Desk reporter vs beat reporter

The differences between desk reporters and beat 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 desk reporter and a beat reporter. Additionally, a desk reporter has an average salary of $72,636, which is higher than the $65,737 average annual salary of a beat reporter.

The top three skills for a desk reporter include conduct interviews, feature stories and . The most important skills for a beat reporter are feature stories, twitter, and hard news stories.

Desk reporter vs beat reporter overview

	Desk Reporter	Beat Reporter
Yearly salary	$72,636	$65,737
Hourly rate	$34.92	$31.60
Growth rate	-10%	-10%
Number of jobs	26,375	2,133
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 86%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Desk reporter vs beat reporter salary

Desk reporters and beat reporters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Desk Reporter	Beat Reporter
Average salary	$72,636	$65,737
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $123,000	Between $36,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between desk reporter and beat reporter education

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

	Desk Reporter	Beat Reporter
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 86%
Most common major	Journalism	Journalism
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Desk reporter vs beat reporter demographics

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

	Desk Reporter	Beat Reporter
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 48.5% Female, 51.5%	Male, 59.3% Female, 40.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black 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%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between desk reporter and beat reporter duties and responsibilities

Desk reporter example responsibilities.

Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
Cooperate with metro reporters, graphic designers, and photojournalist to produce daily-base newspaper.
Interview up and coming Latino artists which generate significant increase in readership.

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.

Desk reporter vs beat reporter skills

Common desk reporter skills

Conduct Interviews, 61%
Feature Stories, 39%

Common beat reporter skills

Feature Stories, 17%
Twitter, 10%
Hard News Stories, 8%
Facebook, 6%
Photography, 6%
Press Conferences, 5%

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Desk Reporter
Desk Reporter vs Beat Reporter

Updated January 8, 2025

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