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News Reporter

Academic programs / Undergraduate degrees / Career opportunities / News Reporter

News Reporter

Explore employment trends, required job duties and skills for this career. ASU offers a variety of degrees that can help you prepare for and meet your career goals. Visit ASU's Career and Professional Development Services to learn how to develop your career plan.

Potential job titles in this career
Anchor, News Anchor, News Reporter, Radio News Anchor, Radio Talk Show Host, Reporter, Staff Writer, Television News Anchor (TV News Anchor), Television News Reporter, Television Reporter (TV Reporter)

* Additional schooling, certification, or degrees maybe be required for some of the potential careers that are listed.
What will I do?
  • Write commentaries, columns, or scripts, using computers.
  • Coordinate and serve as an anchor on news broadcast programs.
  • Examine news items of local, national, and international significance to determine topics to address, or obtain assignments from editorial staff members.
  • Analyze and interpret news and information received from various sources to broadcast the information.
  • Receive assignments or evaluate leads or tips to develop story ideas.
  • Research a story's background information to provide complete and accurate information.
  • Arrange interviews with people who can provide information about a story.
  • Gather information and develop perspectives about news subjects through research, interviews, observation, and experience.
  • Select material most pertinent to presentation, and organize this material into appropriate formats.
  • Present news stories, and introduce in-depth videotaped segments or live transmissions from on-the-scene reporters.
  • In this career, it is important to know
    English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    It's useful to be good at
    Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

    Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

    Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

    Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

    Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

    Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

    Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

    Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

    Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

    Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
    Employment trends
    Location Pay period 2022
    10% 25% Median% 75% 90%
    United States Hourly $14.65 $18.12 $26.90 $40.04 $65.62
    Yearly $30,470 $37,690 $55,960 $83,290 $136,500
    Arizona Hourly $16.55 $17.24 $22.60 $35.92 $55.35
    Yearly $34,430 $35,850 $47,020 $74,710 $115,130
    2022 Median%
    United States $26.90 Hourly $55,960 Yearly
    Arizona $22.60 Hourly $47,020 Yearly

    Employment (2022)
    58,500 employees
    Projected growth (2022 - 2032)
    Decline (-2% or lower)
    Projected job openings (2022 - 2032)
    6,000
    * Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).
    What are accelerated programs?
    Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

    3 year programs

    These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.

    Accelerated master's

    These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

    Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
    What are concurrent programs?
    Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
    What are joint programs?
    Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

    What constitutes a new program?
    ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the “New Programs” option.
    What are online programs?
    ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
    What is the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)?
    The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a program in which residents of western states (other than Arizona) may be eligible for reduced nonresident tuition. See more information and eligibility requirements on the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program.

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