XAll compensation data shown are gross, national 10th to 90th percentile ranges. Pay can vary greatly by location. To view local data, take the PayScale survey.
XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).
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$20,526 - $58,839
Country: United States | Currency: USD | Updated: 26 May 2012 | Individuals Reporting: 216
» Which jobs, cities and industries are seeing wages recover post-recession? Track the latest compensation trends with The PayScale Index Q1 2012 results.
Collect and analyze facts about newsworthy events by interview, investigation, or observation. Report and write stories for newspaper, news magazine, radio, or television.
In recent years, traditional media sources such as print, radio and television have been facing increasingly stiff competition from the Internet, impacting journalists and journalist salaries alike. No longer do people have to wait for the next edition of their local newspaper or television news program to get the latest scoop on current events - they can hop online and not only read up-to-the-minute reports of goings-on, but also comment on stories, pass them on to friends, and write their own stories. Journalists have had to rapidly adjust to this new information climate, and all the changes have some people asking, "how will this impact journalist salaries in the future?"
Fortunately, for the typical journalist, salary is earned by more skills than simply computer ownership and an ability to type. A journalist needs immaculate research and fact-checking skills, an ability to speak articulately and write interesting stories, a solid understanding of what is newsworthy, and the ability to ask the right questions. Anyone who has ever sat down to interview another person will tell you - those questions don't just write themselves!
Journalism Salary Data
The key to staying ahead in the face of Web reporting will be to embrace it, rather than ignoring it. Take a look at the Journalist Salary by City chart, and investigate Journalist Salaries by State as well. You'll find that journalist average salary is hugely affected by location. As the Web continues to establish a presence in the media, journalist salaries may be influenced less by location; thanks to new methods of communication, journalist salaries can be earned from anywhere in the world. Researching Journalist Salary by Industry, you can see that journalist salaries are currently highest for those working in television broadcasting. View the into Broadcast Journalism Salary report to get a more detailed look at journalist salaries for this industry. Whatever the future might hold, journalism remains an incredibly dynamic and progressive field. To see how various employment settings can influence salary, see the chart on Journalist Average Salary by Employer Type.
Beyond Journalist Average Salary
Researching a journalist's average salary will give you some idea of what journalism careers can be like, but for the real scoop, it's always best to go to an inside source. Read Salary Stories' "Reporters Salary: How to be a Successful Reporter" to learn how Web reporter W. James Au has embraced emerging new media to become a successful reporter with a book deal in the works.