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The differences between news reporters and technical 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 technical writer. Additionally, a technical writer has an average salary of $65,329, 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 technical writer are technical documentation, subject matter experts, and powerpoint.
| News Reporter | Technical Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $41,481 | $65,329 |
| Hourly rate | $19.94 | $31.41 |
| Growth rate | -10% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 11,609 | 75,090 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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.
Technical Writers specialize in producing easy-to-understand instructional or informational written materials, such as media and journal articles, assessments and guidelines, and legal forms of documentation. For Technical Writers to develop well-versed content, one must conduct thorough research on the topic or idea to ensure factual legitimacy and communicate with those whose expertise aligns with the subject. Aside from producing, Technical Writers can also improve or convert complex written materials such as operating manuals or documents into one that can be easily understood by the general public.
News reporters and technical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| News Reporter | Technical Writer | |
| Average salary | $41,481 | $65,329 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $64,000 | Between $48,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | The Monitor Group | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Media | Finance |
There are a few differences between a news reporter and a technical writer in terms of educational background:
| News Reporter | Technical Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Journalism | English |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Houston |
Here are the differences between news reporters' and technical writers' demographics:
| News Reporter | Technical Writer | |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0% | Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3% |
| 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, 6.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |