1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Instead of having interns work for free, why not make them pay for it?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Baron Scicluna, Feb 12, 2015.

  1. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    Newsquest, the UK's third largest newspaper publisher, is proposing having both interns and their colleges pay so that the students can get a byline once a month. Oh, and it won't even be in the paper, just on the paper's web site.

    Newsquest/Gannett plans to charge students to write for its titles | Media | The Guardian

    1. Don't they realize the students can just start their own blogs?

    2. Why would they pay when their local Podunk would just have them write for free?

    3. You can guess which company owns the chain. (EDIT Of course you can, because the link says it, which it hadn't when I posted it).
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2015
  2. Riptide

    Riptide Well-Known Member

    Do the students have to pay extra for coaching?
     
    Baron Scicluna likes this.
  3. TopSpin

    TopSpin Member

    High probability it will be seen more on the website thanks to today's generation. Still, this entire practice has to rank up there in an industry already full of crap.
     
  4. Vombatus

    Vombatus Well-Known Member

    When I hear the words "pay for it," I think of only one thing.
     
  5. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    This sounds crazy, but....

    You pay to take a class don't you?

    If the newspaper looks at like they are offering a class, and actually offering some instruction and help to the students, it makes sense.

    If they are giving you nothing but taking your work once a month, it's ridiculous.

    (Yes, I am guilty of being "that guy" who responds to a link without reading it. So apologies if the story already explains which scenario is the case here.)
     
  6. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    You are already paying the school for the internship credit and the paper already is profiting with your free labor. Now the paper wants you to pay for your own labor.
     
  7. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    In theory, though, you do pay for individual classes when you are not in college. Adult education and stuff.

    Maybe the university should pay the newspaper, which would not be much different than paying for an outside instructor.

    Joe Editor will hold a once a week session with 10 students and talk to then about journalism and they will get assignments, some of which may appear in the paper. In exchange the university pays the newspaper $x.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page