36 Different Types of Jobs in Journalism (Career Opportunities)

The types of jobs in journalism are many. And even though all these jobs in journalism can be found in newspaper, radio, broadcast, and magazine journalism, their work methods will vary.

In journalism, you can work as a reporter, a moderator or anchor, a photojournalist, or an editor in different forms. These types of jobs in journalism all work together to present information and news truly and compellingly. The types of jobs in journalism are growing, and today you can even work as a freelance journalist self-employed.

Just how these jobs vary and how the information and news are presented differently will be explained further in this post.

The types of jobs in journalism

There are just a few jobs in journalism that can be found in every subcategory of journalism. These jobs and their responsibilities are somewhat the same in newspapers, Broadcast, Radio, and Magazine Journalism. However, the way that they present their journalistic efforts varies. And here are those jobs:

Reporter

A reporter writes and delivers news stories. The reporter is responsible for presenting a story truly and compellingly. To do so, the reporter investigates leads, searches, and gathers information and facts through speaking with eyewitnesses and experts. As a result, the reporter presents the news story in newspapers, the internet, TV, or the radio.

There are different kinds of reporters. For example, you have reporters for news, sports, or reporters who follow politics or the economy. And because there are so many different topics to be covered, it is not unusual for a reporter to have a niche of expertise.

To be a reporter is the most regular job within journalism and what most journalists end up doing. The job has a broad job description and requires a person to work quickly, critically, and keep tight deadlines.

Editors and the editor-in-chief

Editors within journalism are responsible for ensuring that the journalistic content created holds up to a certain standard and quality. They plan, coordinate and revise journalistic material to be published. Editors will also proofread or view the created content and suggest how to improve or correct facts and language.

The Editor-in-chief, also called the lead editor or chief editor, is in charge of the digital or print publication. The editor has a say in how the publication should look like and what is going to be published. The chief editor is, so to say, the manager of the team of editors, writers, and copyeditors.

In some companies, the chief editor is also responsible for hiring and developing writers and editors. They can also get help from an editorial assistant to review grammar and spelling errors or fact-check information. And it is the editor-in-chief who goes to the publisher and publication board meetings to discuss the publication.

Photojournalist  

A photojournalist takes photos or videos of people, places, and events for different mediums. Their responsibility is to capture news events in their photos and videos to tell their stories in newspapers, magazines, or television. The photojournalist finds the best angle to capture the story and works with the reporter when filming news stories for broadcast journalism.

Photojournalists have to know their equipment well and ensure that their digital cameras and video recorders are working properly. They need to be quick to capture it and work adaptable enough to follow it as the event unfolds.

Web content manager

The web content manager works as the editor in chief but for the online publishing. This job can be found in newspaper, radio, broadcast, and magazine journalism because of the popular trend of reading news online. That is why even radio stations have their own websites nowadays and upload some of their content online.

And just what is being published online is planned and organized by the web content manager and their staff. The web content manager can also plan special features published online only and not on the traditional media.

Moderator, host, and anchor

The moderator or host leads a discussion between people on television, on the radio, or online. They are responsible for asking questions to lead the discussion forward and finding the truth. The host or moderator wants to choose questions that will make an issue or news story clearer to the viewer or listener.  

They will also introduce the participants and the topic as well as summarize the discussion at the end.

The anchor presents news stories during the news program online, on the radio, or on television. This job can also be called a newsreader or newscaster. The responsibility of an anchor is to report and inform the public about news and events understandably and compellingly using their speaking skills.

Freelancing journalist

Freelance journalists are self-employed and do not work for only one publication. A freelance journalist can more freely choose what story to cover and what publication they want to sell their work. Just like reporter journalists, they gather information, search for the truth, interview people, and compellingly present a story in newspapers, on tv, on the radio, or in magazines.

Being a freelance journalist is not a job you apply for but a job you create yourself. As a freelance journalist, you have the full responsibility to find stories and sell your work to publications. This gives you, as a freelance journalist, much freedom to decide over your work hours.

Jobs in newspaper journalism

Newspaper journalism covers news stories on an international, national, regional, and local level daily. These journalists report news about events, politics, sports, art and culture, science, and business. Today’s newspaper journalism will not only be found in print but also online, giving this journalism field more job opportunities.

You will likely find these types of jobs in newspaper journalism:

• Editor-in-chief
• Editor
• Assistant editor
• Press sub-editor
• Proofreader
• Web content manager
• Reporter (business reporter, political reporter, cultural reporter, etc.)
• Photojournalist

Jobs in radio journalism

Radio journalism presents daily news stories on the radio with spoken radio features. Like newspaper journalism, radio journalism covers news and topics like sports, politics, events, science, business, and art and culture on an international, national, regional, and local level.

These are the types of jobs found within radio journalism:

• Editor-in-chief
• Editor
• Reporter (business reporter, political reporter, cultural reporter, etc.)
• Host
• Web content manager

Jobs in magazine journalism

Magazine journalism focuses on more in-depth features and presents these on a weekly or monthly basis. The features and news stories presented in written or video form will most likely focus on one category. Some magazines cover business; others cover fashion and culture or science, for example. Depending on what category the magazine is covering, the magazine will hire journalists that have experience working with that same category.

But no matter what topics the magazine covers, the journalistic jobs remain similar:  

• Editor-in-chief
• Editors
• Assistant editor
• Press sub-editor
• Magazine features editor
• Proofreader
• Web content manager
• Reporter (business reporter, political reporter, cultural reporter, etc.)
• Photojournalist

Jobs in broadcast journalism

Broadcast journalism does what radio and newspaper journalism does but only in a video format.  A news anchor will often present the news on television, where video features will show news stories appropriately. News journalism uses pictures to bring news stories alive and compellingly present them.

Broadcast journalism also requires many types of jobs to present news stories on television or online:

• Editor-in-chief
• Editors
• Assistant editor
• Press sub-editor
• Web content manager
• Reporter (business reporter, political reporter, cultural reporter, etc.)
• Host, anchor, moderator
• Photojournalist

Conclusion

The different types of jobs in journalism are many, but their responsibility to present information and truth about news and events are the same.

In journalism, you can work as a reporter, an editor, a photographer, a moderator, and a freelance journalist. Within these roles, you can find more jobs that have a more specific work field. For example, you can be an editor-in-chief, assistant editor, content manager, or video editor. Or you can work as a politics reporter or a sports reporter.

These types of jobs in journalism can also vary whether you work in broadcast, newspaper, radio, or magazine journalism. The journalistic methods will vary, and the news will be presented on different mediums like tv, radio, print, or online.