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Political reporter vs correspondent

The differences between political reporters and correspondents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a political reporter and a correspondent. Additionally, a correspondent has an average salary of $82,217, which is higher than the $60,535 average annual salary of a political reporter.

The top three skills for a political reporter include facebook, news stories and state politics. The most important skills for a correspondent are news stories, news coverage, and feature stories.

Political reporter vs correspondent overview

Political ReporterCorrespondent
Yearly salary$60,535$82,217
Hourly rate$29.10$39.53
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs10,6772,835
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 81%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

What does a political reporter do?

Political reporters must have knowledge of media production, communication skills, strong attention to detail, the ability to accept criticism, the ability to work well under pressure, and strong ambition. In addition, those seeking this career must have a bachelor's degree in journalism or communication. Political reporters provide voters with information to formulate their own opinions on community, local, or national matters.

What does a correspondent do?

A Correspondent is the backbone of every news agency today. It is through the correspondent experts write the news of a particular topic. Through Correspondents, a news agency can get an in-depth report of happenings and events which may not be possible through ordinary reporters. Correspondents are expected to have versatility and command on a particular topic. They are resourceful in finding newsworthy articles and getting the necessary interviews and data for a well-balanced informative report.

Political reporter vs correspondent salary

Political reporters and correspondents have different pay scales, as shown below.

Political ReporterCorrespondent
Average salary$60,535$82,217
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $95,000Between $50,000 And $134,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-American Broadcasting Company
Best paying industry-Media

Differences between political reporter and correspondent education

There are a few differences between a political reporter and a correspondent in terms of educational background:

Political ReporterCorrespondent
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 81%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyNorthwestern University

Political reporter vs correspondent demographics

Here are the differences between political reporters' and correspondents' demographics:

Political ReporterCorrespondent
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 56.8% Female, 43.2%Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.7% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between political reporter and correspondent duties and responsibilities

Political reporter example 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.

Correspondent example responsibilities.

  • Lead reporting in Mongolia, representing AFP's regional headquarters in Beijing.
  • Manage constituent relations regarding financial services, housing, budget, judiciary, homeland security, and government oversight issues.
  • Develop Facebook strategy, execute launch and manage content.
  • Handle education, foreign affairs, judiciary and natural resources issues; assist with appropriations requests.
  • Process FHA, VA and correspondent disclosures.
  • Gain knowledge of interviewing, photography, and newsworthiness.
  • Show more

Political reporter vs correspondent skills

Common political reporter skills
  • Facebook, 17%
  • News Stories, 13%
  • State Politics, 8%
  • State Government, 7%
  • Presidential Election, 7%
  • Political News, 6%
Common correspondent skills
  • News Stories, 17%
  • News Coverage, 11%
  • Feature Stories, 7%
  • Instagram, 6%
  • Financial Statements, 6%
  • Develop Story Ideas, 4%

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