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Desk reporter vs news writer

The differences between desk reporters 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 desk reporter and a news writer. Additionally, a desk reporter has an average salary of $72,636, which is higher than the $45,129 average annual salary of a news writer.

The top three skills for a desk reporter include conduct interviews, feature stories and . The most important skills for a news writer are news articles, ABC, and SEO.

Desk reporter vs news writer overview

Desk ReporterNews Writer
Yearly salary$72,636$45,129
Hourly rate$34.92$21.70
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs26,37517,010
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

Desk reporter vs news writer salary

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

Desk ReporterNews Writer
Average salary$72,636$45,129
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $123,000Between $31,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-PitchBook Data
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between desk reporter and news writer education

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

Desk ReporterNews Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Desk reporter vs news writer demographics

Here are the differences between desk reporters' and news writers' demographics:

Desk ReporterNews Writer
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 48.5% Female, 51.5%Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9%
Race ratioBlack 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, 6.2% 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 desk reporter and news writer 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.

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

Desk reporter vs news writer skills

Common desk reporter skills
  • Conduct Interviews, 61%
  • Feature Stories, 39%
Common news writer skills
  • News Articles, 17%
  • ABC, 7%
  • SEO, 6%
  • Edit Video, 6%
  • Control Room, 5%
  • Twitter, 5%

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