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Editorial writer vs journalist

The differences between editorial writers and journalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an editorial writer and a journalist. Additionally, a journalist has an average salary of $60,828, which is higher than the $54,192 average annual salary of an editorial writer.

The top three skills for an editorial writer include editorials, SEO and opinion pieces. The most important skills for a journalist are news stories, multimedia, and story development.

Editorial writer vs journalist overview

Editorial WriterJournalist
Yearly salary$54,192$60,828
Hourly rate$26.05$29.24
Growth rate6%-10%
Number of jobs14,96511,488
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4640
Years of experience22

Editorial writer vs journalist salary

Editorial writers and journalists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Editorial WriterJournalist
Average salary$54,192$60,828
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $77,000Between $38,000 And $95,000
Highest paying CityEdison, NJNew York, NY
Highest paying stateVirginiaNew York
Best paying companyQualcommBloomberg
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between editorial writer and journalist education

There are a few differences between an editorial writer and a journalist in terms of educational background:

Editorial WriterJournalist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorEnglishJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Editorial writer vs journalist demographics

Here are the differences between editorial writers' and journalists' demographics:

Editorial WriterJournalist
Average age4640
Gender ratioMale, 44.1% Female, 55.9%Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 8.6% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%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 Percentage11%10%

Differences between editorial writer and journalist duties and responsibilities

Editorial writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage website by uploading and scheduling articles, fixing errors, proofreading, optimizing for SEO, and polishing content.
  • Compose, edit and proofread copy for obituary and life celebration announcements.
  • Research, pitch ideas and write editorials daily, including a community award-winning editorial and recognition for a four-part editorial series.
  • Research and identify public-policy issues and craft the paper's editorial opinions.
  • Write and edit fiction and non-fiction text to accompany products release and distribute internationally.

Journalist example responsibilities.

  • Manage studio operations, ensuring that shows run efficiently by floor directing, prompting and providing scripts.
  • Partner closely with 13WHAM ABC Rochester.
  • Award regional EMMY for spot news.
  • Edit headline packages, kickers, bumps and topicals.
  • Update stories to web page, twitter, and facebook.
  • Used ENG trucks to distribute live news feeds during broadcasts.
  • Show more

Editorial writer vs journalist skills

Common editorial writer skills
  • Editorials, 36%
  • SEO, 8%
  • Opinion Pieces, 7%
  • Editorial Content, 6%
  • Blog Posts, 5%
  • Press Releases, 4%
Common journalist skills
  • News Stories, 15%
  • Multimedia, 11%
  • Story Development, 11%
  • Local Community, 7%
  • Edit Video, 5%
  • Local News, 4%

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