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Staff editor vs staff writer

The differences between staff editors and staff writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a staff editor, becoming a staff writer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a staff editor has an average salary of $110,850, which is higher than the $44,844 average annual salary of a staff writer.

The top three skills for a staff editor include art directors, SEO and HTML. The most important skills for a staff writer are feature stories, news stories, and event coverage.

Staff editor vs staff writer overview

Staff EditorStaff Writer
Yearly salary$110,850$44,844
Hourly rate$53.29$21.56
Growth rate-5%6%
Number of jobs79,30580,547
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age4446
Years of experience42

What does a staff editor do?

A staff editor is responsible for performing research and uncovering newsworthy stories. They also maintain notes in written or electronic form. They write content and contribute to content idea generation for their publication. They keep up with local, national, and international affairs so that they can write something about the issues. They must have a bachelor's degree in journalism or mass communications.

What does a staff writer do?

A staff writer is an individual who works in the television (TV) or entertainment industry to provide standard content such as news reports, reviews, and features. Since writing content is important, staff writers must be able to collaborate and brainstorm ideas with other staff members in the production process. They must attend conferences, events, or seminars to meet other people in the industry. Staff writers must also possess knowledge in scriptwriting and an in-depth understanding of the entertainment industry.

Staff editor vs staff writer salary

Staff editors and staff writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Staff EditorStaff Writer
Average salary$110,850$44,844
Salary rangeBetween $75,000 And $161,000Between $29,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-The New York Times Company
Best paying industry-Non Profits

Differences between staff editor and staff writer education

There are a few differences between a staff editor and a staff writer in terms of educational background:

Staff EditorStaff Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common majorEnglishJournalism
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Staff editor vs staff writer demographics

Here are the differences between staff editors' and staff writers' demographics:

Staff EditorStaff Writer
Average age4446
Gender ratioMale, 50.2% Female, 49.8%Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage12%11%

Differences between staff editor and staff writer duties and responsibilities

Staff editor example responsibilities.

  • Manage campaign performance through data analysis and reporting, with actionable takeaways per designate KPI.
  • Read through and rate short fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry submissions from students.
  • Leverage meticulous attention to detail in technical editing and proofreading all content from project inception to completion.
  • Analyze FrameMaker source document and provide feedback to XML architects to improve accuracy of conversion.

Staff writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage magazine's transition to a new CMS system.
  • Manage website by uploading and scheduling articles, fixing errors, proofreading, optimizing for SEO, and polishing content.
  • Manage arts and entertainment editorial calendar, assign stories to multiple freelancers and plan daily coverage.
  • Assist with copywriting, magazine and advertisement layout.
  • Research, verify facts and edit all contributor submissions.
  • Create unique columns commentating on the social state of hockey and the NHL.
  • Show more

Staff editor vs staff writer skills

Common staff editor skills
  • Art Directors, 29%
  • SEO, 10%
  • HTML, 9%
  • CMS, 6%
  • Web Content, 6%
  • Music Videos, 4%
Common staff writer skills
  • Feature Stories, 9%
  • News Stories, 8%
  • Event Coverage, 7%
  • News Articles, 7%
  • SEO, 6%
  • Photography, 6%

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