What does a writer/reporter do?
Writer/reporter responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real writer/reporter resumes:
- Manage a team of RFP writers and work with a cross-functional team to meet RFP requirements and establish deadlines.
- Used SEO to target key readerships.
- Headline writing adjust for social networking and SEO.
- Edit and proofread self-written articles and articles of colleagues.
- Market articles on social media like Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn to continue audience growth.
- Edit and proofread articles, photography, do advertising and marketing, close sales for advertising.
- Have written pieces as diverse as profiles, editorials, news dispatches for daily papers, and magazine length analysis.
- Interview persons of interest, organize event calendars, write regular articles, provide consistent photography, and help paraphrase stock compilations
- Refresh content on various movie sections and promote content via social media and update the site data through in-house CMS.
- Interview up and coming Latino artists which generate significant increase in readership.
Writer/reporter skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Writer/Reporters are proficient in News Stories, Feature Stories, and News Articles. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Computer skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Writer/Reporters that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- News Stories, 14%
Handled breaking news stories such as the firing and hiring of coaches, as well as player arrests and suspensions.
- Feature Stories, 8%
Contributed feature stories profiling thoroughbred owners and other industry participants.
- News Articles, 6%
Researched, assembled and edited news articles for publication in university newspaper.
- Web Services, 5%
Developed SOAP web services, concur expense management using EIB and Workday Report Writer.
- Conduct Interviews, 5%
Conduct interviews and write articles covering local businesses and community events.
- Press Releases, 5%
Translated and copy edited tons of press releases sent in by clients to be included in special reports.
"news stories," "feature stories," and "news articles" are among the most common skills that writer/reporters use at work. You can find even more writer/reporter responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a writer/reporter to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts must be able to report the news." Writer/reporters often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "reported area crime and compiled police blotters through communications with city, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. "
Computer skills. Many writer/reporter duties rely on computer skills. "journalists should be able to use editing equipment and other broadcast-related devices," so a writer/reporter will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways writer/reporter responsibilities rely on computer skills: "helped company research various computer programs and peripherals for taking screenshots of various video game systems. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of writer/reporters is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday writer/reporter duties, as "to develop contacts and conduct interviews, reporters need to build good relationships with many people." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "possessed a strong level of interpersonal skills in order to conduct interviews within a diverse group of individuals. "
The three companies that hire the most writer/reporters are:
- SAIC3 writer/reporters jobs
- Future3 writer/reporters jobs
- Dow Jones2 writer/reporters jobs
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Compare different writer/reporters
Writer/reporter vs. Columnist
A news anchor is a journalist who informs the public through reports of events and news stories. News anchors educate the public about the world, local, and national events. They interact with the reporters while they are in the air. Their job includes gathering, verifying, and analyzing data from different sources. They produce news and coordinate reports. Skills necessary for this job include verbal communication, the ability to improvise, collaboration, and reading comprehension.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between writer/reporters and columnist. For instance, writer/reporter responsibilities require skills such as "web services," "press releases," "facebook," and "sql server." Whereas a columnist is skilled in "student newspaper," "mental health," "social issues," and "photoshop." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, columnists reach similar levels of education than writer/reporters. Columnists are 1.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Writer/reporter vs. Anchor
Video journalists make videos conveying the news and factual stories for the audiences. Their day-to-day duties may vary but typically include editing, researching, and reporting, developing and planning live or taped video segments, and compiling data from various sources. In addition, a video journalist is responsible for verifying facts, interviewing subjects, and cultivating relationships and sources. Other duties that a video journalist might perform include on-the-spot reporting, anchoring a newscast, and producing content, and taking photos.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, writer/reporter responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "news articles," "web services," "press releases," and "seo." Meanwhile, an anchor has duties that require skills in areas such as "news coverage," "develop story ideas," "news content," and "traffic reports." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Anchors earn similar levels of education than writer/reporters in general. They're 3.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for writer/reporters in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Polly Walter, David Keith, Michael Haddigan, Rob Moritz and Angela Wiser
Writer/reporter vs. Video journalist
A journalist is responsible for creating written correspondence, covering various subjects as the management requires. This task involves a lot of research investigations, conducting interviews, and gathering reliable sources to verify the authenticity of data before releasing the articles on news portals and other social platforms. Journalists should have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, conveying information to the target audience with high accuracy and efficiency. They analyze opinions and testimonies, create eye-catching headlines, and ensure adherence to deadlines.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from writer/reporter resumes include skills like "news stories," "news articles," "web services," and "seo," whereas a video journalist is more likely to list skills in "adobe premiere," "video content," "news coverage," and "edit video. "
Video journalists earn the best pay in the media industry, where they command an average salary of $81,579. Writer/reporters earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $71,958.Most video journalists achieve a similar degree level compared to writer/reporters. For example, they're 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Writer/reporter vs. Journalist
Even though a few skill sets overlap between writer/reporters and journalists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a writer/reporter might have more use for skills like "web services," "sql server," "bi," and "proofread." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of journalists require skills like "excellent interpersonal," "multimedia," "local community," and "edit video. "
In general, journalists earn the most working in the finance industry, with an average salary of $64,488. The highest-paying industry for a writer/reporter is the technology industry.journalists reach similar levels of education compared to writer/reporters, in general. The difference is that they're 1.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of writer/reporter
Updated January 8, 2025
