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Journalist vs correspondent

The differences between journalists and correspondents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a journalist and a correspondent. Additionally, a correspondent has an average salary of $82,217, which is higher than the $60,828 average annual salary of a journalist.

The top three skills for a journalist include news stories, multimedia and story development. The most important skills for a correspondent are news stories, news coverage, and feature stories.

Journalist vs correspondent overview

JournalistCorrespondent
Yearly salary$60,828$82,217
Hourly rate$29.24$39.53
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs11,4882,835
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

What does a journalist do?

A journalist is responsible for creating written correspondence, covering various subjects as the management requires. This task involves a lot of research investigations, conducting interviews, and gathering reliable sources to verify the authenticity of data before releasing the articles on news portals and other social platforms. Journalists should have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, conveying information to the target audience with high accuracy and efficiency. They analyze opinions and testimonies, create eye-catching headlines, and ensure adherence to deadlines.

What does a correspondent do?

A Correspondent is the backbone of every news agency today. It is through the correspondent experts write the news of a particular topic. Through Correspondents, a news agency can get an in-depth report of happenings and events which may not be possible through ordinary reporters. Correspondents are expected to have versatility and command on a particular topic. They are resourceful in finding newsworthy articles and getting the necessary interviews and data for a well-balanced informative report.

Journalist vs correspondent salary

Journalists and correspondents have different pay scales, as shown below.

JournalistCorrespondent
Average salary$60,828$82,217
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $95,000Between $50,000 And $134,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNew YorkNew Jersey
Best paying companyBloombergAmerican Broadcasting Company
Best paying industryFinanceMedia

Differences between journalist and correspondent education

There are a few differences between a journalist and a correspondent in terms of educational background:

JournalistCorrespondent
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyNorthwestern University

Journalist vs correspondent demographics

Here are the differences between journalists' and correspondents' demographics:

JournalistCorrespondent
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 46.6% Female, 53.4%Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.6% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.7% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between journalist and correspondent duties and responsibilities

Journalist example 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.
  • Show more

Correspondent example responsibilities.

  • Lead reporting in Mongolia, representing AFP's regional headquarters in Beijing.
  • Manage constituent relations regarding financial services, housing, budget, judiciary, homeland security, and government oversight issues.
  • Develop Facebook strategy, execute launch and manage content.
  • Handle education, foreign affairs, judiciary and natural resources issues; assist with appropriations requests.
  • Process FHA, VA and correspondent disclosures.
  • Gain knowledge of interviewing, photography, and newsworthiness.
  • Show more

Journalist vs correspondent skills

Common journalist skills
  • News Stories, 15%
  • Multimedia, 11%
  • Story Development, 11%
  • Local Community, 7%
  • Edit Video, 5%
  • Local News, 4%
Common correspondent skills
  • News Stories, 17%
  • News Coverage, 11%
  • Feature Stories, 7%
  • Instagram, 6%
  • Financial Statements, 6%
  • Develop Story Ideas, 4%

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