Journalist
Journalists find out what is happening, check it against the evidence and write it up for a news audience.
- Median salary
- $89,500
4.1%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 23,000
1.8%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +18.7%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- High
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 42/wk
+2h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Journalists work for newspapers, broadcasters, wire services and digital news outlets, gathering information through interviews, documents and observation and turning it into stories for publication. They work to a masthead's editorial code of ethics, which is what separates the job from content writing or public relations, where the aim is to promote a client rather than report independently. Most newsrooms now expect a reporter to write, take photographs or shoot video and post to social platforms, rather than filing to a single format.
How much do journalists earn?
The median full-time salary for a journalist is $89,500 per annum, before tax, up $18,700 since 2018.
What a journalist earns depends heavily on the employer: a commercial television newsroom or a large metropolitan masthead pays more than a small regional title or a community radio station. Enterprise agreements and award rates set most newsroom pay, while casual and freelance work is usually paid per shift, per word or per story. Broadcast and digital rosters can also attract shift penalties and allowances for weekend and overnight work.
What does a journalist do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Chasing sources by phone, in person or at the door of a press conference
- Checking a claim against two or more independent sources before filing
- Writing to a deadline that does not move, whatever state the story is in
- Pitching original angles at the morning news conference
- Working a running story over days or weeks as new documents, court dates and details emerge
What skills do journalists need?
Employers look for data analysis, content creation and writing, backed by Content management systems (WordPress, Drupal) fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Data analysis
- Content creation and writing
Software and tools
- Content management systems (WordPress, Drupal)
- Social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn)
- Recording and transcription software (Otter.ai, Audacity)
- Data visualisation tools (Tableau, Google Data Studio)
- Press release distribution platforms
General skills
- Written communication
- Problem solving
- Time and deadline management
- Stakeholder management
- Attention to detail
- Presenting and data storytelling
Is the job growing?
About 23,000 people work as journalists in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 18.7% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a journalist?
Here's the path most journalists take, step by step.
- 1Finish Year 12 with strong English subjects
Most entrants move straight into a degree, so Year 12 results and essay-based subjects matter for getting a place and for the writing load that follows.
- 2Complete a bachelor degree in journalism or communications
Three years full time is the standard entry point, and the useful courses include a newsroom internship or a placement at a working publication. There is no licence to practise in Australia, but employers expect to see published work.
- 3Build a portfolio before you graduate
Student publications, community radio, campus news sites and freelance pieces all count, and a byline is worth more to a first employer than a transcript alone.
- 4Apply for a cadetship or graduate program
Paid cadetships at regional and metropolitan outlets are the traditional way in, and a stint in a regional newsroom is one of the fastest routes to daily reporting experience. Applications usually open months before the start date.
- 5Consider a postgraduate qualification or a specialty
A master's in journalism is the common path for career changers, and experienced reporters often add a specialty such as data, health, courts or business to stand out.
Ready to apply as a journalist?
Whether you're working toward becoming a journalist or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a journalist move to?
Moving into Communications Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $49,700 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communications Manager Journalists bring editorial judgement and storytelling to communications management, but need to learn corporate strategy and stakeholder messaging.Known move | +$49,700 | 56% | short course |
| Public Relations Officer Journalists bring strong writing, media contacts and news judgement to public relations, though they need to adapt to client advocacy.Known move | +$16,900 | 50% | short course |
| SEO Specialist Journalists bring content strategy and audience insight to SEO work, but need substantial training in analytics, keywords and search platforms.Known move | +$12,300 | 38% | reskill |
| Television Presenter Journalists bring research, interviewing and live delivery skills to television presenting, needing only on-camera polish and presentation training.Known move | +$500 | 62% | minimal |
| Publishing Editor Journalists bring manuscript assessment, fact checking and deadline discipline to publishing editor roles, with extra study in editorial management.Known move | −$24,500 | 53% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a journalist?
The typical journalist is 40 years old; 65% are women, 82% work full-time, and full-timers average 42 hours a week.
- 40
- Median age
- 65%
- Female share
- 82%
- Full-time
- +2h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a journalist?
The job runs on the news cycle: mornings are for calls, pitches and planning, afternoons for writing, and the day ends when the story files. Full-time hours average 42 a week and often land in the evening or on weekends, because news does not keep office hours. The pressure comes from having to be accurate at that speed, since a correction is public and permanent.
What people like
- Stories that change something. A piece that prompts a review, a resignation or a spending commitment is the clearest payoff in the job, and it often starts with a tip nobody else followed up.
- Access to people and places. You ask questions of a premier, an emergency services commander or a family in the middle of their worst week, which is a kind of licence few jobs give.
- Writing and interviewing as a craft. Both improve with practice, and a well-shaped feature or a tight news story is satisfying in the way any carefully made thing is.
- A clear finish line each day. The story files, the page or bulletin goes out, and tomorrow starts fresh, which suits people who would rather finish something than tend it.
What people find hard
- The rounds nobody dreams of. Local council meetings, court lists and annual report stories fill a lot of a general reporter's week, though they are often where the useful tips turn up.
- Stories that get spiked or cut. Weeks of work can be dropped when a bigger news event breaks or a legal problem surfaces, and the reporting still had to happen.
- Public scepticism. Some of the people you approach assume you already have an agenda, so explaining what you do and why forms part of the job.
- Evening, weekend and public holiday shifts. Newsrooms run rosters, and early-career reporters generally work nights and weekends before they get much choice about it.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ journalists?
Information Media and Telecommunications employs the largest share of journalists, followed by Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Information Media and Telecommunications
- 2Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 3Arts and Recreation Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 52.8% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 21.5% | |
| Year 12 or below | 11.9% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 7% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 3.9% |
Will AI replace journalists?
Journalism sits high on the exposure scale, because so much of the work is producing text and language models are good at text. Wire copy on sport results, finance wraps and weather is already written by software, and AI drafting tools handle transcripts, summaries and headline variants in most newsrooms. What changes less is the reporting itself: getting a document, sitting with a source and deciding what the story is still takes a person on the ground.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Writing news stories and headlinesDrafting tools can turn out a serviceable first pass on a court report or a market wrap, but a reporter still checks every name, figure and quote before it runs.35%high
- Checking facts, documents and recordsSearch tools and AI summaries speed up finding a planning document or a company filing, while working out what it actually shows still takes someone who knows the story.25%moderate
- Interviewing sources and building contactsSitting across from a witness and following up on a half-answer depends on reading the room, which is why newsrooms send a reporter rather than a recorder.25%low
- Filming, recording and editing audio and videoAutomatic transcription and template editing cut the time spent on a video package, but the framing, the questions and the shot selection remain a reporter's call.15%moderate
Common questions about becoming a journalist
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do journalists earn in Australia?
Journalists earn a median of $89,500 per year before tax. Half earn more than that figure and half earn less, so treat it as a starting point rather than a rate, and note that metropolitan and commercial broadcast newsrooms pay above it while small regional titles often pay below. Casual and freelance work is usually paid per shift, per word or per story.
How do you become a journalist in Australia?
The usual route is a bachelor degree in journalism or communications, which takes three years full time, followed by a cadetship or graduate position in a newsroom. No licence or registration is required, but employers want a portfolio of published work, so student publications, community radio and freelance pieces all count. A master's in journalism is the standard path for people changing careers.
Are journalists in demand in Australia?
Journalists are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 18.7% over the decade to 2035. Openings concentrate where newsrooms still fund original reporting, which means digital publishers, public broadcasters and specialist outlets more than general print rounds. A portfolio plus a specialty such as data, health or courts gives you something concrete to offer when a role does come up.
Will AI replace journalists?
Parts of the job are already automated: transcripts, sports results and market wraps are routinely produced by software, and AI drafting tools now speed up summaries and headline options. Reporting that depends on a person in the room, on a source agreeing to talk and on a judgement about what a document means is much harder to hand over. The realistic change is in how quickly you can work, not whether the reporting happens.
What can journalists move into?
Public relations pays $16,900 more and uses the same writing and media contacts, though you would be advocating for a client rather than reporting on them. Communications manager roles pay $49,700 more and publishing editor work pays $24,500 less, each leaning on editorial judgement in a different setting. Many journalists also move into freelance work or start their own newsletter or publication, which is often where earnings grow.
Do you need a degree to become a journalist?
Not strictly, though a bachelor degree is the standard requirement at most newsrooms and the qualification most working journalists hold. A small number of cadetships take school leavers with a strong portfolio, and a diploma can lead to a start in regional or community media. Without a degree, published work becomes the qualification employers assess.
Related roles
- Public Relations Officer
- Communications Manager
- Publishing Editor
- Television Presenter
- SEO Specialist
- Public Relations Officer
Not sure this is you? Take the career quiz and get a ranked shortlist of roles that fit how you like to work.