(De)valuing Intern Labour: Journalism Internship Pay Rates and Collective Representation in Canada
Unpaid journalism internships have attracted increasing media coverage, but they have received limited scholarly attention. This paper traces the connections between trade unions (in unionized media organizations) and the labour conditions marking journalism internships. While some unions can be com...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Paderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group
2015-09-01
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| Series: | tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique |
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| Online Access: | https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/573 |
| _version_ | 1797707140260954112 |
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| author | Errol Salamon |
| author_facet | Errol Salamon |
| author_sort | Errol Salamon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Unpaid journalism internships have attracted increasing media coverage, but they have received limited scholarly attention. This paper traces the connections between trade unions (in unionized media organizations) and the labour conditions marking journalism internships. While some unions can be complicit in sustaining the exploitation and devaluation of interns with regard to the standard market value of entry-level labour, other unions have fought to establish internships, locking higher salaries into collective agreements. Building on the concept of precarity, this article surveys internships at 19 mainstream English-language newspapers and magazines in Canada. It draws on documentary evidence from and personal communication with labour unions and journalism organizations, internship advertisements, and media coverage to offer a typology of the relationships between pay rates and collective representation within journalism internships: unpaid/low paid and not under union jurisdiction; unpaid/low paid and under union jurisdiction; paid at intern rates and not under union jurisdiction; paid at intern rates and under union jurisdiction; and paid at entry-level employee rates and under union jurisdiction. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T06:02:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-90e1df9d11e44799900c8e2b55db9549 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1726-670X 1726-670X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T06:02:58Z |
| publishDate | 2015-09-01 |
| publisher | Paderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique |
| spelling | doaj.art-90e1df9d11e44799900c8e2b55db95492023-09-03T04:00:18ZengPaderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research GrouptripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique1726-670X1726-670X2015-09-0113243845810.31269/triplec.v13i2.573573(De)valuing Intern Labour: Journalism Internship Pay Rates and Collective Representation in CanadaErrol Salamon0McGill UniversityUnpaid journalism internships have attracted increasing media coverage, but they have received limited scholarly attention. This paper traces the connections between trade unions (in unionized media organizations) and the labour conditions marking journalism internships. While some unions can be complicit in sustaining the exploitation and devaluation of interns with regard to the standard market value of entry-level labour, other unions have fought to establish internships, locking higher salaries into collective agreements. Building on the concept of precarity, this article surveys internships at 19 mainstream English-language newspapers and magazines in Canada. It draws on documentary evidence from and personal communication with labour unions and journalism organizations, internship advertisements, and media coverage to offer a typology of the relationships between pay rates and collective representation within journalism internships: unpaid/low paid and not under union jurisdiction; unpaid/low paid and under union jurisdiction; paid at intern rates and not under union jurisdiction; paid at intern rates and under union jurisdiction; and paid at entry-level employee rates and under union jurisdiction.https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/573low-paid internshipsinternsjournalism labourunionsexploitationprecaritynewspaper crisispolitical economyCanada |
| spellingShingle | Errol Salamon (De)valuing Intern Labour: Journalism Internship Pay Rates and Collective Representation in Canada tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique low-paid internships interns journalism labour unions exploitation precarity newspaper crisis political economy Canada |
| title | (De)valuing Intern Labour: Journalism Internship Pay Rates and Collective Representation in Canada |
| title_full | (De)valuing Intern Labour: Journalism Internship Pay Rates and Collective Representation in Canada |
| title_fullStr | (De)valuing Intern Labour: Journalism Internship Pay Rates and Collective Representation in Canada |
| title_full_unstemmed | (De)valuing Intern Labour: Journalism Internship Pay Rates and Collective Representation in Canada |
| title_short | (De)valuing Intern Labour: Journalism Internship Pay Rates and Collective Representation in Canada |
| title_sort | de valuing intern labour journalism internship pay rates and collective representation in canada |
| topic | low-paid internships interns journalism labour unions exploitation precarity newspaper crisis political economy Canada |
| url | https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/573 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT errolsalamon devaluinginternlabourjournalisminternshippayratesandcollectiverepresentationincanada |