Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between news writers and assistant 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 news writer, becoming an assistant editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an assistant editor has an average salary of $52,284, which is higher than the $45,129 average annual salary of a news writer.
The top three skills for a news writer include news articles, ABC and SEO. The most important skills for an assistant editor are editorial content, video footage, and web content.
| News Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $45,129 | $52,284 |
| Hourly rate | $21.70 | $25.14 |
| Growth rate | -10% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 17,010 | 8,716 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A news writer is primarily responsible for producing informative written materials about current events, ensuring quality and accuracy. Their responsibilities typically revolve around conducting interviews, traveling to different locations, pursuing leads, researching public records, and submitting stories within the expected deadline and set format. Typically working for newspapers or web news platforms, a news writer must also review materials to fact-check and correct any errors, monitor the progress of events or cases, and coordinate with other staff.
An assistant editor is an individual responsible for assisting an editor-in-chief or editor-at-large of a newspaper, magazine, radio program, or website. Assistant editors hold meetings with staff and freelance writers to discuss new, fresh and original content for projects on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. They review assignments handed in by writers or reporters for sense, accuracy, readability, and content. Assistant editors must also utilize new media applications such as Twitter and Facebook to draw attention to an article or cause.
News writers and assistant editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| News Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Average salary | $45,129 | $52,284 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $64,000 | Between $34,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Huntington, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | PitchBook Data | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Media |
There are a few differences between a news writer and an assistant editor in terms of educational background:
| News Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Journalism | English |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between news writers' and assistant editors' demographics:
| News Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9% | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 12% |