Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between political reporters and news writers 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 writer. Additionally, a political reporter has an average salary of $60,535, which is higher than the $45,129 average annual salary of a news writer.
The top three skills for a political reporter include facebook, news stories and state politics. The most important skills for a news writer are news articles, ABC, and SEO.
| Political Reporter | News Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $60,535 | $45,129 |
| Hourly rate | $29.10 | $21.70 |
| Growth rate | -10% | -10% |
| Number of jobs | 10,677 | 17,010 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
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.
Political reporters and news writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Political Reporter | News Writer | |
| Average salary | $60,535 | $45,129 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $95,000 | Between $31,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | PitchBook Data |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a political reporter and a news writer in terms of educational background:
| Political Reporter | News Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Journalism | Journalism |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between political reporters' and news writers' demographics:
| Political Reporter | News Writer | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.8% Female, 43.2% | Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |