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 scanning email, alerts, social media, and calendared events in Microsoft Outlook for hearings, briefings, or press releases. Mornings often mean writing one or two short news stories and updating a longer piece as new facts arrive.
Afternoon can be interviews (in-person or Zoom), photographing or videotaping events, and coordinating with editors. Evenings often include editing copy for accuracy and style, uploading text and simple HTML updates to the website, and planning next-day angles.
Expect Microsoft Outlook for scheduling and email, Microsoft Word for drafting, and Microsoft Excel to track sources, vote counts, or timelines. Editors often want PowerPoint for presentations or newsroom meetings.
If you’ll publish to a website you’ll touch basic HTML to fix formatting. Some newsrooms run analysis in IBM SPSS Statistics for polls or data stories, but many reporters use Excel or simple data tools first.
Use AI as a time-saver: draft story outlines, summarize long documents, or suggest interview questions. Always verify every AI-generated fact, quote, or statistic against original documents or credible sources before publication.
Never use AI to fabricate quotes, invent sources, or replace reporting. Tell your editor when AI contributed to a story if the newsroom requires it, and keep original recordings or documents to prove accuracy.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were about 39,250 reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts, with a median annual wage of $62,200. The lowest 10% earned about $36,240, and the top 10% earned about $144,140 per year (BLS).
Pay varies by outlet, city, and whether you’re staff, freelance, or union. Local papers and small markets pay nearer the bottom; national outlets and specialty beats pay toward the top.
Practice writing short clear news stories and build a portfolio: campus news, a blog, or social posts. Learn Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel) and basic HTML for online publishing. Take a class in journalism, political science, or statistics to read polls and use IBM SPSS or Excel for simple data work.
Get experience interviewing people, recording and transcribing audio, photographing events, and producing short video clips. Intern at a local paper, radio, TV station, or online outlet to see newsroom workflows and editing standards.
A political reporter gathers facts, interviews sources, checks documents, and writes news stories that aim to be accurate and balanced. The tasks list includes researching, interviewing, photographing, and transmitting reports from the field.
A political analyst or commentator interprets events, offers opinion, and appears on panels. Reporters may write occasional analysis or blogs, but their primary job is reporting verified information and updating stories as new facts emerge.
Learn to write clearly, fast, and accurately — that means nuts-and-bolts news writing under deadlines. Editors expect clean copy, correct facts, and the ability to update stories quickly when new information comes in.
Second is interviewing: ask clear questions, record and transcribe interviews reliably, and pick the most pertinent material for presentation. Basic tech skills — Outlook for scheduling, Excel for tracking, and HTML for online fixes — make your work smoother.