Desk reporter vs reporter

The differences between desk reporters and 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 reporter. Additionally, a desk reporter has an average salary of $72,636, which is higher than the $46,667 average annual salary of a reporter.

The top three skills for a desk reporter include conduct interviews, feature stories and . The most important skills for a reporter are news stories, digital marketing, and facebook.

Desk reporter vs reporter overview

	Desk Reporter	Reporter
Yearly salary	$72,636	$46,667
Hourly rate	$34.92	$22.44
Growth rate	-10%	-10%
Number of jobs	26,375	11,179
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Desk reporter vs reporter salary

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

	Desk Reporter	Reporter
Average salary	$72,636	$46,667
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $123,000	Between $29,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Citi
Best paying industry	-	Media

Differences between desk reporter and reporter education

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

	Desk Reporter	Reporter
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common major	Journalism	Journalism
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Desk reporter vs reporter demographics

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

	Desk Reporter	Reporter
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 48.5% Female, 51.5%	Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2%
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, 12.7% Asian, 9.7% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between desk reporter and 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.

Reporter example responsibilities.

Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
Edit and revise press releases and submissions; proofread large amount of copy.
Use social media (i.e Twitter, Facebook) to relay 'trouble-spots' to local drivers.
Cover NFL, MLB, NBA, NASCAR and general sports news events for as Dallas-based free-lance reporter.
Report and write for metro, arts, lifestyle, real estate, and regional sections of major daily newspaper.
Cover local government, environmental issues and write features in addition to photography and pagination for twice-weekly newspaper.

Desk reporter vs reporter skills

Common desk reporter skills

Conduct Interviews, 61%
Feature Stories, 39%

Common reporter skills

News Stories, 12%
Digital Marketing, 10%
Facebook, 6%
Twitter, 6%
Photography, 5%
Feature Stories, 4%

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Desk Reporter
Desk Reporter vs Reporter

Updated January 8, 2025

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