17 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.
You’ll start by checking email (Microsoft Outlook) and news feeds for tips. Mornings often mean phone interviews, planning stakeouts, or filing quick online updates and blogs (HTML or a CMS).
Afternoons are for deeper work: researching public records, interviewing sources, transcribing recordings, fact-checking, and writing or editing the main story. Evenings may involve photographing or videotaping events and updating stories as new facts arrive.
You’ll use Microsoft Outlook for email, Microsoft Excel for organizing datasets and contact lists, and Microsoft PowerPoint when presenting findings to editors or at briefings.
For publishing you’ll work with HTML or a content management system to post blogs and updates. Microsoft Office (Word) handles drafts; some shops add transcription tools or basic video software for recorded interviews.
Begin by reporting for your school paper, local nonprofit, or online blog—practice interviewing, photographing events, and writing clear pieces. Learn to use Excel for small datasets and Outlook for professional email.
Build a portfolio: publish a few explained stories, show how you used public records or interviews, and include transcriptions. Take classes in journalism, public records law, or data basics, and start networking with local editors.
A beat reporter covers routine, ongoing topics (crime, education) and files regular short stories. An investigative journalist spends weeks or months digging into a single deep story—gathering documents, interviewing many sources, and testing claims.
Investigative work often needs data analysis, persistent records requests, and legal care before publishing, while daily reporters focus on quick, accurate updates and routine coverage.
BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) reports about 39,250 employed journalists (SOC 27-3023.00) with a median annual wage of $62,200. The lowest tenth earned about $36,240, and the top tenth about $144,140.
Pay varies a lot by employer: local newspapers, nonprofits, TV stations, and national outlets pay differently. Freelancers should expect variable income and must track expenses and billing.
Use AI for drafting interview questions, summarizing long documents, or getting quick background context—but always verify facts yourself. AI can suggest leads but can invent details, so never publish AI-generated claims without human-sourced proof.
Keep original recordings, documents, and transcripts (you may use AI to transcribe but check accuracy). Follow your outlet’s ethics and legal rules about source privacy and attribution.
Editors expect strong interviewing and writing skills, the ability to find and verify public records, and basic data handling with Microsoft Excel. They also want clean transcriptions and usable photos or video from events.
You should know how to coordinate with editors, update stories as new info arrives, and prepare clear scripts or briefs for broadcast or web publication. Reliability and careful fact-checking matter most.