Labour is about respect -- rabble.ca's 2017 labour beat intern shares some parting words

People just want to be treated with respect. That's one of the strongest messages that Meagan Gillmore says she's taking away with her as her internship as rabble.ca's labour reporter ends. Work isn't just a way to make money, she says. It's about finding one's place in the world and in our communities.

In this conversation with rabble podcast executive producer Victoria Fenner, she talks about the logistics of covering a large country from her office in Ontario, the significant events of 2017, what it is that she likes about covering people and their work, and trying to forge a career in media as a young journalist as the media landscape shifts.

She's a great spirit and has done some complex stories with us in her time this year at rabble. The internship is over, which is why she's leaving us. But we wish it wasn't so and hope she comes back to us with many story ideas. Best wishes, and thanks from all of us, Meagan!

About the rabble.ca labour beat internship:

rabble.ca is one of the only media that prioritizes our coverage of labour stories, and initiated this paid editorial internship, in partnership with Unifor. In 2015, we were delighted to broaden our partnership to CALM (Canadian Association of Labour Media) and extend the reach and impact of this much-needed labour beat in Canadian media.

The labour beat reporter internship was created in 2012 by rabble.ca and is a partnership with Unifor, Canada's largest union in the private sector, with the goal of improving understanding of the labour movement across Canada and creating a bank of labour reporting expertise among emerging journalists. The success of the project has led rabble.ca, in partnership with Unifor and now CALM, to continue the position, now into its fifth iteration. "We're excited and honoured to continue this partnership with Unifor, which continues to build up knowledge and understanding of the labour movement throughout Canada," says Publisher, Kim Elliott.

The long-term goal of the labour beat position is to equip reporters with new skills and to enhance their knowledge of the labour movement and workers' issues. The labour beat internship provides nine months of labour reporting at rabble.ca, but as the labour beat reporters continue careers in journalism, their time on the labour beat is sure to enhance labour coverage and understanding in the media as a whole.

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