News analysts, reporters, and journalists
Narrate or write news stories, reviews, or commentary for print, broadcast, or other communications media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, or television. May collect and analyze information through interview, investigation, or observation.
News analysts, reporters, and journalists narrate or write news stories, reviews, or commentary for print, broadcast, or other communications media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, or television. May collect and analyze information through interview, investigation, or observation. The role reports a median annual salary of $60,280 in the US and is projected to decline by 4% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.59 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Speaking, Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £44,534 a year for Newspaper and periodical journalists and reporters (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2492). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only News analysts, reporters, and journalists, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Qualification Graduate degree in any subject[1]
- 2 · Entrance exam CUET-PG (NTA) for admission to IIMC's PG Diploma courses[1]
- 3 · Qualification 1-year PG Diploma in Journalism (English, Hindi or Radio & TV) at IIMC[1][2]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- IIMC — Admission Notice (read on 2026-09-27)
- IIMC — Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism (English) (read on 2026-09-27)
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
2 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- English Language
- Communications and Media
- Law and Government
- Computers and Electronics
- Telecommunications
- Customer and Personal Service
- Geography
- Public Safety and Security
A day in the life
You start the morning scanning the news wires, social media and messages from contacts, looking for stories worth chasing. At the editorial meeting you pitch an idea from a tip you received, and your editor assigns you a story for the day. You research the background, read old reports and public documents, then arrange interviews with the people who know the most. By late morning you are out at the scene or on the phone, asking questions, taking notes and checking every claim against a second source. In the afternoon you sit down to write the piece on your computer, shaping the facts into a clear story and weighing what they mean for your audience. Chasing people who don't return calls and checking small details is tedious. The deadline pressure builds towards evening, but the moment your story is published or broadcast and readers respond to it, the rush makes the long day worthwhile.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Write commentaries, columns, or scripts, using computers.
- Coordinate and serve as an anchor on news broadcast programs.
- Examine news items of local, national, and international significance to determine topics to address, or obtain assignments from editorial staff members.
- Analyze and interpret news and information received from various sources to broadcast the information.
- Receive assignments or evaluate leads or tips to develop story ideas.
- Research a story's background information to provide complete and accurate information.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does News analysts, reporters, and journalists do?
Narrate or write news stories, reviews, or commentary for print, broadcast, or other communications media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, or television. May collect and analyze information through interview, investigation, or observation.
What does a typical day look like in News analysts, reporters, and journalists?
You start the morning scanning the news wires, social media and messages from contacts, looking for stories worth chasing. At the editorial meeting you pitch an idea from a tip you received, and your editor assigns you a story for the day. You research the background, read old reports and public documents, then arrange interviews with the people who know the most.
How much does News analysts, reporters, and journalists earn?
The median annual salary for News analysts, reporters, and journalists in the US is $60,280.
What is the job outlook for News analysts, reporters, and journalists?
The role is projected to decline by 4% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 49,300 workers.
How do I become news analysts, reporters, and journalists?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does News analysts, reporters, and journalists need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Speaking, Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Time Management. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace News analysts, reporters, and journalists?
Our AI-durability model gives News analysts, reporters, and journalists a score of 0.59 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
News analysts, reporters, and journalists has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.