English papers charge interns for privilege of internship

[Syt]

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/02/10/newsquest-newspapers-charge-students-write-stories_n_6651264.html

Newsquest Newspapers Are Actually Charging Students £120 To Write Stories For Them

A newspaper group is giving hopeful young journalists the "exciting" experience of working on its publications - but instead of paying them, is charging the students £120 if they want their articles published.

Newsquest heralded the launch of its "young reporter scheme," which actually makes students pay not only for the pleasure of writing stories for the company, but also for a reference from the editor.

Students who sign up to the programme will be expected to write one article per month over eight months, which will then be published on the site.

Diana Jarvis, who runs the scheme for the South London branch, wrote to colleges with journalism courses to alert them to the "unique chance", according to the National Union of Journalists.

"At the end of the scheme all students who complete all eight articles, receive a letter of recognition from the editor, which they can use as a reference with their CVs and their names go into our Award Ceremony brochure, which is distributed around London."

The General Secretary Of The National Union of Journalists, Michelle Stanistreet, attacked the by-line charge: "While Newsquest is sacking professional staff on its titles, it is charging journalist students for writing articles for them. The unpaid intern has become the scourge of the media profession - now Newsquest is asking for journalist students to actually pay for a by-line. The company's cynicism beggars belief, and preys on young people desperate to get a break in a competitive industry."

Stanistreet also claimed the programme lacked "integrity."

"Where is the commitment to quality journalism? They should be providing journalist students with a meaningful work experience and if their articles are good enough to be published, they are good enough to be paid for."

Speaking to HuffPost UK, Newsquest's Jarvis claimed the fee was "purely an administration cost".

"We have students from 10 to 13 years of age writing on this programme and they have no journalism experience, as such. We have to do a lot of work to enable their stuff to go up [on the site] without any libel risks. It is not a money-making exercise."

But Stanistreet said universities were angry at the plan: "College lecturers tell me they are outraged and they are quite right to be. We also know that Newsquest is using students to do shifts at its subbing hub in Newport, after sacking sub-editors on its newspapers across the land."

[Ed Anger]

Daily Mail uses 8 year olds to write stories.

Guardian? Fetuses.

[celedhring]

That's happened here, too. In particular I remember a (smallish) radio station that charged 100€ for working with them, Radio Kanal Barcelona.

[The Brain]

The union doesn't understand supply and demand? What a shocker.

[celedhring]

Daily Mail uses 8 year olds to write stories.

Guardian? Fetuses.

The Sun? Sperm.

[Warspite]

The union doesn't understand supply and demand? What a shocker.

I don't think it's even an issue of supply and demand. This seems to be marketed as a training course - the "interns" are referred to as students. To me, this is not in the same bucket as unpaid internships, which I do think are a problem.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Daily Mail uses 8 year olds to write stories.

Guardian? Fetuses.

The Sun? Sperm.

The Express can't even get it up.

[alfred russel]

Daily Mail uses 8 year olds to write stories.

Guardian? Fetuses.

The Sun? Sperm.

Playboy goes one step back in the process for its pictures.

[CountDeMoney]

This seems to be marketed as a training course - the "interns" are referred to as students.

lol, we've had this discussion before. 

To me, this is not in the same bucket as unpaid internships, which I do think are a problem.

In what way are they a problem?

[Admiral Yi]

ironic that this is being reported by HuffPo, given that their business model is unpaid contributions.

[Valmy]

ironic that this is being reported by HuffPo, given that their business model is unpaid contributions.

Yeah and now somebody is trying to undercut them by paying negative money.  I understand the outrage.

[Warspite]

In what way are they a problem?

There is a basic social bargain that honest work deserves honest pay. Sure, we make some exceptions for things like charities. But there is a real danger that many careers become closed off to the poor or less-rich if they begin to require months and months of unpaid work while someone else benefits from the real revenue that is generated.

Now you can of course contend that this is just a natural outcome of the labour supply in some fields far outstripping supply, and so this is just a rational choice by employers. But societies are not just constructed by economic rationality, and there are compelling social reasons to keep private-sector enterprise actually paying for labour.

[Admiral Yi]

I think it is a natural outcome of trustifarians treating jobs as a hobby.

[Martinus]

Anything that reduces social mobility is bad so it is bad.

[Martinus]

This seems to be marketed as a training course - the "interns" are referred to as students.

lol, we've had this discussion before. 

To me, this is not in the same bucket as unpaid internships, which I do think are a problem.

In what way are they a problem?

By reducing social mobility in certain jobs.