Spring 1995
In a small town in rural Chester County, Pa., just west of Philadelphia, a man with a little too much whiskey in his system is holding the local police at bay with an unusual weapon - a rattlesnake. Minutes earlier, with the snake wrapped around his arm, its tail stiffly rattling, he ordered a video store clerk to hand over all the movies about rattlesnakes. Now he is whipping the reptile through the air, threatening the officers. It's just another day on the beat for Philadelphia Inquirer intern Ed Robinson.
Robinson, an SF State product, has been part of the Inquirer's two-year reporting internship program since last May. He is one of a growing number of journalism students who have found themselves in long-term internships that come with all the drawbacks of real reporting jobs - high-pressure situations, tight deadlines and long work days - yet offer far fewer rewards. In an increasingly competitive job market, they are often the only option for those wanting to break into journalism.
"You do what you gotta do," says Shawna McCoy, a recent SF State graduate who also landed a two-year internship with the Inquirer. "It's a good paper, and this is my ticket to a job," she says. "They abuse correspondents," McCoy says, but she's willing to put up with it if the end result is a full-time job.
In the past few years, many newspapers have caught onto the benefits of hiring cheap temporary labor, instead of full-time workers, and these kinds of positions have become more and more common. So far papers are finding plenty of takers. "It doesn't really bother me," Robinson says. "I knew beforehand that it goes with the territory. It's about par for the course."
"That's just the way it works," says Ty Tagami, another SF State alumni interning at the Inquirer.
At the Inquirer, the suburban beats outside Philadelphia are handled mainly by interns, or, as the paper refers to them, "correspondents." The Inquirer pays its correspondents a flat salary based on a 32-hour work week. But nearly every correspondent works more than that; McCoy estimates most work between 40 and 50 hours a week. The paper provides half the monthly premium for health insurance that covers only emergency care, not regular doctor visits. Correspondents do not get paid vacations or sick days, and do not normally receive overtime, either. Inquirer staff reporters, on the other hand, have a significantly better pay scale, full health benefits, vacation and sick days, overtime and expense accounts.
What's more, the newspaper union looks at long-term interns as a possible threat, fearing that management will use the newcomers to replace higher-paid, full-time union members. The internsÕ contracts forbid them from reporting in Philadelphia itself, a union stipulation aimed at helping staff reporters to hold their ground. But Robinson, McCoy and Tagami all say there is a little, if any, friction between reporters and interns. "It's not a personal thing,Ó says Tagami. "They're just looking out for their own jobs and we understand that."
While many correspondents seem satisfied with their current positions at the paper, few look kindly on the InquirerÕs practice of ignoring interns when full-time positions become available. Only one of the dozens of correspondents has been hired in recent months, while the rest of the jobs have gone to outsiders. "It's the joke around the office," says McCoy.
"There's really no light at the end of the tunnel," says Robinson. "It's exceptionally rare for correspondents to be hired.Ó However, according to Robinson, the paper is supportive and helps its interns find jobs at other papers when their two years are up. To Robinson, it will have all been worth it. ÒThis is a good place to cut your chops, and the fishing's good," in terms of finding stories.
Paul Lee Cannon, a former managing editor of Prism, is a finalist for METPRO Editing, the minority internship program run by the Times-Mirror newspaper group, which includes the New York Newsday and the Los Angeles Times. According to Cannon, interns are guaranteed a job after two years if they do well in the program, if there is a job opening at a Times-Mirror paper, and if the intern has made the right connections.
The highly competitive program (eight spots and more than 200 applicants) consists of 11 weeks of classroom editorial training, followed by assignments at Newsday. Pay and benefits are not discussed until after the internships are awarded, but Cannon has heard from current METPRO interns that they are "quite good."
Cannon say METPRO is aimed at beginning journalists who have had a hard time breaking into newspapers and are lingering in the void between being too experienced for short internships, but not experienced enough for staff jobs. "I'm excited,Ó says Cannon. ÒI wish more papers offered things like this. It's unique."
Cannon knows that getting an internship is no guarantee of being offered a full-time job, and he takes it in stride. "There are no guarantees of anything in journalism. This is such an unpredictable field." Cannon believes that even if an internship doesnÕt lead directly to a job, "You still strengthen your skills. If you get an internship on a major paper, you will be recognized by someone."
Marianne Chin, the director of interns and editorial hiring at the San Francisco Chronicle, says the Chronicle's two-year editing internship is different than most papers'. "We donÕt just kick you out," she says. "We like to keep you around." Chin says the prospects of being offered a job after completing the program are not a sure thing, but a definite possibility. "We've already hired two reporters who finished our two-year reporting program," she says.
When it comes to internships, most beginning journalists have no choice - either get them or donÕt get a job. Most interns believe newspapers take advantage of their precarious positions, but are willing to put up with everything in hope of someday receiving a full-time job.
Tagami says, "It's a good stepping-stone, and most interns are willing to make the sacrifice."