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The differences between investigative reporters and writers 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 a writer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a writer has an average salary of $66,143, which is higher than the $65,230 average annual salary of an investigative reporter.
The top three skills for an investigative reporter include investigative journalism, investigative stories and facebook. The most important skills for a writer are work ethic, customer service, and web content.
| Investigative Reporter | Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $65,230 | $66,143 |
| Hourly rate | $31.36 | $31.80 |
| Growth rate | -10% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 10,813 | 13,931 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| 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.
A writer can have different responsibilities depending on which industry or line of work they are involved. There are writers assigned in a corporate setting, some in journalism, while there are also writers in the entertainment Industry. Although they focus on varying types of writing, they all function to inform. Among the typical duties of writers involve producing content within allotted time or deadline, gather information and verify to ensure accuracy, proofread, and undergo review and revisions.
Investigative reporters and writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Investigative Reporter | Writer | |
| Average salary | $65,230 | $66,143 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $104,000 | Between $40,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | HSBC Bank | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between an investigative reporter and a writer in terms of educational background:
| Investigative Reporter | Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Journalism | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between investigative reporters' and writers' demographics:
| Investigative Reporter | Writer | |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0% | Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8% |
| 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, 6.1% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 16% |