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The differences between investigative reporters and 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 editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an investigative reporter has an average salary of $65,230, which is higher than the $52,107 average annual salary of an editor.
The top three skills for an investigative reporter include investigative journalism, investigative stories and facebook. The most important skills for an editor are web content, video content, and SEO.
| Investigative Reporter | Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $65,230 | $52,107 |
| Hourly rate | $31.36 | $25.05 |
| Growth rate | -10% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 10,813 | 15,115 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| 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 editor is the one responsible for polishing and refining a story, article, and any material for publication in newspapers, magazines, books, or websites. Editors have the power to either accept or reject a material as they need to ensure that every manuscript which will be offered for publishing is at the best version as it can be. There are several types of editors, from copy editors, books to managing editors, but they have few skills in common, like strong writing skills, good judgment, and leadership abilities to help guide the whole editorial team. Most of them work in the office, but it is quite becoming more regular for them to work remotely.
Investigative reporters and editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Investigative Reporter | Editor | |
| Average salary | $65,230 | $52,107 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $104,000 | Between $34,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | HSBC Bank | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between an investigative reporter and an editor in terms of educational background:
| Investigative Reporter | Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Journalism | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between investigative reporters' and editors' demographics:
| Investigative Reporter | Editor | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0% | Male, 46.4% Female, 53.6% |
| 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, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 12% |