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Political reporter vs news reporter

The differences between political reporters and news reporters 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 news reporter. Additionally, a political reporter has an average salary of $60,535, which is higher than the $41,481 average annual salary of a news reporter.

The top three skills for a political reporter include facebook, news stories and state politics. The most important skills for a news reporter are digital marketing, local community, and facebook.

Political reporter vs news reporter overview

Political ReporterNews Reporter
Yearly salary$60,535$41,481
Hourly rate$29.10$19.94
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs10,67711,609
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 81%Bachelor's Degree, 83%
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 news reporter do?

News Reporters collect and analyze facts about newsworthy events through interview, investigation, or observation. They carry cameras and take photos and video footage of objects or places of potential significance.

Political reporter vs news reporter salary

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

Political ReporterNews Reporter
Average salary$60,535$41,481
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $95,000Between $26,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-The Monitor Group
Best paying industry-Media

Differences between political reporter and news reporter education

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

Political ReporterNews Reporter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 81%Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Political reporter vs news reporter demographics

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

Political ReporterNews Reporter
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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.6% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between political reporter and news reporter 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.

News reporter example responsibilities.

  • Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
  • Conduct interviews, edit clips and stories, and announce stories/headlines on air.
  • Work with editors to deliver content in the appropriate style with an eye for SEO.
  • Operate digital recording equipment to film b-roll footage, interviews, and on camera reporting.
  • Drive online traffic through social networking, weaving SEO strategy into story copy, and frequent blogging.
  • Work independently gathering news stories, capturing audio sound clips for air, and writing news stories.
  • Show more

Political reporter vs news reporter skills

Common political reporter skills
  • Facebook, 17%
  • News Stories, 13%
  • State Politics, 8%
  • State Government, 7%
  • Presidential Election, 7%
  • Political News, 6%
Common news reporter skills
  • Digital Marketing, 13%
  • Local Community, 10%
  • Facebook, 6%
  • Twitter, 6%
  • Develop Story Ideas, 5%
  • Instagram, 4%

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