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The differences between reporters and content 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 reporter and a content writer. Additionally, a content writer has an average salary of $58,918, which is higher than the $46,667 average annual salary of a reporter.
The top three skills for a reporter include news stories, digital marketing and facebook. The most important skills for a content writer are digital marketing, wordpress, and web content.
| Reporter | Content Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $46,667 | $58,918 |
| Hourly rate | $22.44 | $28.33 |
| Growth rate | -10% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 11,179 | 19,621 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
In journalism, a reporter is responsible for relaying truthful and reliable information to the public audience through various mediums such as print and media. A reporter must ensure to gather necessary and factual data that are supported by interviews and comments of those involved, remain unbiased in all aspects, produce a concise and comprehensive informational material within an allotted time, and efficiently coordinate with every staff. Furthermore, a reporter must remain professional at all times and adhere to the policies and regulations set by the company or network.
The job of content writers is to create the best possible written or visual content ranging from blog posts to press releases. They produce the content for various types of websites, including social networks, news aggregators, and e-commerce sites. The job of content writers is not limited to writing, but also ensuring that the content connects or is relevant to the website pages. They are expected to set the tone of the website and revise the content upon customers' or clients' requests. They are also responsible for assisting in the creation of style guides.
Reporters and content writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Reporter | Content Writer | |
| Average salary | $46,667 | $58,918 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $73,000 | Between $40,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Citi | Cisco |
| Best paying industry | Media | Finance |
There are a few differences between a reporter and a content writer in terms of educational background:
| Reporter | Content Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Journalism | English |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between reporters' and content writers' demographics:
| Reporter | Content Writer | |
| Average age | 40 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2% | Male, 39.8% Female, 60.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 16% |