Journalist Yearly Salary
Despite the struggling print news industry, many journalists continue to chronicle the world around them. Salaries vary considerably by medium, with broadcast journalists typically earning much more than their print-media colleagues.
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Average Print Journalist Salary
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Of the roughly 46,000 reporters and correspondents working in the country, the overwhelming majority of them -- 32,810 as of May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) -- work for newspapers or magazines. These news writers receive an average annual salary of $39,130, or $18.18 per hour. Journalists who advance to a managerial position -- or those who work as copy editors -- earn an average annual salary of $58,580 in the print industry. Columnists, writers who analyze current events and comment on the news, earn an average salary of $35,083 as of February 2011, according to Jobs-Salary.com.
Average Broadcast Journalist Salary
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Only 9,850 journalists work in the broadcast media of television and radio as of May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These workers tend to earn higher salaries than print journalists, although television salaries are usually higher than those of radio workers. Broadcast reporters earn a median annual salary of $51,570, or the equivalent of $24.80 per hour, according to the BLS. News analysts, the broadcast equivalent of columnists, receive higher wages, and earn average salaries of $68,480 when employed by a television or radio network or affiliate.
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Average Starting Salaries
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Despite the varied salaries between media, journalists starting their careers tend to receive entry-level salaries that are relatively similar in print and television news. The average entry-level print journalist's salary is $28,000 as of 2008, according to Cub Reporters. Television reporters and correspondents earned slightly more at their first job, $29,300 on average. Entry-level radio positions paid much smaller salaries, averaging $25,000. These salaries were slightly below the entry-level salaries paid to all college graduates that year, $30,000.
Industry Outlook
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If the relatively low salaries for journalists don't scare away young writers, the state of the industry might do it. Newspaper circulations dropped by 4.6 percent on daily editions and 4.8 percent on Sunday editions in 2008, according to State of the Media. During that same period, advertising revenue shrank by 13 percent as well. Those factors make journalism an uncertain field, with the BLS estimating an eight percent decline, which represents a net loss of 56,900 positions nationwide, in employment among reporters and correspondents of all media between 2008 and 2018.
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References
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: News Analysts and Reporters
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Reporters and Correspondents - Occupational Employment and Wages
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Newspaper, Periodical and Book Publishers
- Jobs-Salary: Columnist Salary
- Cub Reporters: Entry-Level Salaries Up at Newspapers, Down in Broadcast
- State of the News Media: An Annual Report on American Journalism
- Photo Credit newspaper image by Christopher Hall from Fotolia.com
