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The differences between investigative reporters 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 investigative reporter and a news reporter. Additionally, an investigative reporter has an average salary of $65,230, which is higher than the $41,481 average annual salary of a news reporter.
The top three skills for an investigative reporter include investigative journalism, investigative stories and facebook. The most important skills for a news reporter are digital marketing, local community, and facebook.
| Investigative Reporter | News Reporter | |
| Yearly salary | $65,230 | $41,481 |
| Hourly rate | $31.36 | $19.94 |
| Growth rate | -10% | -10% |
| Number of jobs | 10,813 | 11,609 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
News Reporters collect and analyze facts about newsworthy events through interview, investigation, or observation. They carry cameras and take photos and video footage of objects or places of potential significance.
Investigative reporters and news reporters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Investigative Reporter | News Reporter | |
| Average salary | $65,230 | $41,481 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $104,000 | Between $26,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | HSBC Bank | The Monitor Group |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Media |
There are a few differences between an investigative reporter and a news reporter in terms of educational background:
| Investigative Reporter | News Reporter | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Journalism | Journalism |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between investigative reporters' and news reporters' demographics:
| Investigative Reporter | News Reporter | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0% | Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0% |
| 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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.6% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |