Journalism careers: jobs you can get with a journalism degree

Jobs you can get with a journalism degree

Entry-level newsroom titles to search: reporter, general assignment reporter, multimedia journalist, digital producer, news assistant, associate producer, copy editor, and audience or social media editor.

Where reporters and journalists work

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 47,100 jobs in 2025. Digital and streaming outlets pay the highest median in the occupation. Newspapers employ the largest share.

How hard is it to get a job in journalism

The BLS projects employment of news analysts, reporters, and journalists to decline 6% from 2025 to 2035. The occupation still projects about 3,400 openings a year, all from workers who retire or move to other occupations. The New York Fed's outcomes-by-major data show a 2.3% unemployment rate and a 43.3% underemployment rate for recent journalism graduates, with a median early-career wage of $49,000 and a mid-career median of $87,000.

NY Fed definitions: recent graduates are ages 22 to 27; underemployment is the share working in jobs where fewer than half of workers say a bachelor's degree is necessary; wages are medians for full-time workers with a bachelor's degree only (early career 22 to 27, mid-career 35 to 45).

Journalism graduates find work, and 43.3% of recent graduates hold jobs where fewer than half of workers say a bachelor's degree is necessary. Clips, internships, and a target list of outlets move a graduate into the roles that use the degree.

How to get a job at a newspaper

1. Build a clip file of 5 to 8 published pieces, with at least two news stories you reported yourself: a meeting, a court case, a data story, or a breaking event.
2. Start local. The BLS notes that reporters advance by moving from news organizations in small cities and towns to those in large cities. Community papers and regional dailies hire general assignment reporters.
3. Show multimedia range. The BLS notes that outlets rely on multimedia journalists who record, report, write, and edit their own stories. Add one video or audio piece and one piece with a chart or graphic.
4. Send a short pitch with the application: three story ideas for the coverage area of that outlet, each in two sentences.
5. Follow up with the editor by name five to seven business days after you apply.

Journalism jobs after graduation outside newsrooms

The reporting skills that the BLS lists for the occupation, such as interviewing, research, writing on deadline, and accuracy, transfer directly to public relations, communications, content marketing, technical writing, and research roles. Search "communications coordinator," "content writer," "editorial assistant," "PR assistant," and "technical writer I." Lead the résumé with your best two clips and the outlet that ran them.

Journalism career path

The BLS describes the path: field reporters at a local station become anchors, reporters move from small markets to large markets, and reporters and journalists become editors or news directors. In large cities and large newsrooms, reporters cover a beat such as sports, medicine, or politics. In small outlets they work as generalists.

A 30-day plan for journalism graduates

• Week 1: pick two lanes, such as local news and PR. Choose your best 5 to 8 clips and put them on one portfolio page.
• Week 2: build a list of 40 outlets and employers. Apply to 15 roles and pitch freelance stories to two local editors.
• Week 3: apply to 15 more and follow up on week 2. Publish one new piece.
• Week 4: review replies by lane and move more applications to the lane that answered.