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The differences between investigative reporters and assistant editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an investigative reporter, becoming an assistant editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an investigative reporter has an average salary of $65,230, which is higher than the $52,284 average annual salary of an assistant editor.
The top three skills for an investigative reporter include investigative journalism, investigative stories and facebook. The most important skills for an assistant editor are editorial content, video footage, and web content.
| Investigative Reporter | Assistant Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $65,230 | $52,284 |
| Hourly rate | $31.36 | $25.14 |
| Growth rate | -10% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 10,813 | 8,716 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
An investigative reporter is a journalist who performs extensive research and analysis to build facts and current events into news stories. To make this possible, they must pursue leads relating to their subject, conduct interviews with witnesses or the people involved, travel to different places to gather pieces of evidence and other source materials, take videos or photographs, and coordinate with experts such as lawyers and doctors when necessary. Moreover, an investigative reporter must keep up with the latest trends in establishing news structures and news writing.
An assistant editor is an individual responsible for assisting an editor-in-chief or editor-at-large of a newspaper, magazine, radio program, or website. Assistant editors hold meetings with staff and freelance writers to discuss new, fresh and original content for projects on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. They review assignments handed in by writers or reporters for sense, accuracy, readability, and content. Assistant editors must also utilize new media applications such as Twitter and Facebook to draw attention to an article or cause.
Investigative reporters and assistant editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Investigative Reporter | Assistant Editor | |
| Average salary | $65,230 | $52,284 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $104,000 | Between $34,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Huntington, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | HSBC Bank | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Media |
There are a few differences between an investigative reporter and an assistant editor in terms of educational background:
| Investigative Reporter | Assistant Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Journalism | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between investigative reporters' and assistant editors' demographics:
| Investigative Reporter | Assistant Editor | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0% | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.6% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 12% |