Internships and Careers Interest Group
2021 Abstracts
Extended Abstract • Faculty • Cristina Azocar; Lourdes Cárdenas, San Franciso State University • Bilingual Spanish Journalism: Preparing Students for the Future • “Bilingual reporting and writing skills are opening multiple opportunities for journalists in print, broadcast, online and emerging media. But few opportunities exist to prepare students for these jobs, particularly for the bilingual writing expertise required, and the current journalism job market lacks applicants with the bilingual proficiency necessary to fill the openings. We used mixed-methods to assess whether a minor, a certificate, a concentration or a major would address the bilingual expertise needed for the current job market. We concluded that a bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Spanish Journalism is the best academic option to fill this expertise gap. Based on the expertise needed, we designed an interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree that will provide students with the necessary tools and skills to report, produce and write news stories in Spanish and English for print, online and electronic media, and to work in Latinx mainstream media as well as English language publications covering issues affecting Latinx communities.”
Extended Abstract • Faculty • Brian J. Bowe, American Univ. in Cairo / Western Washington Univ.; Robin Blom, Ball State University; Elena Lazoff • Internship Practices in Journalism and Mass Communication Programs: A review of ACEJMC-accredited programs • The use of professional internships has long been a defining feature of journalism and mass communication programs, but the practice is also increasingly controversial for the financial burdens it places on marginalized students. This study examines accreditation reports for 120 institutions to gain a better understanding of current practices. Preliminary findings show that almost all universities offer internships for credit, about 20% of programs require them, and most use them to assess student learning outcomes.
Research Paper • Faculty • Joey Senat, Oklahoma State University/School of Media; John McGuire, Oklahoma State University/School of Media • Benefiting or Exploiting: Judicial Interpretations of What Constitutes a Legal Unpaid Journalism and Mass Communication Internship Under the Primary Beneficiary Test • This study analyzed federal court applications of the primary beneficiary test used to determine when college students working at for-profit companies should be considered unpaid interns or paid employees. Courts have put few guardrails in place to protect students from being exploited as free labor. Instead, the test is so vague and easily met by employers that students are more likely to be exploited now than they were under the U.S. Department of Labor’s previous criteria. Consequently, universities must take responsibility for ensuring their students benefit from unpaid internships.
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