A federal court in New York ruled last week that Fox Searchlight Pictures violated minimum-wage and overtime labor laws by not paying its interns — a positive step toward regulating the intern market, but not one that should mark the end of the debate.
Interns are hired because they add value to a company. They contribute by doing work that would have to be paid for otherwise.
Established businesses like Fox Searchlight are taking advantage of interns when they simply use them for free labor, and that should not be permitted.
But for smaller, arts-focused organizations and nonprofits, among others, offering paid internships is impractical. These companies should be allowed to find other ways to properly compensate interns.
This ruling should be used as a precedent to reform the way internships are run and prevent corporate irresponsibility.
But it should not be applied so broadly and strictly that it restricts intern access to certain fields altogether.
