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News reporter vs sports reporter

The differences between news reporters and sports reporters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a news reporter and a sports reporter. Additionally, a sports reporter has an average salary of $96,119, which is higher than the $41,481 average annual salary of a news reporter.

The top three skills for a news reporter include digital marketing, local community and facebook. The most important skills for a sports reporter are twitter, facebook, and feature stories.

News reporter vs sports reporter overview

News ReporterSports Reporter
Yearly salary$41,481$96,119
Hourly rate$19.94$46.21
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs11,6094,296
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

What does a news reporter do?

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.

What does a sports reporter do?

Sports Reporters gather appropriate information for writing and sharing sports news. They attend sporting events and interview sports personalities, such as athletes and coaches.

News reporter vs sports reporter salary

News reporters and sports reporters have different pay scales, as shown below.

News ReporterSports Reporter
Average salary$41,481$96,119
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $64,000Between $67,000 And $136,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NY-
Highest paying stateNew York-
Best paying companyThe Monitor Group-
Best paying industryMedia-

Differences between news reporter and sports reporter education

There are a few differences between a news reporter and a sports reporter in terms of educational background:

News ReporterSports Reporter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

News reporter vs sports reporter demographics

Here are the differences between news reporters' and sports reporters' demographics:

News ReporterSports Reporter
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 45.0% Female, 55.0%Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 8.5% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between news reporter and sports reporter duties and responsibilities

News reporter example responsibilities.

  • Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
  • Conduct interviews, edit clips and stories, and announce stories/headlines on air.
  • Work with editors to deliver content in the appropriate style with an eye for SEO.
  • Operate digital recording equipment to film b-roll footage, interviews, and on camera reporting.
  • Drive online traffic through social networking, weaving SEO strategy into story copy, and frequent blogging.
  • Work independently gathering news stories, capturing audio sound clips for air, and writing news stories.
  • Show more

Sports reporter example responsibilities.

  • Manage the day-to-day production of the Olympics section as needed.
  • Assist with play-by-play commentary for local high school sports including: football, soccer, volleyball, baseball, and basketball.
  • Cover games for the men's ice hockey and basketball teams, as well as, the women's soccer team.
  • Earn repeated commendations for excellence in writing, reporting, photojournalism and infographics.
  • Produce yearly 30-minute football shows for state championship teams.
  • Host of Voces del Deporte & Almuerzo Deportivo daily radio programs on ESPN Deportes Miami.
  • Show more

News reporter vs sports reporter skills

Common news reporter skills
  • Digital Marketing, 13%
  • Local Community, 10%
  • Facebook, 6%
  • Twitter, 6%
  • Develop Story Ideas, 5%
  • Instagram, 4%
Common sports reporter skills
  • Twitter, 7%
  • Facebook, 7%
  • Feature Stories, 6%
  • Sports Coverage, 6%
  • Sports Stories, 6%
  • News Stories, 5%

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