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Beat reporter vs news reporter

The differences between beat reporters and news reporters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a beat reporter and a news reporter. Additionally, a beat reporter has an average salary of $65,737, which is higher than the $41,481 average annual salary of a news reporter.

The top three skills for a beat reporter include feature stories, twitter and hard news stories. The most important skills for a news reporter are digital marketing, local community, and facebook.

Beat reporter vs news reporter overview

Beat ReporterNews Reporter
Yearly salary$65,737$41,481
Hourly rate$31.60$19.94
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs2,13311,609
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 86%Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

Beat reporter vs news reporter salary

Beat reporters and news reporters have different pay scales, as shown below.

Beat ReporterNews Reporter
Average salary$65,737$41,481
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $117,000Between $26,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-The Monitor Group
Best paying industry-Media

Differences between beat reporter and news reporter education

There are a few differences between a beat reporter and a news reporter in terms of educational background:

Beat ReporterNews Reporter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 86%Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Beat reporter vs news reporter demographics

Here are the differences between beat reporters' and news reporters' demographics:

Beat ReporterNews Reporter
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 59.3% Female, 40.7%Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.7% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.6% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between beat reporter and news reporter duties and responsibilities

Beat reporter example responsibilities.

  • Develop and write columns and editorials in the sports field as well as managed the blog website.
  • Update newspaper's Facebook account.
  • Cover issues relating back to health, writing print stories, producing broadcast video and photography.
  • Used twitter to monitor trending topics and reach out to points of contact to cover crime and jurisprudence.
  • Interview sources daily; coordinate frequently with editorial and photography departments.
  • Construct and edit web-published multimedia pieces that are featured on the university's athletic programs.
  • Show more

News reporter example responsibilities.

  • Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
  • Conduct interviews, edit clips and stories, and announce stories/headlines on air.
  • Work with editors to deliver content in the appropriate style with an eye for SEO.
  • Operate digital recording equipment to film b-roll footage, interviews, and on camera reporting.
  • Drive online traffic through social networking, weaving SEO strategy into story copy, and frequent blogging.
  • Work independently gathering news stories, capturing audio sound clips for air, and writing news stories.
  • Show more

Beat reporter vs news reporter skills

Common beat reporter skills
  • Feature Stories, 17%
  • Twitter, 10%
  • Hard News Stories, 8%
  • Facebook, 6%
  • Photography, 6%
  • Press Conferences, 5%
Common news reporter skills
  • Digital Marketing, 13%
  • Local Community, 10%
  • Facebook, 6%
  • Twitter, 6%
  • Develop Story Ideas, 5%
  • Instagram, 4%

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