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Correspondent vs news writer

The differences between correspondents and news writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a correspondent and a news writer. Additionally, a correspondent has an average salary of $82,217, which is higher than the $45,129 average annual salary of a news writer.

The top three skills for a correspondent include news stories, news coverage and feature stories. The most important skills for a news writer are news articles, ABC, and SEO.

Correspondent vs news writer overview

CorrespondentNews Writer
Yearly salary$82,217$45,129
Hourly rate$39.53$21.70
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs2,83517,010
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

What does a correspondent do?

A Correspondent is the backbone of every news agency today. It is through the correspondent experts write the news of a particular topic. Through Correspondents, a news agency can get an in-depth report of happenings and events which may not be possible through ordinary reporters. Correspondents are expected to have versatility and command on a particular topic. They are resourceful in finding newsworthy articles and getting the necessary interviews and data for a well-balanced informative report.

What does a news writer do?

A news writer is primarily responsible for producing informative written materials about current events, ensuring quality and accuracy. Their responsibilities typically revolve around conducting interviews, traveling to different locations, pursuing leads, researching public records, and submitting stories within the expected deadline and set format. Typically working for newspapers or web news platforms, a news writer must also review materials to fact-check and correct any errors, monitor the progress of events or cases, and coordinate with other staff.

Correspondent vs news writer salary

Correspondents and news writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

CorrespondentNews Writer
Average salary$82,217$45,129
Salary rangeBetween $50,000 And $134,000Between $31,000 And $64,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCNew York, NY
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew York
Best paying companyAmerican Broadcasting CompanyPitchBook Data
Best paying industryMediaTechnology

Differences between correspondent and news writer education

There are a few differences between a correspondent and a news writer in terms of educational background:

CorrespondentNews Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Correspondent vs news writer demographics

Here are the differences between correspondents' and news writers' demographics:

CorrespondentNews Writer
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 45.0% Female, 55.0%Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.7% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between correspondent and news writer duties and responsibilities

Correspondent example responsibilities.

  • Lead reporting in Mongolia, representing AFP's regional headquarters in Beijing.
  • Manage constituent relations regarding financial services, housing, budget, judiciary, homeland security, and government oversight issues.
  • Develop Facebook strategy, execute launch and manage content.
  • Handle education, foreign affairs, judiciary and natural resources issues; assist with appropriations requests.
  • Process FHA, VA and correspondent disclosures.
  • Gain knowledge of interviewing, photography, and newsworthiness.
  • Show more

News writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage transcription and queuing of b-roll tapes/interviews for live and pre-record broadcasts.
  • Manage the Instagram account, which mean publishing and keeping up to date with the articles.
  • Anchor news updates for top-rate, personality driven FM morning show.
  • Conduct interviews and create professional visuals with upcoming model and entertainers for lifestyle magazine publication.
  • Involve in newsgathering, show development and writing.
  • Used Photoshop and InDesign to adjust photos and paginate the newspaper.
  • Show more

Correspondent vs news writer skills

Common correspondent skills
  • News Stories, 17%
  • News Coverage, 11%
  • Feature Stories, 7%
  • Instagram, 6%
  • Financial Statements, 6%
  • Develop Story Ideas, 4%
Common news writer skills
  • News Articles, 17%
  • ABC, 7%
  • SEO, 6%
  • Edit Video, 6%
  • Control Room, 5%
  • Twitter, 5%

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