Post job

Field reporter vs beat reporter

The differences between field reporters and beat 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 field reporter and a beat reporter. Additionally, a field reporter has an average salary of $67,849, which is higher than the $65,737 average annual salary of a beat reporter.

The top three skills for a field reporter include edit video, community events and TV. The most important skills for a beat reporter are feature stories, twitter, and hard news stories.

Field reporter vs beat reporter overview

Field ReporterBeat Reporter
Yearly salary$67,849$65,737
Hourly rate$32.62$31.60
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs46,5192,133
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 86%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

Field reporter vs beat reporter salary

Field reporters and beat reporters have different pay scales, as shown below.

Field ReporterBeat Reporter
Average salary$67,849$65,737
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $119,000Between $36,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between field reporter and beat reporter education

There are a few differences between a field reporter and a beat reporter in terms of educational background:

Field ReporterBeat Reporter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 86%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Field reporter vs beat reporter demographics

Here are the differences between field reporters' and beat reporters' demographics:

Field ReporterBeat Reporter
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 43.6% Female, 56.4%Male, 59.3% Female, 40.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 8.6% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.7% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between field reporter and beat reporter duties and responsibilities

Field reporter example responsibilities.

  • Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
  • Assist in producing episodes for on campus television show for YouTube.
  • Contribute to the facebook, twitter, and instagram accounts on game days.
  • 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.

Beat reporter example responsibilities.

  • Develop and write columns and editorials in the sports field as well as managed the blog website.
  • Update newspaper's Facebook account.
  • Cover issues relating back to health, writing print stories, producing broadcast video and photography.
  • Used twitter to monitor trending topics and reach out to points of contact to cover crime and jurisprudence.
  • Interview sources daily; coordinate frequently with editorial and photography departments.
  • Construct and edit web-published multimedia pieces that are featured on the university's athletic programs.
  • Show more

Field reporter vs beat reporter skills

Common field reporter skills
  • Edit Video, 25%
  • Community Events, 13%
  • TV, 9%
  • News Reports, 9%
  • Conduct Interviews, 6%
  • Local News Stories, 6%
Common beat reporter skills
  • Feature Stories, 17%
  • Twitter, 10%
  • Hard News Stories, 8%
  • Facebook, 6%
  • Photography, 6%
  • Press Conferences, 5%

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs