Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Interns exploited

According to a story in the Press Gazette, young UK journalists who work in magazines, newspapers, and broadcasters are being exploited, often working in unpaid positions for months at a time. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) for the UK and Ireland, is threatening to single out companies named in the survey of 644 journalists.

Some survey results:
- 43.7 percent said they were given clear support and guidance during their work placement
- 56.3 percent said they received limited help during their work placement

- Of 42.7 percent who were told an internship could lead to a permanent job, only 24.1 percent were hired on.

An internship through AMPA and an AMPA member magazine guarantees that interns are paid minimum wage. Interested interns can check out our internship guidelines.
We urge all magazine publishers, whether in Alberta or elsewhere, to pay their interns a fair wage.