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The differences between editorial interns and journalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an editorial internship, becoming a journalist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a journalist has an average salary of $60,828, which is higher than the $32,356 average annual salary of an editorial internship.
The top three skills for an editorial internship include fact-check, editorial intern and web content. The most important skills for a journalist are news stories, multimedia, and story development.
| Editorial Internship | Journalist | |
| Yearly salary | $32,356 | $60,828 |
| Hourly rate | $15.56 | $29.24 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -10% |
| Number of jobs | 51,667 | 11,488 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 86% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial team in publishing digital and media content, writing articles, and managing readers' reviews. Editorial interns must have excellent knowledge of the industry they work for, suggesting the latest trends and featured topics, taking notes of the tenured employees' advice and observations, and actively joining brainstorming sessions. An editorial intern must be detail-oriented and take constructive feedback as an opportunity to learn. It is also crucial to have outstanding communication and proofreading skills and keep all the materials confidential until release.
A journalist is responsible for creating written correspondence, covering various subjects as the management requires. This task involves a lot of research investigations, conducting interviews, and gathering reliable sources to verify the authenticity of data before releasing the articles on news portals and other social platforms. Journalists should have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, conveying information to the target audience with high accuracy and efficiency. They analyze opinions and testimonies, create eye-catching headlines, and ensure adherence to deadlines.
Editorial interns and journalists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Editorial Internship | Journalist | |
| Average salary | $32,356 | $60,828 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $39,000 | Between $38,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Oxford University Press | Bloomberg |
| Best paying industry | Media | Finance |
There are a few differences between an editorial internship and a journalist in terms of educational background:
| Editorial Internship | Journalist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 86% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | English | Journalism |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between editorial interns' and journalists' demographics:
| Editorial Internship | Journalist | |
| Average age | 44 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.4% Female, 73.6% | Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.6% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |