How to hire a reporter

How to hire a reporter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step 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 reporter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new reporter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a reporter do?

Post a reporter job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a reporter, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect reporter also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of reporters.

   Type of Reporter	Description	Hourly rate
   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.	$13-35
   Production Editor	A production editor is responsible for checking publication materials before printing and distribution to ensure error-free and accurate content. Production editors must have excellent writing communication skills to perform editing and proofreading of materials efficiently, following strict requirements of publication deadlines... Show more	$19-32
   Managing Editor	Managing editors are individuals who coordinate and oversee the editorial activities of a publication. They administer the daily operations or a website or publication, such as generating ideas and planning and editing content... Show more	$28-63

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • News Stories
   • Digital Marketing
   • Facebook
   • Twitter
   • Photography
   • Feature Stories
   • Instagram
   • News Coverage
   • Video Packages
   • Develop Story Ideas
   • Scoops
   • Local News
   • SEO
   • Conduct Interviews

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
   • Edit and revise press releases and submissions; proofread large amount of copy.
   • Use social media (i.e Twitter, Facebook) to relay 'trouble-spots' to local drivers.
   • Cover NFL, MLB, NBA, NASCAR and general sports news events for as Dallas-based free-lance reporter.
   • Report and write for metro, arts, lifestyle, real estate, and regional sections of major daily newspaper.
   • Cover local government, environmental issues and write features in addition to photography and pagination for twice-weekly newspaper.

   More reporter duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your reporter job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A reporter can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, reporters' average salary in alaska is 50% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level reporters 60% less than senior-level reporters.
   • Certifications. A reporter with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a reporter's salary.

   Average reporter salary

   $46,667yearly

   $22.44 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level reporter salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 1, 2026

   Average reporter salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$60,032	$29
   2	New Jersey	$57,629	$28
   3	New York	$53,698	$26
   4	Maryland	$53,216	$26
   5	Delaware	$49,929	$24
   6	California	$48,251	$23
   7	Virginia	$47,798	$23
   8	North Carolina	$47,304	$23
   9	Connecticut	$46,695	$22
   10	Illinois	$45,499	$22
   11	Florida	$45,226	$22
   12	Pennsylvania	$45,064	$22
   13	Arizona	$43,702	$21
   14	Massachusetts	$43,028	$21
   15	Washington	$41,841	$20
   16	Indiana	$41,503	$20
   17	Georgia	$41,154	$20
   18	Wisconsin	$41,075	$20
   19	Missouri	$40,124	$19
   20	Texas	$39,551	$19

   Average reporter salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Citi	$103,092	$49.56
   2	Credit Suisse	$103,022	$49.53
   3	The New York Times Company	$99,883	$48.02	62
   4	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$99,769	$47.97	11
   5	Bloomberg	$99,681	$47.92	12
   6	Law360	$94,410	$45.39	1
   7	The Washington Post	$93,214	$44.81	2
   8	Vox Media	$92,197	$44.33	11
   9	Millbrook School	$88,160	$42.38
   10	Altice USA	$87,926	$42.27	3
   11	MUFG EMEA	$87,376	$42.01
   12	The Free Press	$87,082	$41.87	2
   13	CVS Health	$87,074	$41.86
   14	Udemy	$86,853	$41.76
   15	MarketWatch	$86,816	$41.74
   16	Business Insider	$85,734	$41.22	2
   17	Fox News	$85,713	$41.21
   18	Thomson Reuters	$85,471	$41.09
   19	The Boston Globe	$85,170	$40.95	1
   20	Chicago Sun-Times	$84,561	$40.65	1

4. Writing a reporter job description

   A job description for a reporter role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a reporter job description:

   Reporter job description example

   Education is a key driver of economic mobility everywhere, and especially in the Central Valley, where the gap between rich and poor families is growing even faster than it is in the rest of the state.
   
   How do we change this trajectory and quicken the pace of advancement in educational outcomes? Answering these and related questions is at the center of The Modesto Bee's Economic Mobility Lab Project and its mission to provide revealing, solutions-oriented journalism.
   
   As an education reporter, you will be part of a team that covers education, equity and housing/economic development. You will work closely with an editor, and be active in community engagement. You also will have the opportunity to work with other journalists both in our newsroom and across McClatchy.
   
   Education is not covering school events and test scores, though that can be part of what we do. It's diving into the issues surrounding one of the most important drivers of economic success for a region. The Economic Mobility Project's content will go deep; it is not a breaking news assignment (though we will write stories that should be told immediately).
   
   There are 25 school districts in Stanislaus County, and we primarily watch the largest half-dozen. The biggest district is Modesto City Schools, with an enrollment of about 30,000 students and seven high schools.
   
   Issues we have been covering recently range from the cancelation of a high school play due to its mature content, school boards that have had members sue each other and reschedule meetings over the heightened emotions around the state's mask mandate, and districts seeing enrollment drop in some areas while others are on the brink of being overwhelmed with new development.
   
   It's an exciting time to be covering education in Modesto, a city of 212,000 in a region of a half-million people. We are located in the heart of the Northern San Joaquin Valley, in an area offering an abundance of outdoor recreation while only 90 minutes from the Bay Area.
   Requirements:
   At least 1 year of full-time reporting experience Strong writing and reporting skills, with excellent news judgment Ability to use social media platforms to reach and engage with audiences Command of storytelling using a variety of tools and platforms, including capturing and editing video Strong interpersonal skills, including empathy and the ability to take and give constructive criticism Demonstrated comfort in a job that will be fast-paced, data-driven, shaped constantly by feedback and experimentation Must have reliable transportation. Must have valid driver's license and vehicle insurance required (at least minimum insurance required for the state in which the employee works)
   
   #LI-JC1 McClatchy is committed to providing equal employment opportunity (EEO) for all applicants and employees. McClatchy considers all candidates without regard to basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, ancestry, medical condition, family care status, pregnancy or physical disability (except where physical fitness is a valid occupational qualification), or any other basis protected by state and federal laws.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right 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 reporter job on Zippia to find and recruit reporter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 reporter

   Once you've selected the best reporter candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new reporter. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a reporter?