Creative & Media

Journalist

Find out what is happening, check the facts, and report it in stories, photos, audio, or video for the public

Open interactive guide

What does a Journalist do?

Journalists work at newspapers, TV and radio stations, websites, and podcasts, often out in their communities. They interview people, read records, check facts, and write on tight deadlines. BLS projects employment to decline 3.9% from 2024 to 2034. Curious, fair people who ask good questions do well.

A day in the life

7:30 AMScan police reports and local news for a story to chase today
9:00 AMInterview a city council member about the new school budget
11:30 AMCall two more sources to double-check a claim
1:30 PMWrite the story and pick quotes that make it clear
3:30 PMSend it to your editor, then fix the questions they raise
5:30 PMPost the story online with photos and share it with readers

What's great

  • You learn something new every day
  • Your work can help a community fix problems
  • You meet people from every walk of life
  • Writing, video, and research skills travel well

The hard parts

  • Daily deadlines leave little time to relax
  • News jobs are shrinking at many outlets
  • Stories may draw angry replies
  • Nights and weekends when news breaks

What is a Journalist's salary and outlook?

$30k – $75k
Salary Range
Bachelor's degree
Typical Education
Declining

Typical pay in this guide runs from about $30,000 to $75,000 a year, with a midpoint around $50,000. These are planning figures for students, not a job offer or an official wage.

CareerLens rates the outlook as Declining.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment for News analysts, reporters, and journalists (SOC 27-3023) to decline 3.9% from 2024 to 2034. Bureau of Labor Statistics projections.

How do you become a Journalist?

A common path is Bachelor's degree in journalism or communications, plus clips from student media. The ladder often runs from Reporter at a Small Outlet to Beat Reporter, then Senior Reporter or Section Editor, and Managing Editor or News Director. Other routes: Work on the school newspaper or radio station; Any bachelor's degree plus news internships; Start at a small local paper or online outlet; Master's program in journalism.

  • Work on the school newspaper or radio station
  • Any bachelor's degree plus news internships
  • Start at a small local paper or online outlet
  • Master's program in journalism

Career path

Entry level
Reporter at a Small Outlet
Mid career
Beat Reporter
Senior
Senior Reporter or Section Editor
Executive
Managing Editor or News Director

Will AI replace a Journalist?

How much will AI change this job?

A lot

AI will change many everyday tasks in this job. The work shifts toward judgment, checking, and people.

AI will handle more writing tasks, but reporting stays human.

AI can help journalists write drafts, summarize documents, and organize research faster than before. But finding real stories, talking to people, and checking facts still need a human touch. The job is shifting toward digging deeper and making sure information is true and fair.

AI can help with

  • Summarizing long documents or interviews quickly
  • Drafting basic story outlines or headlines
  • Transcribing and organizing interview notes

What stays human

  • Building trust with sources for real interviews
  • Judging what stories matter to the public
  • Checking facts and catching bias or errors

Skills to build now

  • Practice writing clear, honest summaries of events
  • Join school newspaper, yearbook, or debate club
  • Read news from different sources to compare viewpoints

Based on public research from Anthropic and OpenAI, drafted with AI, checked automatically, and read by a person. How we know

This describes how the work may change. It is not a prediction that the job will disappear.