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Freelance journalist vs journalist

The differences between freelance journalists and journalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a journalist has an average salary of $60,828, which is higher than the $49,141 average annual salary of a freelance journalist.

The top three skills for a freelance journalist include web content, local news and feature stories. The most important skills for a journalist are news stories, multimedia, and story development.

Freelance journalist vs journalist overview

Freelance JournalistJournalist
Yearly salary$49,141$60,828
Hourly rate$23.63$29.24
Growth rate4%-10%
Number of jobs10,77511,488
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4240
Years of experience-2

Freelance journalist vs journalist salary

Freelance journalists and journalists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Freelance JournalistJournalist
Average salary$49,141$60,828
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $72,000Between $38,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Bloomberg
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between freelance journalist and journalist education

There are a few differences between a freelance journalist and a journalist in terms of educational background:

Freelance JournalistJournalist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Freelance journalist vs journalist demographics

Here are the differences between freelance journalists' and journalists' demographics:

Freelance JournalistJournalist
Average age4240
Gender ratioMale, 47.9% Female, 52.1%Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.9% White, 75.7% 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 Percentage16%10%

Differences between freelance journalist and journalist duties and responsibilities

Freelance journalist example responsibilities.

  • Update website daily, manage Facebook/Twitter/ Instagram accounts.
  • Utilize SEO strategies effectively in order to generate high traffic on high-quality writing pieces.
  • Fulfill multifaceted duties that include reporting, news/feature writing, photography, researching, fact checking, proofreading and editing.
  • Perform photography to support articles on limit basis.
  • Provide strategic creative concepts, copywriting, technical writing and cost-effective digital media production services on a per-project outsource basis.
  • Interview up and coming Latino artists which generate significant increase in readership.

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

Freelance journalist vs journalist skills

Common freelance journalist skills
  • Web Content, 15%
  • Local News, 9%
  • Feature Stories, 7%
  • Photography, 7%
  • News Stories, 6%
  • Press Releases, 5%
Common journalist skills
  • News Stories, 15%
  • Multimedia, 11%
  • Story Development, 11%
  • Local Community, 7%
  • Edit Video, 5%
  • Local News, 4%

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