How To Become A Staff Reporter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a staff reporter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Aaron Moore Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a staff reporter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.59 an hour? That's $44,906 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -10% and produce -5,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a staff reporter?

Aaron Moore Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Journalism; Director of Internship Program, Rider University

The journalism field has changed dramatically - and not really for the best. With that said, those beginning in the area need to have a strong social media presence. They need to be able to tell editors they can attract eyeballs to any of their work or content. Before beginners start looking for a journalism job, cultivate a social media presence.

ScoreStaff ReporterUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $44,906

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate -10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 9.73%

Black or African American 6.43%

Hispanic or Latino 12.75%

Unknown 4.40%

White 66.40%

Gender

female 55.58%

male 44.42%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.1

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.1

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a staff reporter

Explore staff reporter education requirements

Most common staff reporter degrees

Bachelor's

80.9 %

Master's

7.8 %

Associate

7.5 %

Start to develop specific staff reporter skills

Skills	Percentages
News Stories	14.12%
Event Coverage	12.36%
Feature Stories	12.22%
News Articles	5.96%
Conduct Interviews	3.46%

Complete relevant staff reporter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New staff reporters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a staff reporter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real staff reporter resumes.

Research staff reporter duties and responsibilities

Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
Utilize photography skills and assist editor with operations.
Perform copy editing, publicity and photography as needed.
Create multiple PL/SQL store procedures for generating daily and monthly reports for different medical requirements.

Prepare your staff reporter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your staff reporter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a staff reporter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable staff reporter resume templates

Build a professional staff reporter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your staff reporter resume.

Apply for staff reporter jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a staff reporter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do staff reporters rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Staff reporter reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Cons

Things get slow during the holidays. Staff reporters resent stringers.

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019