Unpaid Internships: Mutually Beneficial or Exploitation?

I recently read on the British Vogue website that Dolce and Gabbana have been the first fashion designers to be named billionaires by Forbes’ rich list. In light of this, why are they still hiring people that they aren’t paying – i.e. interns.

Right now a hot topic is the institution of internships, and in particular unpaid internships. Without sounding like too much of a socialist, they keep rich people rich and in the 21^st century have we really reverted back to slave labour?

Given that the majority of the time only travel and lunch expenses are covered by organisations, how are people, who do not have parents who can necessarily give them an allowance, meant to live, pay rent and buy food and all the while work for free?

Nowadays it isn’t enough to have a degree or even a masters, employers want to see some industry experience on the CVs of prospective employees fresh out of school or university, which is why large companies are able to exploit this source of cheap (or even free) labour.

A lot of my experience of internships has been within the fashion sector, whereby it is impossible to get a paid internship. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who has ever been paid as an intern within a fashion house/company. Having said that, I have worked as an intern for the emerging designer, NATASHA MORGAN, in which case interns proved to be a vital part of the workforce. Additionally, because it was a small company, I wasn’t just there to make tea but enjoyed real responsibility and learnt useful skills that I will use in the PR industry. Without their interns, a business like NATASHA MORGAN would simply not be given a chance in the fashion industry. Therefore, with this in mind, should unpaid internships be limited to companies whose profit is below a certain threshold?

I intern for the charity Whizz Kidz, but I personally would feel immoral charging a charity for part time work and I feel like they are helping my employability by giving me this opportunity, which I’m sure is what the argument of companies including Dolce & Gabanna, for not paying their interns, sounds like – I have to agree with this in part.

Below is a video produced in the USA which conveys both sides to the argument of having unpaid internships in profitable companies:

There is great effort by members of the government to eradicate unpaid internships, however what will this do for the economy in a time when the government are trying to get the UK out of recession by encouraging small businesses? In this sense, should internships be subsidised along the lines of apprenticeship schemes by the government? If unpaid internships are eradicated from the business model in this country, will industries like the fashion industry simply implode given its reliability on this source of labour?

I think in this instance, and I do not advocate this often, that we should take note from the French. Unpaid internships are unheard of and their fashion industry is still one of the healthiest and strongest in the world. Therefore, if push came to shove, can we afford to pay our interns? It’s just that we have gotten away with it for so long, that we are reluctant to change now. K

Is It Ethical To Exploit The Hardships Of Children To Gain Column Inches?

With the tragic massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, conversation has struck up as to whether the hardships of children should be exploited in the mass media. With regards to the PR industry this topic came to the forefront of debate during the first day of my internship.

Naturally when embarking upon a new campaign/event/strategy we needed an initial brainstorm (is that PC anymore?) in order to ascertain what the charity wanted to achieve from the awards ceremony in terms of coverage etc. The issue of using children’s’ stories whereby they have experienced difficulties or hardships when growing up as a means of getting column inches in newspapers, came into the discussion.

Traditionally Whizz Kidz have not exploited the children they work with by discussing the particular difficulties they have experienced as a result of being disabled; by difficulties I don’t just mean wheelchair access to public transport, but issues of bullying and isolation. Instead, Whizz Kidz tend to focus on how the wheelchairs that they provide improve the lives of children and young adults.

However is this strategy good enough to get national press coverage?

With so many children’s charities in the UK, perhaps the media need more than just a happy and feel-good story. With the explosion of social media, journalists now need to find stories with a bit of meat on it, somewhat sensationalist that the public will like to read. Below is a Childline video of the types of stories we are use to seeing and reading in the media that aim to shock audiences.

Overall by focusing on the tough aspects of a particular child’s life conveys how vital a particular charity is for society but at the cost of exploiting the very people it helps. Is this ethical? Should we capitalise on these stories if it means that overall donations will increase and more people can be helped?

The following images are from campaigns launched by the UK’s leading children’s charities: NSPCC, Barnardo’s and Whizz Kidz. Which image is more likely to grab your attention in a newspaper and to get you donating?

 

Barnardo’s

Whizz Kidz

NSPCC

The author of Freedom Eden was disgusted by the media exploitation of the children caught up in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary and asks, ‘where were the parents in all of this?’ Which raises another point, if a parent agrees with press coverage of their child’s story, is it ethical to use it for PR purposes?

Overall, it comes down to the practitioner and how they want their organisation to be viewed. It also depends on the practitioners own ethical standards and what they perceive to be as exploitation. Perhaps if a PR team works closely with these children, their stories are less likely to be told in such a negative way. In instances like this, stories should be treated with sensitivity and respect, which reduces harm to the person whom the story is about. K