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Editorial writer vs news reporter

The differences between editorial writers and news reporters 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 news reporter. Additionally, an editorial writer has an average salary of $54,192, which is higher than the $41,481 average annual salary of a news reporter.

The top three skills for an editorial writer include editorials, SEO and opinion pieces. The most important skills for a news reporter are digital marketing, local community, and facebook.

Editorial writer vs news reporter overview

Editorial WriterNews Reporter
Yearly salary$54,192$41,481
Hourly rate$26.05$19.94
Growth rate6%-10%
Number of jobs14,96511,609
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Average age4640
Years of experience22

Editorial writer vs news reporter salary

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

Editorial WriterNews Reporter
Average salary$54,192$41,481
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $77,000Between $26,000 And $64,000
Highest paying CityEdison, NJNew York, NY
Highest paying stateVirginiaNew York
Best paying companyQualcommThe Monitor Group
Best paying industry-Media

Differences between editorial writer and news reporter education

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

Editorial WriterNews Reporter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common majorEnglishJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Editorial writer vs news reporter demographics

Here are the differences between editorial writers' and news reporters' demographics:

Editorial WriterNews Reporter
Average age4640
Gender ratioMale, 44.1% Female, 55.9%Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%
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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.6% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage11%10%

Differences between editorial writer and news reporter 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.

News reporter example responsibilities.

  • Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
  • Conduct interviews, edit clips and stories, and announce stories/headlines on air.
  • Work with editors to deliver content in the appropriate style with an eye for SEO.
  • Operate digital recording equipment to film b-roll footage, interviews, and on camera reporting.
  • Drive online traffic through social networking, weaving SEO strategy into story copy, and frequent blogging.
  • Work independently gathering news stories, capturing audio sound clips for air, and writing news stories.
  • Show more

Editorial writer vs news reporter skills

Common editorial writer skills
  • Editorials, 36%
  • SEO, 8%
  • Opinion Pieces, 7%
  • Editorial Content, 6%
  • Blog Posts, 5%
  • Press Releases, 4%
Common news reporter skills
  • Digital Marketing, 13%
  • Local Community, 10%
  • Facebook, 6%
  • Twitter, 6%
  • Develop Story Ideas, 5%
  • Instagram, 4%

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