Page 40 - Choices Magazine - KS3 - Issue 3

Responsibilities Salary

ENGLISH As a newspaper journalist, In the sector, reporters

your duties will include:
working in newspapers and
magazines have the lowest
• interviewing people in a range of
different circumstances
to the National Council for
Now you have explored • building contacts in many areas to maintain average salaries. According
the Training of Journalists
a flow of news, such as with the police and
(NCTJ) the median income
the subject now look at emergency services, local council, community for a newspaper journalist
groups, health trusts, press officers from a variety
is £27,500. When you’re
of organisations and the general public
some of specific job roles. • seeking out and investigating stories via your starting out as a trainee
reporter, your salary could
contacts, press releases and other media
• attending press conferences be as low as £12,000 to
£15,000, depending on
and asking questions whether you’re working
JOB: • attending a range of events, such as council for a local, regional, or
national paper.
meetings, magistrates’ court proceedings,
Newspaper Journalist • answering the phones on the news desk and Although there’s wide
football matches, talent contests, etc

reacting to breaking news stories variation between regional
and national newspapers,
• working closely with the news team, salaries for journalists with
Newspaper journalists research and write stories for photographers and editors up to five years’ experience
national, regional, and local press. They report on news • recording interviews and meetings using generally rise to around
and politics, as well as on sports, arts and culture, shorthand or technical equipment £25,000, while those with
science, and business. They also cover national and a decade’s experience or
local events, entertainment, and human-interest stories. • producing concise and accurate copy more can expect around
according to the newspaper’s house style and
There are a number of roles within newspaper to strict deadlines - daily newspapers may have £35,000 to £40,000.
journalism. Junior reporters usually write up stories several each day Your salary could be
allocated to them by the news desk, which they then • writing shorter, ‘filler’ stories to entertain, higher if you’re working
pass to the news editor before they’re handed to sub- and researching and writing longer feature for a national newspaper.
editors. Correspondents are specialists in one field articles, sometimes for subsidiary Share options and bonuses,
or location, while feature writers, who cover topics in publications and supplements reflecting the paper’s
greater depth, often use a more personal style. • creating and uploading news content performance, may bolster

On smaller newspapers journalists have to multitask. for the newspaper website salaries at senior editor level.
They may work on layout, photography, and sub- • ‘live’ online reporting or real-time blogging when Income figures are intended
editing, as well as writing stories. Newspaper covering important events - a growing area of as a guide only.
journalism is becoming increasingly multi-platform, work, especially on national newspapers.
making IT, web, and broadcast skills highly valuable. 41 | JUL Y 2020

DECEMBER 2020 | 40