For months, GalleyCat readers have debated the question: How do unpaid internships and low salaries affect the quality of writing in New York City? Nobody covers the feelings of the so-called creative underclass better than Hamilton Nolan, prolific Gawker reporter–today’s guest on Morning Media Menu.

Around the 4:45 mark, Nolan (pictured, via) commented: “You would hope that the media and journalism would be a little more democratic than that, because having a diverse core of journalists is going to make your journalism better. But it’s really not. Especially in New York. It’s just as connection driven as fashion, business, and Wall Street. Which is kind of sad.”

Click here to listen to the whole show. Nolan tackled the day’s biggest headlines: a food-blogger spat, strange allegations against a sportswriter, and the logic of attending journalism school.