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Desk reporter vs staff reporter

The differences between desk reporters and staff 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 staff reporter. Additionally, a desk reporter has an average salary of $72,636, which is higher than the $44,906 average annual salary of a staff reporter.

The top three skills for a desk reporter include conduct interviews, feature stories and . The most important skills for a staff reporter are news stories, event coverage, and feature stories.

Desk reporter vs staff reporter overview

Desk ReporterStaff Reporter
Yearly salary$72,636$44,906
Hourly rate$34.92$21.59
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs26,37570,415
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

Desk reporter vs staff reporter salary

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

Desk ReporterStaff Reporter
Average salary$72,636$44,906
Salary rangeBetween $42,000 And $123,000Between $26,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-VanEck
Best paying industry-Media

Differences between desk reporter and staff reporter education

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

Desk ReporterStaff Reporter
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 staff reporter demographics

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

Desk ReporterStaff Reporter
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 48.5% Female, 51.5%Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6%
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, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 9.7% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between desk reporter and staff 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.

Staff reporter example responsibilities.

  • Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
  • Utilize photography skills and assist editor with operations.
  • Perform copy editing, publicity and photography as needed.
  • Create multiple PL/SQL store procedures for generating daily and monthly reports for different medical requirements.
  • Report from red-carpet events, including: MTV

Desk reporter vs staff reporter skills

Common desk reporter skills
  • Conduct Interviews, 61%
  • Feature Stories, 39%
Common staff reporter skills
  • News Stories, 14%
  • Event Coverage, 12%
  • Feature Stories, 12%
  • News Articles, 6%
  • Conduct Interviews, 3%
  • Local Government, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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