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.

Wanna Be A Journalist? Prepare For The Online Sweatshop.

The New York Times recently published an article about what new, young, 'Net-savvy journalists face in the industry today: complete web exploitation.

A growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs, armed with computers and smartphones and wired to the hilt, are toiling under great physical and emotional stress created by the around-the-clock Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and comment.

Of course, the bloggers can work elsewhere, and they profess a love of the nonstop action and perhaps the chance to create a global media outlet without a major up-front investment. At the same time, some are starting to wonder if something has gone very wrong. In the last few months, two among their ranks have died suddenly.

A young friend of mine is featured as one of these new digital sweatshop employees, so this wasn't news to me. But I (and the Times, apparently) find it to be a growing trend among up-and-coming journalists who know their way around a computer.

"Let 'em blog on the website," a young intern hopes to hear at the Anytown Daily News or National Monthly Magazine. And why not? It's a great way to get clips, and the publication's less-than-Web-savvy staff get to avoid learning anything more about the mysterious Internet, thus keeping their jobs secure. But then the abuse begins.

"Can we put an original picture up with that?" the editor asks. "Can we move that text over here?" "Can't we add a video to that? How about some of that flashy Flash stuff? The big boss really loves that online magic stuff, and will really like this at the meeting today," the editor says, thinking of that raise for "managing the Website." But without any familiarity of how long it takes to do such things -- such as create interactives, log and capture video, and make sure it's all perfect before posting to the Web -- the editor has made our lowly, new, tech-savvy journalist an overworked, underpaid, stressed-out multimedia producer.

And that's where the industry model is right now -- take a look at your favorite blogs. Do a little Google search on the ones that update at a rapid clip. Guess who's manning the keyboard? (Here's a hint: It's not Malcolm Gladwell.)

So when the Times pointed this phenomenon out, it hit the Web by storm. But anyone who knows anyone at Nick Denton's Gawker Media or any competing online-only startup knows that the digital sweatshop has been around for years.

"Well, when I was a young journalist, I had to pay my dues too!" the old editor would say. And that's true -- but something tells me that wasn't on a 24/7/365 publishing cycle.

Tech-savvy readers: Have you been taken advantage of? Let us know anonymously (or not!) in the comments.

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.

Newsflash, Mainstream Media -- Blogs Can Backfire

I was browsing my RSS feeds earlier today when I saw a post about the new Wu-Tang Clan album on MTV News' "You R Here" blog. "Wu-Tang Album Sneak Peek," the headline of the post written by intern Steven Roberts announced on my reader. So I clicked, interested.

Roberts began with the following "just an intern" angle, which lent itself well to the subject at hand:

I’ve been interning at MTV News for about three weeks and I already loved it, but when senior producer/hip-hop brain trust member Rahman Dukes asked if I wanted go with him to a sneak peek at the Wu-Tang Clan’s new album, The 8 Diagrams, that was the clincher. I played it cool and told him “sure,” but secretly I was thinking “hell yeah!”

But reading onward, it becomes painfully clear that Roberts doesn't quite exercise enough writing chops, ending paragraphs with material like "For the next 20 minutes, we sat in amazement" before starting the next graf with a copycat "The production on the sampler was amazing," as well as littering his congratulatory copy (not a single criticism in the whole thing) with exclamation points and other throwaway adjectives.

What am I trying to say here? Well, I'm certainly not here to bust intern Roberts' chops. But reading this unedited text made me cringe. MTV News is supposed to be pretty good at giving the music news goods, aren't they? So what's this doing on their site? Blessed with a high-profile review and a great opportunity for an intern, Roberts managed to get his text on the site apparently without passing it through an editor's hands, or even a peer's, and I think it reflects less than positively on the part of MTV.

MTV, it seems, jumped into having its interns blog without really setting oversight -- and in turn, without seeing what the consequences could be.

On the surface, having your interns blog is a fabulous idea. It's a great way for a quick byline and it keeps the site up on daily events without bothering other editors with the task. It's the perfect place to get tangible results, especially for a Webified generation. I support it wholeheartedly.

However, one must be careful about how quickly things can be published online. That's right, "published." Even if it's a blog, it's on the same level as the standard news content that the site offers. My RSS reader doesn't discriminate.

Which means behind the scenes, MTV should be doing just that -- discriminating. Teach those interns that even blogs need to be held to a standard, and help them learn how to achieve that. Blog-style writing can be chatty and informal -- but it can't be poor. And I think that's one reason why for MTV -- and any other mainstream media outlet that jumped in too quickly -- blogs can backfire.