April 7, 2014
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CANADALAND
#27 The End of Internships
The Labour Ministry cracks down on free labour, starting with the magazine business.

The Walrus and Toronto Life were investigated by the Labour Ministry and forced to send their unpaid interns home. A wider crackdown on magazine internships and unpaid internships in general is on the way.

Derek Finkle is the former editor of Toro Magazine. Before that, he was Toronto Life’s first unpaid intern. Here’s his story, and his thoughts on what’s happening now.

Guest:

Derek Finkle (link)

Links:

Derek’s post on his Toronto Life internship (link)

The Toronto Star on the crackdown on magazine industry interns (link)

People mentioned: 

John Macfarlane, Shelley Ambrose, Doug Knight, Alexandra Molotkow

Topics discussed:

Why is the Labour Ministry targeting magazine internships? What about other unpaid internships? What was it like being the first unpaid intern at Toronto Life? Are unpaid internships moral? Do internships favour rich kids and limit diversity? Are magazines a real industry or just the illusion of an industry?

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