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Political reporter vs sports reporter

The differences between political reporters and sports 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 sports reporter. Additionally, a sports reporter has an average salary of $96,119, 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 sports reporter are twitter, facebook, and feature stories.

Political reporter vs sports reporter overview

Political ReporterSports Reporter
Yearly salary$60,535$96,119
Hourly rate$29.10$46.21
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs10,6774,296
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 81%Bachelor's Degree, 87%
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 sports reporter do?

Sports Reporters gather appropriate information for writing and sharing sports news. They attend sporting events and interview sports personalities, such as athletes and coaches.

Political reporter vs sports reporter salary

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

Political ReporterSports Reporter
Average salary$60,535$96,119
Salary rangeBetween $38,000 And $95,000Between $67,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between political reporter and sports reporter education

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

Political ReporterSports Reporter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 81%Bachelor's Degree, 87%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Political reporter vs sports reporter demographics

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

Political ReporterSports Reporter
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 56.8% Female, 43.2%Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%
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, 6.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 8.5% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between political reporter and sports 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.

Sports reporter example responsibilities.

  • Manage the day-to-day production of the Olympics section as needed.
  • Assist with play-by-play commentary for local high school sports including: football, soccer, volleyball, baseball, and basketball.
  • Cover games for the men's ice hockey and basketball teams, as well as, the women's soccer team.
  • Earn repeated commendations for excellence in writing, reporting, photojournalism and infographics.
  • Produce yearly 30-minute football shows for state championship teams.
  • Host of Voces del Deporte & Almuerzo Deportivo daily radio programs on ESPN Deportes Miami.
  • Show more

Political reporter vs sports reporter skills

Common political reporter skills
  • Facebook, 17%
  • News Stories, 13%
  • State Politics, 8%
  • State Government, 7%
  • Presidential Election, 7%
  • Political News, 6%
Common sports reporter skills
  • Twitter, 7%
  • Facebook, 7%
  • Feature Stories, 6%
  • Sports Coverage, 6%
  • Sports Stories, 6%
  • News Stories, 5%

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