20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.
You usually start by checking email and the news feed in Microsoft Outlook, then scan police, court, and city meeting updates. Editors assign or approve story angles; you research background in Google and databases, contact sources by phone or email, and schedule interviews.
Afternoon can be shooting video or photos at a scene, editing clips in Adobe After Effects or basic video tools, writing the online story or blog, and posting it. You often update the story as new facts arrive and coordinate with the editor on headlines and push notifications.
Learn Microsoft Office (Word for copy, Excel for simple data, PowerPoint for presentations) and Microsoft Outlook for email/calendar; these are used every day. Editors expect clean Word docs and spreadsheets with contact lists or data.
Also get basic skills in Adobe After Effects or another video editor and a phone-based or DSLR camera app for shooting. If your outlet uses SPSS for data stories, know that exists, but basic Excel is the practical starting point.
Use AI for speed—summarising long documents, generating question lists for interviews, or drafting captions—but always verify every fact with human sources and original documents. AI can invent quotes or incorrect dates, so treat its output as a first draft, not truth.
Label AI assistance if your newsroom requires it. Keep interview transcripts and original recordings so editors can check claims. Never publish AI-generated quotes as if a person said them.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports median pay for reporters and correspondents at $62,200 per year. They list about 39,250 employed in this category, with the lowest 10% around $36,240 and the top 10% about $144,140.
Use BLS for national trends; local pay varies by market size, employer type, and whether you shoot video and edit (those skills can boost pay).
Start by covering beats with regular sources—hospital press officers, local startups, city environment staff—and build a record of published stories. Take online courses or a community college class in the subject (science methods, business reporting) and learn to read primary papers or financial filings.
Editors promote people who can show accuracy and contacts. Tools like SPSS or Excel help with data-heavy stories; knowing how to pull and explain a public report or dataset distinguishes you.
A digital journalist writes for websites, blogs, and social platforms and often shoots and edits video or photos for the same online story. They post updates, embed media, and interact with readers by email or comments.
A broadcast reporter focuses on live or pre-recorded TV or radio scripts and often reads on-air; they work more with production crews and studio directors. In smaller outlets these roles overlap a lot—digital journalists commonly create broadcast-style video and read pre-drafted text for social clips.
Improve clear, accurate writing under deadline. Editors care first that you can turn raw reporting into a clean published story quickly—correct facts, tight quotes, and a strong lede (the opening sentence that states the main point).
Pair that with basic multimedia skills: take publishable photos or short videos and edit simple clips. That combination gets you hired more often than one specialty alone.