A journalist is a person who collects, writes, or distributes news or other current information to the public. A journalist’s work is called journalism. A reporter, generally a person whose work is reporting current events, is a journalist. The word “journalist” is derived from the French word “journaliste”.
A journalist is an individual who collects, writes and distributes the news and current events of a particular locale or region. A career as a journalist can be quite rewarding and exciting, but it may not be easy to get started.
A journalist should expect to earn a starting salary of $30,000 per annum. The average salary for journalists is around $44,000. Journalists that have been working in the industry for more than 10 years can earn up to $62,000 per year.
Starting Salary For A Journalist Overview
If you love writing, reporting, and telling stories, then journalism might be the perfect career for you. But how much do journalists make? Well, it depends on where they work.
The average salary for a journalist in the United States is $32k annually, according to Glassdoor. However, this number can vary significantly based on location and experience. For example, in New York City the average salary for a journalist is $40k per year and in San Francisco it’s $34k per year.
The highest-paid journalists tend to work at larger publications like The New York Times or Bloomberg News because they have more resources available to them (and thus higher salaries). These publications also tend to attract highly-skilled talent because of their reputations as industry leaders—meaning that you’ll need more than just a good story idea if you want to get hired here!
Newspaper reporters tend to earn between $30k-$60k annually depending on their location and experience level; TV news reporters earn between $35k-$75k annually; magazine writers earn between $34k-$68k annually; Web content editors can earn between $30k-$50k annually.
Working As A Journalist
The primary role of a journalist is gathering information, writing news pieces, and presenting the news. Aside from investigating and reporting on current events, the journalist works on articles and features that update and shape public opinion. As a journalist, you will be expected to meet all deadlines, regular and recurring. You’ll evaluate and edit work for editorial approval. You must adhere to the ethical code of the profession and stay updated on the latest news developments. This is by attending events, studying different papers, opinion pieces, and social media.
An ideal candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree in journalism, English, communications, or a related field. You must have a minimum of two years of relevant experience. You must possess observation, communication, time management, and networking skills and be familiar with the APA style. Annually, journalists can earn as high as $99,000 with an average of $53,133. However, their salary can be as low as $29,000.
Starting Salary for a Journalist
If you have a keen eye for news and an interest in writing, a career in journalism may be in the cards. The field of journalism provides a variety of opportunities in print, online, on the air and on the radio. While entry-level journalism jobs have low salaries, there is potential for a very comfortable journalist salary, depending on which field you enter.
job Description
The primary role of a journalist is to research and report on topics of interest. These can be everything from covering sporting events to interviewing local businesses to in-depth investigation of crimes. Based on their research and interviews, journalists write articles for newspapers, magazines, blogs and write text for television and radio broadcasts.
Entry-level journalism jobs involve more general reporting, while more advanced journalism jobs involve more in-depth reporting and management. To be successful and earn a good entry-level reporter salary, journalists should be curious, engaging, friendly and proficient communicators. Having persistence and stamina are also good traits for a journalist.
Education Requirements
While a degree is not required to become a journalist, many news outlets want someone who has at least a bachelor’s degree in communications or journalism. Many entry-level journalism jobs will hire someone who earned a degree in another subject and has related job experience. Many journalism programs specialize in a field of journalism, such as print or broadcast.
For many employers, just as important as education is experience. A starting journalist salary may depend on internships and the portfolio of work you have. You should seek internships related to the field of journalism you are interested in so that you can get relevant experience and start making worthwhile contacts.
Industry
Most journalists, whether they are freelance or on staff, spend a lot of time in the field doing research and talking to people. They may attend events, meet contacts to interview or go somewhere to get background research done. If they cover international topics, journalists may spend a lot of time traveling to other destinations. For other topics, such as sports, entertainment or government, journalist spend a lot of time immersed in the industries they cover.
Being a journalist is a 24/7 job that often means a lot of long days, nights and weekends. A journalist salary doesn’t always include overtime pay, since it’s assumed that journalists are available to cover news as it happens.
Years of Experience and Journalist Salary
Many entry-level journalism jobs are on small-town newspapers or television stations, or on relatively unknown websites. As you gain experience, you may move into bigger markets in larger cities, which come with a higher journalist salary and more responsibilities. It may also mean moving into editor or manager-level positions.
A journalist salary varies significantly based on where the job is and the field it’s in. Larger cities tend to have higher salaries, while broadcast jobs typically pay more than print.
Journalist earned a median salary of $39,370 as of May 2017. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,970 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $90,540. The lowest 10 percent is closer to an entry-level reporter salary. An entry-level reporter salary is likely to be higher in a city such as Washington, DC, or New York than in a small town.
Job Growth Trend
Job opportunities for journalists are expected to decrease by 9 percent over the next decade. While print media was once thriving, a decrease in regular periodicals and the movement to online news sources means fewer places for reputable journalists to get published. As remaining publications consolidate and share resources, the demand for journalists further decreases.
Journalists who have a background or education in multimedia – including editing video – may have better job prospects. With more content being published online, those who have digital experience may have an edge in an increasingly competitive field.
