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The differences between news writers and journalists 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 writer and a journalist. Additionally, a journalist has an average salary of $60,828, 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 a journalist are news stories, multimedia, and story development.
| News Writer | Journalist | |
| Yearly salary | $45,129 | $60,828 |
| Hourly rate | $21.70 | $29.24 |
| Growth rate | -10% | -10% |
| Number of jobs | 17,010 | 11,488 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
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.
News writers and journalists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| News Writer | Journalist | |
| Average salary | $45,129 | $60,828 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $64,000 | Between $38,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | PitchBook Data | Bloomberg |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a news writer and a journalist in terms of educational background:
| News Writer | Journalist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Journalism | Journalism |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between news writers' and journalists' demographics:
| News Writer | Journalist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9% | Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4% |
| 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, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.6% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |