How to hire a journalist

How to hire a journalist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step journalist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a journalist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new journalist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a journalist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a journalist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A journalist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, journalists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of journalists.

   Type of Journalist	Description	Hourly rate
   Journalist	Reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts inform the public about news and events happening internationally, nationally, and locally. They report the news for newspapers, magazines, websites, television, and radio.	$18-45
   Content Editor	A content editor is a professional who is responsible for proof-reading articles written by content writers and write blog posts to promote the products and services of an organization. Content editors are responsible for producing monthly newsletters and optimize written pieces to increase user engagement... Show more	$19-43
   News Editor	A News Editor reviews and changes the content of a publication provided by writers and other contributors. They generally work for newspapers, magazines, and websites.	$16-38

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • News Stories
   • Multimedia
   • Story Development
   • Local Community
   • Edit Video
   • Local News
   • Develop Story Ideas
   • Facebook
   • Photography
   • Twitter
   • News Coverage
   • Instagram
   • SEO
   • Writing Articles

   Check all skills

   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.

   More journalist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your journalist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A journalist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, journalists' average salary in hawaii is 52% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level journalists earn 60% less than senior-level journalists.
   • Certifications. A journalist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a journalist's salary.

   Average journalist salary

   $60,828yearly

   $29.24 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level journalist salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 18, 2026

   Average journalist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$79,456	$38
   2	Missouri	$72,104	$35
   3	Michigan	$69,600	$33
   4	District of Columbia	$69,037	$33
   5	Ohio	$68,314	$33
   6	North Carolina	$63,465	$31
   7	California	$62,846	$30
   8	Minnesota	$62,674	$30
   9	Virginia	$61,722	$30
   10	Oregon	$59,925	$29
   11	Pennsylvania	$59,693	$29
   12	Massachusetts	$57,540	$28
   13	Wisconsin	$57,445	$28
   14	Nebraska	$56,964	$27
   15	Washington	$56,818	$27
   16	Kansas	$56,759	$27
   17	Arizona	$56,373	$27
   18	Georgia	$55,198	$27
   19	South Carolina	$54,044	$26
   20	Alabama	$52,421	$25

   Average journalist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Bloomberg	$115,334	$55.45	13
   2	TheStreet	$113,895	$54.76
   3	The New York Times Company	$113,194	$54.42	52
   4	Fox News	$100,689	$48.41
   5	Reuters	$99,987	$48.07
   6	Thomson Reuters	$99,402	$47.79
   7	The Boston Globe	$94,047	$45.21	4
   8	Altice USA	$92,666	$44.55
   9	NBCUniversal	$91,688	$44.08	25
   10	Morningstar	$88,917	$42.75
   11	News Media	$84,246	$40.50
   12	Univision Holdings, Inc.	$84,076	$40.42	5
   13	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$83,595	$40.19
   14	News	$83,426	$40.11	31
   15	The Walt Disney Company	$82,483	$39.66	25
   16	Buzz Media	$82,021	$39.43
   17	Npr	$79,869	$38.40
   18	The Univision Network Partnership	$77,724	$37.37
   19	Hearst	$77,018	$37.03	98
   20	Nexstar Media Group	$71,063	$34.16	58

4. Writing a journalist job description

   A journalist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a journalist job description:

   Journalist job description example

   The News & Record in Greensboro, N.C., seeks a versatile reporter with at least one year of experience to cover breaking news, courts and crime in the Triad region of the state. We value watchdog reporters with a demonstrated ability to break news, show the impact of issues on the public and identify enterprise opportunities. The newspaper is part of Lee Enterprises, which is a digital-first organization focused on growing our digital subscriber base. We are looking for someone who also will look for visual/audio storytelling opportunities, has experience using social media to promote stories and has the ability to move beyond institutional reporting to focus on how issues impact the community.
   Attach a cover letter, resume and three or four work samples that demonstrate a record of success.
   
   The News & Record is a Lee Enterprises news organization. We offer a strong benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid holidays and a generous paid time off policy. We are an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity in our newsroom and encourage candidates from underrepresented communities to apply. We are a drug-free workplace, and all applicants considered for employment must pass a post-offer drug screen and background check prior to commencing employment.
   
   Why Join Us?
   
   Lee Enterprises offers competitive wages in a dynamic, interesting work environment with career growth opportunities. We offer an extensive benefit program that can be personalized to your needs. Our benefit program includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, company provided life insurance and supplemental life insurance. In addition, we offer a 401K retirement plan with company match. We also offer generous paid time off to allow the flexibility to balance personal life and work. This includes paid parental leave for new parents.
   
   Lee Enterprises is a leading provider of high-quality local news, with 77 daily newspapers in 26 states that have print, digital and e-replica versions. Lee's newspapers have a combined circulation of more than 1.2 million daily. Our digital sites attract more than 44 million unique visits monthly. We also have a rapidly growing roster of digital products for consumers, and are committed to aggressive digital growth.
   
   Lee Enterprises is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to attracting and retaining a workforce whose diversity reflects the communities we serve. Lee embraces change, and we recognize that we must create and maintain a culture of fervent inclusion. For more information about Lee, check us out at www.lee.net.
   
   We are focused on building a diverse and inclusive workforce. If you are excited about this role but do not meet 100% of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply.
   
   Other details
   
   * Job Family News
   * Pay Type Hourly
   
   Apply Now
   
   * The News & Record, 3001 S Elm-Eugene St, Greensboro, North Carolina, United States of America

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right journalist for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your journalist job on Zippia to find and recruit journalist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as problogger, media bistro, journalismjobs.com, content writing jobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting journalists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new journalist

   Once you've selected the best journalist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new journalist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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