Unpaid Internships Get Media Scrutiny; Alternatives Suggested

Unpaid interns have filed lawsuits against Condé Nast, Hearst, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Donna Karen International, Atlantic Records and others recently, highlighting the inherent issues in a system that works recipients long hours, often without clear and defined job roles, and excludes scores of qualified individuals who cannot secure other finances to see them through an unpaid employment period. The New York Post ran a lengthy interview with former Condé Nast intern who said the rigors of the job took a serious emotional toll, and Tanya de Grunwald, founder of career blog Graduate Fog, pronounced litigious former interns “brave” in a lengthy Guardian piece, saying that now, “against a backdrop of record youth unemployment and graduate debt, the moral case [against unpaid internships] is even starker.”

Condé Nast has announced it will cancel its internship program, and Hearst is reportedly considering doing the same. Alternatively, David Carr with the New York Times writes, companies may consider instituting a system like the one Atlantic Media has been using for the last three years. There, entry-level employees are hired for yearlong fellowships that have clear, meaningful goals as well as an educational component,  pay a living wage and even come with health insurance. Atlantic Media offers 45 such fellowships across its publications, which have grown 34 percent in the first half of 2013. Increasing media scrutiny of internships may indicate that public opinion on the issue is turning, making hosting such programs a potential PR problem or legal liability.