I want to finally pay my interns. I still can’t pay them enough.

From the Columbia Journalism Review, September 30, 2021

IN JUNE, the Washington, DC chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists surprised me with their Robert D.G. Lewis Watchdog Award, for an investigative story I wrote about one man’s journey through the mental-health and criminal-justice systems. It was the chapter’s only award to include a cash prize. What to do with it was a no-brainer.

I work at Street Sense Media, a small, nonprofit “street paper” that heavily relies on intern labor. We’ve always done what we could to support our interns in other ways, such as helping them pursue grants and scholarships; still, we’ve never paid them directly. Now, that’s finally about to change: with the help of individual donations, we have begun to offer a needs-based stipend to one student per semester. This step, while significant, moves us only inches towards justice.

New College is mentioned in this paragraph:
“Journalism has seen a few like-minded efforts. The Emma Bowen Foundation has placed more than 1,000 students of color in multi-year media internships over the past three decades. Through its Emerging Reporters program, ProPublica provides $9,000 stipends and mentorship to five college juniors and seniors who are pursuing investigative journalism. The New College of Florida is partnering with employers to provide funds for humanities interns.”

Read the entire story here.