Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between news reporters and staff writers 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 staff writer. Additionally, a staff writer has an average salary of $44,844, 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 staff writer are feature stories, news stories, and event coverage.
| News Reporter | Staff Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $41,481 | $44,844 |
| Hourly rate | $19.94 | $21.56 |
| Growth rate | -10% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 11,609 | 80,547 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A staff writer is an individual who works in the television (TV) or entertainment industry to provide standard content such as news reports, reviews, and features. Since writing content is important, staff writers must be able to collaborate and brainstorm ideas with other staff members in the production process. They must attend conferences, events, or seminars to meet other people in the industry. Staff writers must also possess knowledge in scriptwriting and an in-depth understanding of the entertainment industry.
News reporters and staff writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| News Reporter | Staff Writer | |
| Average salary | $41,481 | $44,844 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $64,000 | Between $29,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Monitor Group | The New York Times Company |
| Best paying industry | Media | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a news reporter and a staff writer in terms of educational background:
| News Reporter | Staff Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | Journalism | Journalism |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between news reporters' and staff writers' demographics:
| News Reporter | Staff Writer | |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0% | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |