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The differences between journalists and social media editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a journalist, becoming a social media editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a journalist has an average salary of $60,828, which is higher than the $53,943 average annual salary of a social media editor.
The top three skills for a journalist include news stories, multimedia and story development. The most important skills for a social media editor are instagram, facebook, and twitter.
| Journalist | Social Media Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $60,828 | $53,943 |
| Hourly rate | $29.24 | $25.93 |
| Growth rate | -10% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 11,488 | 37,769 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
A social media editor is in charge of handling and maintaining the social media platforms of a company or brand, ensuring to produce and develop engaging content for a target audience. Their responsibilities often revolve around editing relevant content for posting, engaging with clients professionally and promptly, and addressing issues and concerns, resolving them according to a set of given responses. One must also coordinate with graphic designers and other writers, devise strategies to identify marketing opportunities, develop online campaigns, and keep abreast of the latest trends.
Journalists and social media editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Journalist | Social Media Editor | |
| Average salary | $60,828 | $53,943 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $95,000 | Between $40,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Stamford, CT |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Bloomberg | RE/MAX Realty One |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a journalist and a social media editor in terms of educational background:
| Journalist | Social Media Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Journalism | Communication |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between journalists' and social media editors' demographics:
| Journalist | Social Media Editor | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4% | Male, 41.2% Female, 58.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 3.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 12% |