Comments on: Newspapers slashing intern budgets http://journalistopia.com/2007/01/24/newspapers-slashing-intern-budgets/ A world for online journalists. Come all ye scribes, artists and innovators of the press. Sat, 10 Apr 2010 01:54:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Danny Sanchez http://journalistopia.com/2007/01/24/newspapers-slashing-intern-budgets/comment-page-1/#comment-1016 Danny Sanchez Thu, 25 Jan 2007 02:48:39 +0000 http://journalistopia.com/2007/01/24/newspapers-slashing-intern-budgets/#comment-1016 It is a shame, since this will likely only result in more unpaid internships for students. Unfortunately, it seems some colleges are more than willing to oblige. Northwestern's practice of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/medill/ugrad/teaching_media_program/faqs.html" rel="nofollow">forcing their undergrads to serve in an unpaid internship (or very low paying)</a> while making them pay tuition and the bill for flights, lodging and other expenses just stirs my blood. While just about every successful grad I know has worked an unpaid internship, Northwestern's practice reeks of extortion to me. The tuition is apparently because "Teaching Media is considered an off-campus learning experience, supervised jointly by Medill faculty and staff members of the TM locations." I'm sure that helps the bottom line quite a bit. While I was in school, I was always pushed by a particular professor to aggressively seek a paid internship whenever possible, and I'm glad he did. It made me value my work more. Take a stroll through the Poynter message boards, and you'll see that many students aren't being taught to value their work. Students frequently make comments about eating Ramen noodles forever to be able to work at a newspaper. It is a shame, since this will likely only result in more unpaid internships for students. Unfortunately, it seems some colleges are more than willing to oblige. Northwestern’s practice of forcing their undergrads to serve in an unpaid internship (or very low paying) while making them pay tuition and the bill for flights, lodging and other expenses just stirs my blood. While just about every successful grad I know has worked an unpaid internship, Northwestern’s practice reeks of extortion to me. The tuition is apparently because “Teaching Media is considered an off-campus learning experience, supervised jointly by Medill faculty and staff members of the TM locations.” I’m sure that helps the bottom line quite a bit.
While I was in school, I was always pushed by a particular professor to aggressively seek a paid internship whenever possible, and I’m glad he did. It made me value my work more. Take a stroll through the Poynter message boards, and you’ll see that many students aren’t being taught to value their work. Students frequently make comments about eating Ramen noodles forever to be able to work at a newspaper.

]]> By: Bryan Murley http://journalistopia.com/2007/01/24/newspapers-slashing-intern-budgets/comment-page-1/#comment-1014 Bryan Murley Thu, 25 Jan 2007 01:10:45 +0000 http://journalistopia.com/2007/01/24/newspapers-slashing-intern-budgets/#comment-1014 Many years ago when I was in college, I found it amazing that newspapers traditionally offered more paid internships while TV stations were leading the pack in unpaid internships. I guess it was supply and demand. Sad to see that more newspapers are taking that approach. And to expand on Grimm's comment, there is a huge surge in enrollment in "other" communications majors - pr, ad, viscomm, broadcast, that is probably what he's seeing. In short, all of these people are not eyeing those prize newspaper jobs, but jobs in the "strategic marketing" field, or other related communications disciplines, where the pay is much better and the hours usually more regular. Many years ago when I was in college, I found it amazing that newspapers traditionally offered more paid internships while TV stations were leading the pack in unpaid internships. I guess it was supply and demand. Sad to see that more newspapers are taking that approach.

And to expand on Grimm’s comment, there is a huge surge in enrollment in “other” communications majors – pr, ad, viscomm, broadcast, that is probably what he’s seeing. In short, all of these people are not eyeing those prize newspaper jobs, but jobs in the “strategic marketing” field, or other related communications disciplines, where the pay is much better and the hours usually more regular.

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