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.
News reporter responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real news reporter resumes:
- 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.
- Master the use of twitter and other social media tools to gather, analyze and distribute the news.
- Develop strategic media relationships with several news affiliate (CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN) staff members.
- Uphold professional relations, pitch new content ideas, edit TV scripts, and work hands on with high-tech video equipment.
- General assignment articles regarding Latino issues.
- Collaborate with designers on improvements using InDesign and DreamWeaver.
- Interview up and coming Latino artists which generate significant increase in readership.
- Remediat a compose minimum wage article into different media by creating a Facebook.
- Cooperate with metro reporters, graphic designers, and photojournalist to produce daily-base newspaper.
- Interview persons of interest, organize event calendars, write regular articles, provide consistent photography, and help paraphrase stock compilations
News reporter skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of News Reporters are proficient in Digital Marketing, Local Community, and Facebook. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Computer skills, and Persistence.
We break down the percentage of News Reporters that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Digital Marketing, 13%
Sell integrated campaigns including event marketing, media advertising, and digital marketing.
- Local Community, 10%
Assist in researching stories on campus and in the local community * Interviewed subjects via video tape recordings and edit news packages
- Facebook, 6%
Maintained the paper's Twitter and Facebook accounts on a daily basis, increasing the latter's audience by 292 percent.
- Twitter, 6%
Helped @HLpublicsafety, the newspaper s Twitter handle for breaking news, grow from 4,000 followers to more than 16,000.
- Develop Story Ideas, 5%
Evaluate and follow up on news leads and news tips to develop story ideas
- Instagram, 4%
Recognized by Missouri Broadcasters Association for O-Zone Instagram work with a 2017 Social Media Star award (runner-up).
"digital marketing," "local community," and "facebook" are among the most common skills that news reporters use at work. You can find even more news reporter responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a news reporter to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what news reporters do because "reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts must be able to report the news." Additionally, a news reporter resume shows how news reporters use communication skills: "conducted a risk assessment, created tabletop exercises and communication documents such as press releases and spokesperson talking points. "
Computer skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling news reporter duties is computer skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "journalists should be able to use editing equipment and other broadcast-related devices." According to a news reporter resume, here's how news reporters can utilize computer skills in their job responsibilities: "produced and reported news stories using broadcasting equipment and newsroom computer systems. "
Persistence. This is an important skill for news reporters to perform their duties. For an example of how news reporter responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "sometimes, getting the facts of a story is difficult, particularly when those involved refuse to be interviewed or to provide comment." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a news reporter: "secured news coverage access through persistence using community contacts. ".
The three companies that hire the most news reporters are:
- Gannett58 news reporters jobs
- Nexstar Media Group26 news reporters jobs
- Gray Television25 news reporters jobs
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News reporter vs. Journalist
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.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between news reporters and journalist. For instance, news reporter responsibilities require skills such as "digital marketing," "edit news stories," "general news," and "local government." Whereas a journalist is skilled in "news stories," "excellent interpersonal," "multimedia," and "edit video." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Journalists really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $64,488. Comparatively, news reporters tend to make the most money in the media industry with an average salary of $41,958.The education levels that journalists earn slightly differ from news reporters. In particular, journalists are 5.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a news reporter. Additionally, they're 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.News reporter vs. Production editor
A production editor is responsible for checking publication materials before printing and distribution to ensure error-free and accurate content. Production editors must have excellent writing communication skills to perform editing and proofreading of materials efficiently, following strict requirements of publication deadlines. They also verify the resources of content, as well as identifying highly requested feature opportunities by coordinating with writers and other industry personalities. A production editor negotiates contract offers for writers, provides feedback reviews, and facilitates brainstorming sessions.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real news reporter resumes. While news reporter responsibilities can utilize skills like "digital marketing," "local community," "facebook," and "twitter," production editors use skills like "proofreading," "editorial production," "production process," and "production schedules."
Production editors earn a higher average salary than news reporters. But production editors earn the highest pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $61,163. Additionally, news reporters earn the highest salaries in the media with average pay of $41,958 annually.production editors earn similar levels of education than news reporters in general. They're 3.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for news reporters in the next 3-5 years?
Associate Professor of Journalism; Director of Internship Program, Rider University
News reporter vs. Editor
An editor is the one responsible for polishing and refining a story, article, and any material for publication in newspapers, magazines, books, or websites. Editors have the power to either accept or reject a material as they need to ensure that every manuscript which will be offered for publishing is at the best version as it can be. There are several types of editors, from copy editors, books to managing editors, but they have few skills in common, like strong writing skills, good judgment, and leadership abilities to help guide the whole editorial team. Most of them work in the office, but it is quite becoming more regular for them to work remotely.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a news reporter is likely to be skilled in "digital marketing," "local community," "develop story ideas," and "social media sites," while a typical editor is skilled in "web content," "video content," "editor-in-chief," and "edit articles."
Editors earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $62,170. News reporters earn the highest pay from the media industry, with an average salary of $41,958.Most editors achieve a similar degree level compared to news reporters. For example, they're 4.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.News reporter vs. Anchor
A news anchor is a journalist who informs the public through reports of events and news stories. News anchors educate the public about the world, local, and national events. They interact with the reporters while they are in the air. Their job includes gathering, verifying, and analyzing data from different sources. They produce news and coordinate reports. Skills necessary for this job include verbal communication, the ability to improvise, collaboration, and reading comprehension.
Types of news reporter
Updated January 8, 2025











