Less is not always more. How media size conditions internships in Journalism

Main Article Content

Manuel García-Borrego
Bernardo Gómez-Calderón
Alba Córdoba-Cabús

Abstract

This research aims to examine how the conditions of the media internships in Journalism change according to the size of the company, distinguishing between small (1 to 20 employees), medium (more than 20 and fewer than 100), and large ones (100 or more). To achieve this, a questionnaire was provided to those students from the University of Málaga and Complutense University of Madrid who had carried out their internships in media outlets during the 2017-2018 academic year (n=144). The results indicate the existence of different internship patterns: in small companies the retribution tends to be higher —although it is also where more internships remain unpaid—, students dedicate less time than their peers, their opinions are more heard, the relationship with their tutors is more fluid and they usually stay in a stable area of the company. In big companies, the opposite phenomenon emerges, and it is nevertheless where there is a greater sense of belonging by the students —the majority of them would like to continue making a career in them—, while in small and medium companies the preference for a change prevails. In summary, the research shows well-differentiated internship profiles based on the size variable, which invites reflection on the characteristics of the companies and their role in the formative curriculum of Journalism students.

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How to Cite
García-Borrego, M., Gómez-Calderón, B., and Córdoba-Cabús, A. (2021). Less is not always more. How media size conditions internships in Journalism. Revista de Comunicación de la SEECI, (54), 79–95. https://doi.org/10.15198/seeci.2021.54.e634
Section
Research article
Author Biographies

Manuel García-Borrego, Universidad de Málaga

He has a postdoctoral contract at the Department of Journalism at the University of Malaga. In his five years of research activity, he has published more than a dozen articles in journals indexed in Scopus such as El Profesional de la información, Latina de Comunicación Social, Cuadernos.info, or Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, as well as book chapters in editorials such as Tirant Lo Blanch Gedisa, Pirámide, or Dykinson. He also has about thirty presentations at international conferences. His main research interests are training in Journalism and external curricular and extracurricular internships.

Bernardo Gómez-Calderón, University of Malaga

Associate Professor of Journalism at the University of Malaga, where he has taught undergraduate and graduate studies since 1999. He researches in the areas of journalistic genres, political information, and social networks, counting on his credit with more than 60 scientific publications including articles, books, and book chapters. He has published in the Latina de Comunicación Social, Comunicar, Comunicación y Sociedad, Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, and El Profesional de la Información, among others.Since 2001, he hascontinuously participated in national and regional R&D projects. He is currently the coordinator of the Master in Research on Media, Audiences, and Professional Practice in Europe.

Alba Córdoba-Cabús, University of Malaga

Doctoral student with a University Teacher Training Aid (FPU). Graduated in Journalism from the University of Malaga in 2016 and Master’s in Research on Media, Audiences, and Professional Practice in Europe in 2017. During her studies, she carried out internships in several media and communication companies (El Día de Córdoba, Canal Málaga RTV, and Coonic) and was a collaborating student in the Department of Journalism with a grant from the Ministry. After completing her education, she worked as a Technician in Event Management and Organization at the Montilla City Council and the Department of Communication, Events, and Exhibitions at Tragsatec. Her main works focus on Data Journalism, identifying patterns, and how information is materialized.

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