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News writer vs sports editor

The differences between news writers and sports 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 a sports editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a sports editor has an average salary of $50,996, 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 sports editor are sports coverage, adobe indesign, and news stories.

News writer vs sports editor overview

News WriterSports Editor
Yearly salary$45,129$50,996
Hourly rate$21.70$24.52
Growth rate-10%-5%
Number of jobs17,0105,845
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 81%Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Average age4044
Years of experience24

What does a news writer do?

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.

What does a sports editor do?

A Sports Editor is responsible for writing and editing sports and sports accessories. They assist reporters in writing and improving their work.

News writer vs sports editor salary

News writers and sports editors have different pay scales, as shown below.

News WriterSports Editor
Average salary$45,129$50,996
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $64,000Between $33,000 And $77,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NY-
Highest paying stateNew York-
Best paying companyPitchBook Data-
Best paying industryTechnology-

Differences between news writer and sports editor education

There are a few differences between a news writer and a sports editor in terms of educational background:

News WriterSports Editor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 81%Bachelor's Degree, 85%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyNorthwestern University

News writer vs sports editor demographics

Here are the differences between news writers' and sports editors' demographics:

News WriterSports Editor
Average age4044
Gender ratioMale, 45.1% Female, 54.9%Male, 85.2% Female, 14.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 3.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 76.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%12%

Differences between news writer and sports editor duties and responsibilities

News writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage transcription and queuing of b-roll tapes/interviews for live and pre-record broadcasts.
  • Manage the Instagram account, which mean publishing and keeping up to date with the articles.
  • Anchor news updates for top-rate, personality driven FM morning show.
  • Conduct interviews and create professional visuals with upcoming model and entertainers for lifestyle magazine publication.
  • Involve in newsgathering, show development and writing.
  • Used Photoshop and InDesign to adjust photos and paginate the newspaper.
  • Show more

Sports editor example responsibilities.

  • Achieve a strong visible social media presence to 9,000 plus followers on affiliate GameTimePA twitter.
  • Achieve worldwide coverage with one particular article criticizing racism in soccer.
  • Proofread and copy-edite all stories in sports section.
  • Use Facebook insights to measure audience engagement and health of posts.
  • Run twitter account during basketball and football games, updating scores periodically.
  • Beat writer for the UK women's basketball team and UK women's volleyball team.
  • Show more

News writer vs sports editor skills

Common news writer skills
  • News Articles, 17%
  • ABC, 7%
  • SEO, 6%
  • Edit Video, 6%
  • Control Room, 5%
  • Twitter, 5%
Common sports editor skills
  • Sports Coverage, 11%
  • Adobe Indesign, 8%
  • News Stories, 5%
  • Feature Stories, 5%
  • Editorial Content, 5%
  • Twitter, 5%

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