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Sports reporter vs news writer

The differences between sports 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 sports reporter and a news writer. Additionally, a sports reporter has an average salary of $96,119, which is higher than the $45,129 average annual salary of a news writer.

The top three skills for a sports reporter include twitter, facebook and feature stories. The most important skills for a news writer are news articles, ABC, and SEO.

Sports reporter vs news writer overview

Sports ReporterNews Writer
Yearly salary$96,119$45,129
Hourly rate$46.21$21.70
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs4,29617,010
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 87%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

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.

What does a news writer do?

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.

Sports reporter vs news writer salary

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

Sports ReporterNews Writer
Average salary$96,119$45,129
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $136,000Between $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

Differences between sports reporter and news writer education

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

Sports ReporterNews Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 87%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Sports reporter vs news writer demographics

Here are the differences between sports reporters' and news writers' demographics:

Sports ReporterNews Writer
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 79.1% Female, 20.9%Male, 45.1% Female, 54.9%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage10%10%

Differences between sports reporter and news writer duties and responsibilities

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

News writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage transcription and queuing of b-roll tapes/interviews for live and pre-record broadcasts.
  • Manage the Instagram account, which mean publishing and keeping up to date with the articles.
  • Anchor news updates for top-rate, personality driven FM morning show.
  • Conduct interviews and create professional visuals with upcoming model and entertainers for lifestyle magazine publication.
  • Involve in newsgathering, show development and writing.
  • Used Photoshop and InDesign to adjust photos and paginate the newspaper.
  • Show more

Sports reporter vs news writer skills

Common sports reporter skills
  • Twitter, 7%
  • Facebook, 7%
  • Feature Stories, 6%
  • Sports Coverage, 6%
  • Sports Stories, 6%
  • News Stories, 5%
Common news writer skills
  • News Articles, 17%
  • ABC, 7%
  • SEO, 6%
  • Edit Video, 6%
  • Control Room, 5%
  • Twitter, 5%

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