and Gabbana concoction, tripping in her last-season Louboutins and accidentally stretching the stitches on her Chanel skirt. Wherever shall they eat dinner, with everyone having left for the Hamptons?

God, it must be terrible to work at a magazine.

OK, now let's dial down the sarcasm and approach this moderately. The heart of this article -- which I urge you to read -- is that ad pages are down in a tough economy, and the editorial side (and their workdays) is much more at the mercy of the business and advertising side. Which is a legitimate concern, since that inadvertently dictates the quality of the product as a whole (and the quality-of-life factor inside the offices).

My problem with the article, sadly, is three-fold: 1) somehow, the (unpaid or very low-paid) interns are given the spotlight; 2) the interns' work lives are compared to that of the editors-in-chief of the publications; and 3) we, as readers, are supposed to feel sad that no one gets an early Friday.

Well, I've got news for you, New York Times: the whole thing is ridiculous. Why?

First (and foremost): We should not be sad that someone who has a coveted position at a popular publication can't get Summer Fridays when a increasing amount of people -- including some very savvy professionals who want to work in publishing -- can't find work, even in the world's publishing mecca, New York City. Much less all the poor people who couldn't leave the city if they tried.

Second: The real focus of this article should be the staffers with salaries, who can't make any more if they stay until midnight every night (which they already do near close). If the low-paid interns are complaining about extra hours, they ought to consider the extra money they can contribute to their rent, the most expensive in the U.S. (and I'd know -Ed.). If they're unpaid interns, perhaps the article should be focusing on how unpaid interns are being taken advantage of, working endless hours with no job promises in sight. The editors-in-chief might have to start taking page proofs with them on the airplane, but most of their interns can't even afford to board the plane in the first place.

Third: If any intern, anywhere, plans on spending their weekends in the Hamptons, they should not be considered "interns" by any stretch of the imagination. And if I'm then supposed to feel sorry that they can't leave until 5 (okay, 6 for magazines) on Friday, trust me, these tear ducts are dry.

Even the artwork for the story is misleading (shown above). No one works in darkness like that at a magazine -- there are flourescent lights lining the office!

To boot, the article signs off with a weak disclaimer -- "Well, sure, people who work at magazines get perks, like chocolate" -- and then drives the ridiculous stake home with a quote from a Conde Nast intern who supposedly envies other interns. Which is ridiculous, because no matter how much someone grows frustrated working at 4 Times Square, they will never, ever deny that the spot is prestigious and coveted.

"Those of us in the magazine world are here past dinner, and then by the time we leave are far too tired to go out drinking. I guess it’s a good thing. It’s an honor that they take us seriously enough to work us this hard."

No, honey -- it's not really a negative that you're too tired to get trashed, and trust me, it's a gamble whether your editors take you "seriously" enough to work you that hard. Many do just because they can.

The whole thing is repulsive. And how do I know?

Because I've been there.

I have much respect and reverence for journalism and the magazine business. I find it thrilling work. But let's call a spade a spade. This article doesn't tell me anything necessary or even interesting as a reader. My time and money appear to be wasted.

Which means somewhere, a puppy is going without dinner.

The New Republic: 'Intern or Die' (The Problem with Journalism Internships...)

Lifted straight from Romenesko for the good health of interns everywhere:

The problem with summer internships for young journalists

The New Republic | Romenesko Letters
"On its face, journalism's reliance upon internship experience seems to be perfectly reasonable, an essentially merit-based system that rewards young people who've put in time above and beyond what their schooling required," writes Adelle Waldman. "But it's not that simple. For one, most journalism internships discriminate on the basis of financial wherewithal. ...On top of that, college students not lucky enough to be from internship meccas like New York, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, or Chicago are at an even greater disadvantage." || Related letter. || Read a Baltimore Sun intern's blog.

Posted at 9:18:39 AM

"The problem with journalism internships" argument sound familiar? Maybe just a little. -The Ed.

UPDATE: Think it's all over when you get that first job? Read Doree Shafrir's scathing "Ivy League Slaves of New York" in the New York Observer (and the New York magazine Intellligencer item I found it in). You don't have to be an Ivy League grad to experience this kind of treatment.

Forget Unpaid: Should YOU Pay To Secure An Internship At A Magazine?

"Used to be, the way to land an internship at a hoity-toity magazine was through tenacity, talent or family connections. Now, in the name of giving, you can bid your offspring into a spot at a national publication."

That quote is from a recent article in the Education section of The New York Times, and it's got me steamed. Apparently, Charitybuzz.com auctions off guest jobs at major corporations -- and fashion and publishing internships, like those at major national magazines (that are naturally in demand by journalism, fashion or technology students) such as Harper's Bazaar or Glamour, can be had for a cool four grand.

Where do I even start? Hmm, how about this: Are magazine internships turning into a sort of freak-affirmative action for the children the Gilded Age?

To step back, the publishing industry -- be it books, glossies or even newspapers -- has always had the push-pull of elitism. Once an industry for roughnecks (especially those newspapers!), now it's the de facto undergraduate (or post-graduate) extracurricular activity, with New York City as a playground for starry-eyed (and well-funded) Ivy League Plus graduates (anything from Harvard, Princeton, Columbia and Penn to Amherst, Williams, Vassar and Sarah Lawrence).

Where do top business graduates go? Wall Street.

Everybody else on top? Hello, journalism.

So as unfair as it already seems to be, it strikes me that making the move to auction off internships -- hello, aren't these supposed to be for invaluable and unique experience in the workplace and not fully-funded tail-kissing coffee runs? -- not only runs right in the face of an internship's purpose, but further skews it by making it only available to an overly-competitive helicopter parent (or career-changing professional!) with too much money to blow.

It's already bad enough that most journalism internships -- magazine, newspaper, tv, radio or otherwise -- are unpaid or severely underpaid.

Look, I'm all for charity. Honest. But there are a million things to give away, and only a small handful of internship slots exist at Harper's and O, The Oprah Magazine -- so why must it come to this? Take that $4,000 and start a blog, I say.

(Now, some advice for disenfranchised interns: Tenacity and talent still count, so knock 'em dead. But keep your fingers crossed that your competition doesn't have $4,000 to burn.)

ABC Decides to Pay Interns, Pat Itself On The Back

This happened about a week ago, but I digitally "dog-eared" it because it's important:

"In a break with news industry standards, ABC News’ internships will become paid assignments beginning in January 2008," said a press release. "ABC News previously offered academic credit for semester-long internships."

Internships are a hot topic on this here blog, and I read this press release with both happiness and a sense of disgust. OK, great, ABC, you're going to pay interns. But in doing so, you acknowledge that you didn't pay them before -- you big, corporate, Mickey Mouse scumbag -- and neither did (or do) any of your fellow media brethren.

Ugh.

I've stood on the pulpit before in defense of the lowly intern, and I'm glad there's some change. But is it enough?

I really feel that it isn't. And I'm waiting for someone to convince me otherwise (e-mail or comment if you can).

What isn't in this release is exactly how much ABC is going to pay its interns. The press release didn't mention any numbers, but I'm confident that it isn't any better than the local burger joint down the street (and this includes graduate students, who at 23 with an undergraduate degree under their belt and a graduate degree in motion would think deserve more than slightly-above minimum wage.) Talk about paying people for their intellectual worth!

The worst part about this is that ABC felt the need to send out a press release. Look at us! We're contributing to society! It's almost like ExxonMobil sending out a release saying that it's going to start contributing a few grand to environmental preservation groups.

Upward mobility for all! The American dream! Someone go hug Walt Disney's statue before it gets too cold.

Here's the full release:

ABC NEWS TO OFFER PAID INTERNSHIPS BEGINNING JANUARY 2008

In a break with news industry standards, ABC News’ internships will become paid assignments beginning in January 2008. ABC News previously offered academic credit for semester-long internships. In making the announcement, ABC News President David Westin said:

“ABC’s internship program is one of the primary ways we identify and nurture young journalists. This change will enhance our ability to reach an even more diverse group of students and attract the best and brightest.”

Out of hundreds of candidates who apply, ABC News draws upon approximately 75-80 interns from colleges and universities around the country every semester and summer. Interns staff broadcasts and platforms throughout the news division, including: “World News with Charles Gibson,” “Good Morning America,” “Nightline,” “Primetime,” “20/20,” the ABC News’ Investigative Unit, News Productions, the Longform Unit, ABCNEWS.com, ABC News Radio, and ABC News Now.

Many ABC News staffers got their start in the Internship Program. Vinnie Malhotra, who was named executive producer of Weekend News Content in 2007, began his career at ABC in 1996 as an intern at NewsOne, the network’s affiliate news service. “The experience and the exposure you get as an intern at the network level is unparalleled. I worked hard, soaked in everything I could, and paid my dues to earn a full-time position. It definitely gave me a head start,” said Malhotra.

ABC News’ Internship Program is open to sophomores through seniors and graduate students enrolled in an accredited college or university. Students are eligible to work between 16 and 40 hours/week for an hourly wage consistent with media industry standards. Students work closely with producers, editors, and correspondents on a wide variety of projects, including: research and writing, preliminary interviews, footage selection, and tape logging. To apply, go to www.DisneyCareers.com.

About ABC News

More Americans get their news from ABC News than from any other source. Through its platforms on television, radio, and the Internet, ABC News reaches, on average, more than 180 million people in a given month. ABC News programs are seen in 88 countries worldwide. In addition, ABC News Now, the network’s 24-hour digital linear channel, provides a wide range of video-on-demand programming from all ABC News broadcasts. ABC News Now is available to more than 34 million broadband subscribers and nearly 5 million mobile video users.

A Realist's Guide To Internships: 7 Ways to Succeed

USA Today's Craig Wilson says it's intern season in offices across America, and seeing them in the newsroom bright n' early at 9:30 a.m. only perpetuated his disdain for them.

"I hate them all," he writes. "With their white glimmering teeth and black shiny hair, they exude a certain confidence that can come only with youth."

His short piece goes on from there, lamenting his age, experience and ability to drink alcohol as he learns from these new presences in his newsroom that any one of them "was born, got potty-trained, played with Barbie, experienced her first kiss, went to the prom, graduated from high school, then went off to college all in the time I sat at a desk typing."

Wilson's frustrated. Whether it be because he can't remember his college newspaper experience or because his colleagues are repulsed by the interns' "baseless" confidence in their presence, Wilson's animosity toward the young whippersnappers is hardly welcoming.

Welcome to the internship world, young journalists.

In honor of Wilson's diatribe against his fresh-faced interns -- many of whom probably read his piece online before Wilson woke up the next day -- here are some tips for interns on their first day:

1. Make Friends With the Receptionist

Many people often suggest being friendly with the receptionist or the janitorial staff because they hear everything that happens between the walls of the office. Problem is, there's almost no chance of them ever sharing that with you. The real reason to make friends with the secretary -- and why I've chosen to make this my first point -- is because he or she is often the first person you'll say 'hello' to in the morning. This cheer-up moment might just be the saving grace in a no-good, very bad day.

2. Control Your Confidence

That's not to say you should reel it in, nor is it to say that you should be cocky. What this piece of advice means is that no matter how much experience you have proving otherwise, your higher-ups will not use you efficiently. Chances are, you have the exact same skill-set that many of the editors claim to have, only they have the knowledge of how those skills apply at their publication. Know this. This nuance is what gives them their superiority (well, that and the stack of business cards strewn about their desk). To use your own skills wisely -- since many of your higher-ups won't bother teaching you anything that could help the publication at large, but merely what would be most helpful to them -- see No. 3 below.

3. Use Your Time Wisely

If you find yourself with the urge to break out a hardcore game of solitaire, resist. Even though most of the publication might be running around with their heads cut off, they're unlikely to involve you in any sort of way short of as an outlet for the frustration they're accumulating doing other tasks. To avoid this, keep yourself busy and rewrite some unpublished stories you may have lying around. Pitch them out, even to the smallest of publications. After all, they're doing nothing for you in the depths of your hard drive. And if nothing else, you're getting the clips you need, instead of waiting for your internship to dole them out to you.

4. Make It A Learning Experience

The point of an internship is to learn, right? What you're really learning is that offices are extremely inefficient: Copy flows are less like rivers and more like lazy rivers (until just before deadline, that is), and interns are nickel-and-dimed even though they might make less than one-third the income of their supervisor (who themselves were an intern two years prior), assuming the intern has an outside job other than the internship -- after all, most interns don't get paid! Note how even the nicest of people become short with you when the deadline's on. Note how many people don't dress to code, install illegal software, play solitaire themselves and take extended lunches. Be amused, stay out of their way and keep on repeating No. 3 above.

5. Don't Wait Up

As seen in Craig Wilson's reaction to his interns, don't bother assuming anyone really cares about you. Don't expect to be taken to lunch -- hell, don't expect anyone to go with you, either. Financially, you're in the position of using a legal loophole to offer free labor, but socially, you're a liability. Don't try to make comparisons you can't handle: For example, don't talk about your age. It's a constant reminder that you're out of place. Chances are you're only building walls, not bridges, and if you're gonna connect with someone at the office, it's gonna be over a TV show, a sports team, a hobby, or a hometown. It's clear you're younger than everyone in the office -- you're the intern.

6. Know Your Worth

As an intern, you're eager to make a positive impression, and even more eager to do any task, no matter how menial, at the drop of a hat. Instead of reflecting positively on your person, this actually reduces your perceived worth. I'm not saying to not do these things -- please, if someone asks you to do something, do it with a smile -- but anyone can take commands. You're not proving anything substantial. This is a journalism internship, right? No one's gonna be impressed by how thoroughly you mastered the sort-staple mode on the Xerox machine in the back, even if what you give them looks like the work of a professional printer.

7. Network -- But Not In A Schmoozy Way

Everyone always tells interns to 'Network, network, network!' I'm here to tell you that's a misconception. Sure, it's great to make friends and go out for a drink, but that says nothing of your professional abilities. Your continued published writing is what's most impressive -- it shows your professionality to make business deals and your maturity to follow through. So as you're busy doing No. 3 above, keep great contact with whoever you write for and whoever you write about. Those people won't perceive you as an intern -- they'll perceive you as a real journalist. Which is fine. Because you are one. Because if you don't get the kind of chances or respect you expected at your highfalutin internship -- you know, the one you spent more time perfecting your application for than for college itself -- you can at least make mature connections with others. When you pitch, your work speaks for itself. If your internship superiors aren't willing to listen, someone else probably is -- and that's real networking.

Now these guidelines aren't for everyone, nor are they complete. There are certainly rewarding internships that integrate you into the team and treat you like an employee -- and those are great. But these guidelines are for those that aren't: The ones that treat you as inferior on all levels, or don't treat you as anything at all (i.e. just ignore you and bide time until your stint is up). In this case, even the modest, kind and cordial intern is in a poor position to reap a positive experience.

So when you walk into the offices at USA Today on your first day, and Craig Wilson makes a crack about how old he is, bite your tongue, wait until his shtick is over, and don't dare say anything complementary. He probably doesn't care, even if it's true. He's just a normal guy looking for someone to have a drink with, to relate to. He's not looking for competition. And that's something you won't learn on the clock at an internship.

Journalism Internships Are A Joke (Financially). Period.

Journalism internships are crock.

Let me explain.

Journalism internships are inhumane.

Not because many times the clerical or "bitch" work, as it's often called, does not live up to the potential starry-eyed expectations of a budding journalist.

Not because they can be difficult to obtain.

Not because they often lack any educational (read: real-world) value.

Not because they may be extraordinarily busy and taxing, or, the very opposite, completely unstimulating.

Journalism internships are inhumane because they completely ignore the basic living needs of their interns.

I'm not talking about free housing or meals. What I'm talking about are living wages.

Shelter. Food. Transportation.

A large majority of journalism internships, by major media companies or otherwise, are completely unpaid. Those that are, by comparison, are paltry sums - often less than minimum wage or a pittance of a stipend. The few that are neither of these - TIME and Newsweek come to mind - are ravenously pursued by applicants, and locked down before the calendar year changes.

Interns are people. Ambitious, willing people. All people need to support themselves. Not all interns have unpaid time to spare. Not all interns still receive help from Mom and Dad - some never do. Some are in their early 20s and doing exactly what they're being told - pushing out on their own, financially.

The idealistic point of an internship is to be educational and to serve as a stepping-stone to a future job. The current use of an internship is a near-requirement for a future job.

But largely, journalism internships are useless.

Let me explain.

I live in New York City, media capital of the world. I am a graduating senior in college. I live on my own, without help from my parents. The only way I subsist is through a combination of educational loans and two jobs. I have tried my very best to make those jobs relevant to my interests - primarily journalism.

But it is financially impossible for an intern in school to live independently in an urban center and still pursue his or her career without simply abandoning education altogether and searching for a full-time job.

Let's examine this:

The minimum wage in New York City is currently $7.15 per hour, up from $6.75 in 2006.

Now, let's do some math and compare:

The large majority of internships, specifically in the summer, are unpaid (Conde Nast, for example). Many require at least two to three days a week. If an intern were to find another job to supplement this endeavor, at $10 per hour (a common rate for a basic job in NYC), the intern would make $960 per month (at 8 hours per day, 3 days a week for 4 weeks) BEFORE taxes are taken out.

Some internships pay a small hourly amount or stipend. These internships often require 35+ hours per week. At $7 per hour, the current Hearst rate, that means $1,120 a month (8 hours/day for 5 days a week for 4 weeks) BEFORE taxes are taken out. For a stipend of $15 - common, about enough to pay for the subway both ways and an average lunch in NYC - this leaves nothing, with no opportunity of working a second job to find additional income.

With a rent of $700 - quite affordable by NYC standards - $100 for utilities, and $76 for a subway pass per month, that's almost $900. This excludes food in its entirety.

(Before this becomes an issue, I am leaving weekends out of this. Not only does any sane human need time off, but even if someone wanted to work weekends, it is a near impossibility to find a job - an internship, in this case - relevant to journalism on the weekends. Waiting tables is about it.)

Compare $900 for shelter ONLY with the $0, $960 pre-tax and $1,120 pre-tax above. This is a completely unacceptable living standard - a standard that only those dedicated enough to ensure their own finances pursue in the first place.

Interns are humans. They offer the service of work. Less than often, they receive the "educational experience" they come for. They should, at minimum, be paid accordingly for their time.

Look, I understand the draw of a nonpaid internship at a major, high-profile publication. The prestige is undeniable. But don't these companies have minimal funds to spare? For, often times, work that is often usually done by a full-time, paid employee? A researcher? A fact-checker? An assistant to the editor-in-chief?

Secondly, what if you already have a prestigious internship under your belt? Do you need another? No, you've accomplished that well enough, and your resume can afford to take an internship at a lower-profile publication for actual pay.

Problem is, these publications think they can offer unpaid internships, too.

Really, how many times have you seen "NO-NAME MAGAZINE" offering unpaid internships? Why? Never heard of it! And then you want me to work for you for free? Side-by-side with full-time employees the same age as me? And assume that I'm learning a lot because 1) you say I am, 2) you're a publication, 3) I'm working closely with the 'editor,' one of three total people on staff, and 4) clerical duties really subscribe to an experience an internship can provide but a secretary job can't?

And did I mention that, arguments about the educational or experiential value of an internship aside, they don't provide support for the minimum living wages of one person yet demand the time necessary to provide at least that minimum in lieu of internship wages?

Why don't young journalists just go and get secretary jobs? At least those pay more than $30,000 a year in NYC - for the same type of work: photocopies, bills, contracts, schedules, phone calls, etc.!

And why, then, do applicants still pursue these internships? Are they out of their mind? Or is it a reflection of the persistence of parents to support their children way beyond legal adulthood?

Here's some hypothetical food for thought: I'm a hypothetical intern who does not have parental help and is in-between (summer, or post-grad) without educational loan support. If I didn't have to spend my entire day worrying about putting dinner on the table and making rent (and believe me, I'm worrying - I've already got my timesheet itemized and calculated, really, for the whole summer), wouldn't I be SO much more attuned to contributing, in a positive way, to the publication? If I didn't come in every day and sit next to a full-time employee of the same age (whose only worry is seemingly what club they'll be going to this weekend) wondering why I'm there and not pursuing a full-time job of my own, wouldn't I be much more helpful and less distracted? As this hypothetical intern, I simply cannot appreciate my internship, because I'm too worried about food (and I'm already brown-bagging PB&J). What this really becomes is an evaluation of value: what's worth more? A resume piece or my own well-being and stability?

I understand internships are a supposed benefit, but in journalism, they're seen as a near-requirement - yet someone in HR forgot to notice that, somehow, these people must finance their own lives. Sure, we must sacrifice for the future - but there is a difference between living frugally and simply being unable to, period.

Why is this such an oversight? No rational human being in the HR department could knowledgeably admit that this is sufficient. Can they?

This is why journalism internships are crock.

An intern would give 50 or 60 hours a week if they did not have to worry about basic living needs. Interns are rarely freshmen in dorms - these are more often older, independent people who need to find support yet can't commit to a long-haul salary job because of the very education they need to pursue said job (and are pursuing).

The price of being responsible? Amibitious? Rational? I don't know. But it's just not right.

When did such a low-paying industry become so elite?

Journalism internships are financially inhumane to independent interns. And things need to change.

UPDATE 7:23p: Romenesko picked this post up and paired it with an excellent article by Martin Kuz in SF Weekly on how media companies may be violating state labor law by underpaying non-student interns. My question: what about New York (New York)? Or D.C. (Washington)? Or Illinois (Chicago)? The article on California is a help, but what about where the majority of media companies are?