How to hire a political reporter

How to hire a political reporter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step political reporter hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a political reporter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new political reporter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The political reporter hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A political reporter's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, political reporters from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents political reporter salaries for various positions.

   Type of Political Reporter	Description	Hourly rate
   Political Reporter	Reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts inform the public about news and events happening internationally, nationally, and locally. They report the news for newspapers, magazines, websites, television, and radio.	$18-45
   Video Journalist	Video journalists make videos conveying the news and factual stories for the audiences. Their day-to-day duties may vary but typically include editing, researching, and reporting, developing and planning live or taped video segments, and compiling data from various sources... Show more	$19-53
   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... Show more	$19-57

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Facebook
   • News Stories
   • State Politics
   • State Government
   • Presidential Election
   • Political News
   • Newspapers
   • News Articles
   • Policy Issues
   • Investigative Journalism
   • Campaign Finance
   • Multimedia Content
   • Political Stories
   • Local Government

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
   • Cooperate with metro reporters, graphic designers, and photojournalist to produce daily-base newspaper.
   • Interview up and coming Latino artists which generate significant increase in readership.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your political reporter job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A political reporter salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, political reporters' average salary in hawaii is 44% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level political reporters earn 60% less than senior-level political reporters.
   • Certifications. A political reporter with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a political reporter's salary.

   Average political reporter salary

   $60,535yearly

   $29.10 hourly rate

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   Entry-level political reporter salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

4. Writing a political reporter job description

   A good political reporter job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a political reporter job description:

   Political reporter job description example

   State politics has long defined policies close to home, from educational standards to taxes and infrastructure. Increasingly, state lawmakers are making national news as legislation rapidly moves from one state to another.
   
   The Hill, a division of Nexstar Media Group, seeks a state political reporter to spot statehouse trends across all 50 states and join our growing news team as we work to be more relevant to more Americans.
   
   This is a remote, work-from-home position. You need not live in the Washington, D.C., area. Any person in this position will be represented by the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, Communications Workers of America Local 32035, AFL-CIO.
   About the role
   The Hill's state politics reporter will pay close attention to state lawmakers and legislative bodies to report on emerging trends, noteworthy figures and developments of interest to a national audience.
   Opportunities exist for fast-turn daily stories as well as deeper enterprise coverage. The right candidate will collaborate with The Hill's expert team of reporters covering politics and policy to pair their coverage of state politics to happenings in D.C.'s political climate and national events.
   
   Skills and qualifications
   Ideal candidates will bring prior experience covering politics at the state or national level and a track record of both fast and unique, thought provoking enterprise journalism. A degree in journalism or related field is required, and previous reporting experience in a metro or national media environment is preferred.
   Candidates should have good instincts for understanding what angles make for a strong story. This person is as comfortable turning fast stories on lightning rod candidates or off-the-cuff remarks from state politicians as they are examining themes connecting state laws.
   Please upload your materials with as much of the following as possible: your updated resume, a brief cover letter explaining your interest and fit for the position, and your portfolio/clips or links to a few samples of your work. Completing these steps will ensure that you receive the highest consideration. Compensation ranges from $60-$80k per year + commensurate with experience and skill level.Benefits include medical, dental, vision, Life Insurance, and 401K with company match.
   
   About The Hill
   Established in 1994, The Hill is the country's definitive digital source for non-partisan political news and information. Inside the Beltway, it's known as an essential, agenda-setting read for lawmakers and influencers. Beyond the Capitol, The Hill's trusted content is shared more often on social media than any other political news brand in America.
   Our properties include TheHill.com, reaching a monthly audience of 41M; Hill.TV, the largest independent video platform within the Beltway with 1.4B annual views; The Hill's print edition, one of the most influential sources for law and policy makers; Elevate Studios, creating breakthrough branded content offerings for leading marketers; and The Hill Events, which hosted 70 virtual events last year, featuring 92 Members of Congress and 88 industry leaders in meaningful policy discussions. #LI-Remote

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right political reporter for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your political reporter job on Zippia to find and recruit political reporter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit political reporters, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new political reporter

   Once you've found the political reporter candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new political reporter first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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