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Internships

Oversight and Legal Protections for Unpaid Interns

The number of internships in the United States has ballooned over the past few decades. But oversight and legal protection for unpaid interns hasn’t kept up.

27 stories published since 2013

What We Learned Investigating Unpaid Internships

by Blair Hickman,

Four Ways You Can Seek Back Pay for an Unpaid Internship

by Kara Brandeisky,

The Department of Labor’s Internships Investigations

by Kara Brandeisky, Eric Sagara and Jeremy B. Merrill,

How the Labor Department Has Let Companies Off the Hook for Unpaid Internships

by Kara Brandeisky and Jeremy B. Merrill,

Labor Department Intervenes on Behalf of Hearst Interns

by Kara Brandeisky,

Interns Are Now Protected Against Sexual Harassment in NYC

by Blair Hickman,

The Price of an Internship

by Blair Hickman, Mike Tigas and Sisi Wei,

One J-School Internship Coordinator Says Paid Positions Have Dropped by Nearly Half

by Blair Hickman,

New York University Ramps up Internship Oversight

by Kara Brandeisky,

2013: The Year of the Intern?

by Blair Hickman and Casey McDermott,

You Know Who Else Uses Unpaid Interns? Colleges and Universities

by Casey McDermott,

Calculating ‘The Price of an Internship’

by Mike Tigas and Blair Hickman,

Q&A: David Yamada on Condé Nast and Intern Rights

by Casey McDermott,

New York Councilmember, De Blasio Back Closing Harassment Loophole for Unpaid Interns

by Christie Thompson,

#ProjectIntern Hits the Road to Capture College Intern Stories

by Casey McDermott,

Northwestern’s Journalism Program Offers Students Internships with Prestige, But No Paycheck

by Kara Brandeisky,

Meet Our Kickstarter Intern!

by Blair Hickman,

How Unpaid Interns Aren’t Protected Against Sexual Harassment

by Blair Hickman and Christie Thompson,

Nation Institute to Pay Interns Minimum Wage

by Blair Hickman,

Tracking Intern Lawsuits

by Stephen Suen,

Thank You, From the Bottom of Our Hearts

by Blair Hickman,

To Cope with Sequester, Justice Department Staffs Unpaid Attorneys

by Christie Thompson,

Kickstarter Lessons for Journalists

by Blair Hickman,

What's Your Internship Story?

by Blair Hickman,

When Is It OK to Not Pay an Intern?

by Blair Hickman and Christie Thompson,

Unpaid Interns Win Major Ruling in 'Black Swan' Case — Now What?

by Blair Hickman and Jeremy B. Merrill,

Betting Against the Future: How Industry Loses When Interns Go Unpaid

by Hanna Trudo,

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

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Sharon Lerner

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Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

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Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

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Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

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