A Look at Different Kinds of Journalism Jobs and Careers

So you want to break into the news business, but aren't sure what kind of job suits your interests and skills? The stories you'll find here will give you a sense of what's it's like to work at in different jobs, at a variety of news organizations. You'll also find information on where most of the jobs in journalism are, and how much money you can expect to make.

Working at Weekly Community Newspapers

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Weekly community papers are where many journalists get their start. There are literally thousands of such papers found in towns, boroughs, and hamlets across the country, and chances are you’ve seen them or perhaps picked one up on a newsstand outside a grocery store or local business.

Working at Mid-Sized Daily Newspapers

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Once you've finished college and perhaps worked on a weekly or small daily paper, the next step up would be a job at a medium-sized daily, one with a circulation of anywhere from 50,000 to 150,000. Such papers are typically found in smaller cities around the country. Reporting at a medium-sized daily is different from working at a weekly or small daily in several ways.

Working at The Associated Press

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Have you heard the phrase "the toughest job you'll ever love?" That's life at The Associated Press. These days, there are many different career paths one can take at the AP, including ones in radio, TV, the web, graphics, and photography. The AP (often called the "wire service") is the world's oldest and largest news organization. While the AP is big overall, individual bureaus, whether in the U.S. or abroad, tend to be small, and are often staffed by just a handful of reporters and editors.

What Editors Do

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Just as the military has a chain of command, newspapers have a hierarchy of editors responsible for various aspects of the operation. All editors edit stories to one extent or another, but assignment editors deal with reporters, while copy editors write headlines and often do layout.

What It's Like to Cover the White House

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They're some of the most visible journalists in the world. They're the reporters who lob questions at the president or his press secretary at news conferences in the White House. They are the members of the White House press corps. But how did they end up covering one of the most prestigious beats in all of journalism?

The Three Best Places to Start Your Journalism Career

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Too many journalism school grads today want to start their careers at places like The New York Times, Politico and CNN. It's fine to aspire to work at such lofty news organizations, but at places like that, there won't be much on-the-job-training. You'll be expected to hit the ground running.

That's fine if you're a prodigy, but most college grads need a training ground where they can be mentored, where they can learn before they hit the big time.

Newspapers Journalism Jobs

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Sure, there's been plenty of trash talk in recent years claiming that newspapers are dying and that print journalism is doomed. If you read this site you'll know that's a load of rubbish.

Yes, there are fewer jobs than there were, say, a decade ago. But according to the Pew Center's "State of the News Media" report, 54 percent of the 70,000 journalists employed in the U.S. work for newspapers, by far the largest of any type of news media.

How Much Money You Can Make Working in Journalism

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So what kind of salary can you expect to make as a journalist?

If you've spent any time at all in the news business, you've probably heard a reporter say this:

"Don't go into journalism to get rich. It'll never happen."

It is possible to make a decent living in print, online or broadcast journalism.

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Rogers, Tony. "A Look at Different Kinds of Journalism Jobs and Careers." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/different-kinds-of-journalism-jobs-and-careers-2073647. Rogers, Tony. (2021, February 16). A Look at Different Kinds of Journalism Jobs and Careers. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/different-kinds-of-journalism-jobs-and-careers-2073647 Rogers, Tony. "A Look at Different Kinds of Journalism Jobs and Careers." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/different-kinds-of-journalism-jobs-and-careers-2073647 (accessed March 19, 2024).