News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists
Narrate or write news stories, reviews, or commentary for print, broadcast, or other communications media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, or television. May collect and analyze information through interview, investigation, or observation.
Most important skills
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Active Learning
- Social Perceptiveness
- Time Management
Key knowledge
- English Language
- Communications and Media
- Computers and Electronics
- Telecommunications
- Customer and Personal Service
- Law and Government
- Geography
- Administration and Management
What the work involves
- Write commentaries, columns, or scripts, using computers.
- 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.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Artistic, Investigative, Enterprising.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Bachelor's Degree (83.6% of expert ratings)
- Related experience
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (27.6%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (36.4%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Moderate | Higher on contact with others than 59% of occupations compared | 68% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | High | Higher on dealing with the public than 70% of occupations compared | 49% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Teamwork | Low | Lower on teamwork than 62% of occupations compared | 58% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | High | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 78% of occupations compared | 59% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very high | Higher on time pressure than 93% of occupations compared | 75% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | Very low | Lower on conflict situations than 81% of occupations compared | 43% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Moderate | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 52% of occupations compared | 47% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | Very low | Lower on consequence of error than 91% of occupations compared | 46% of surveyed respondents chose “Not serious at all” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very high
- Conflict situations: very low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
- Consequence of error: very low
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 5.25%
- Occasional contact with others: 0%
- Contact with others about half the time: 2.67%
- Contact with others most of the time: 24.09%
- Constant contact with others: 67.98%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 5.25%
- Fairly important: 15.94%
- Important: 8.3%
- Very important: 21.82%
- Extremely important: 48.69%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 5.25%
- Fairly important: 13.5%
- Important: 2.67%
- Very important: 20.19%
- Extremely important: 58.38%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 6.75%
- Limited freedom: 0%
- Some freedom: 33.77%
- A lot of freedom: 59.48%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026
Time pressure
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 2.67%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 12.37%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 9.94%
- Every day: 75.02%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026
Conflict situations
- Never: 18.67%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 42.95%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 21.18%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 17.21%
- Every day: 0%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 5.25%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 46.77%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 18.77%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 29.21%
- Every day: 0%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 46.25%
- Fairly serious: 17.3%
- Serious: 26.85%
- Very serious: 6.75%
- Extremely serious: 2.85%
n = 20, Incumbent 08/2026
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O*NET-SOC 27-3023.00 · SOC 27-3023 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8