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Editorial internship vs reporter

The differences between editorial interns and reporters 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 reporter takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a reporter has an average salary of $46,667, 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 reporter are news stories, digital marketing, and facebook.

Editorial internship vs reporter overview

Editorial InternshipReporter
Yearly salary$32,356$46,667
Hourly rate$15.56$22.44
Growth rate-5%-10%
Number of jobs51,66711,179
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 86%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age4440
Years of experience42

What does an editorial internship do?

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.

What does a reporter do?

In journalism, a reporter is responsible for relaying truthful and reliable information to the public audience through various mediums such as print and media. A reporter must ensure to gather necessary and factual data that are supported by interviews and comments of those involved, remain unbiased in all aspects, produce a concise and comprehensive informational material within an allotted time, and efficiently coordinate with every staff. Furthermore, a reporter must remain professional at all times and adhere to the policies and regulations set by the company or network.

Editorial internship vs reporter salary

Editorial interns and reporters have different pay scales, as shown below.

Editorial InternshipReporter
Average salary$32,356$46,667
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $39,000Between $29,000 And $73,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew Jersey
Best paying companyOxford University PressCiti
Best paying industryMediaMedia

Differences between editorial internship and reporter education

There are a few differences between an editorial internship and a reporter in terms of educational background:

Editorial InternshipReporter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 86%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common majorEnglishJournalism
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Editorial internship vs reporter demographics

Here are the differences between editorial interns' and reporters' demographics:

Editorial InternshipReporter
Average age4440
Gender ratioMale, 26.4% Female, 73.6%Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2%
Race ratioBlack 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, 12.7% Asian, 9.7% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage12%10%

Differences between editorial internship and reporter duties and responsibilities

Editorial internship example responsibilities.

  • Manage content uploads onto corporate website for continuous relevancy and improve SEO rankings.
  • Contribute through blogging, copy editing, participating in weekly editorial meetings, and managing social channels
  • Upload all content into the CMS and assume all editor responsibilities
  • Upload, edit and maintain articles on the websites' CMS.
  • Create 15-30 seconds teasers to post to social media, specifically Instagram and Facebook.
  • Fix technical problems with uploading files to Lexis-Nexis through basic HTML coding and working with technicians over the phone.
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Editorial internship vs reporter skills

Common editorial internship skills
  • Fact-Check, 13%
  • Editorial Intern, 8%
  • Web Content, 6%
  • Twitter, 6%
  • Instagram, 5%
  • Press Releases, 5%
Common reporter skills
  • News Stories, 12%
  • Digital Marketing, 10%
  • Facebook, 6%
  • Twitter, 6%
  • Photography, 5%
  • Feature Stories, 4%

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