How To Become A Field Reporter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a field reporter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted Expert

Rachel Estabrook

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a field reporter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $32.62 an hour? That's $67,849 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -10% and produce -5,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Field Reporter?

Rachel Estabrook

News Director, Colorado Public Radio

For a graduate beginning their career, I'd recommend a few things. Most importantly, be hungry. Go doggedly after whatever stories most interest you. Take time to build sources, by taking people out to coffee (when that's safe to do) and checking in with them regularly to ask what's up in their world. Follow your interests, even if they lead somewhere that traditional journalism outlets haven't always gone; given the summer of protests and focus on racial equity, traditional outlets are hungrier than ever for stories they haven't historically told. Be humble while also being confident; know that you have a lot to offer and your approach is valuable, but that you also have a lot to learn.

ScoreField ReporterUS Average

Salary

5.3

Avg. Salary $67,849

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.3

Growth Rate -10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 8.63%

Black or African American 6.54%

Hispanic or Latino 13.03%

Unknown 4.42%

White 67.09%

Gender

female 56.36%

male 43.64%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress Level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.1

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

2.1

Work Life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Newest jobs for Field Reporter in Columbus, OH

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Key steps to become a field reporter

Explore field reporter education requirements

Most common field reporter degrees

Bachelor's

75.6 %

Associate

13.3 %

High School Diploma

3.3 %

Start to develop specific field reporter skills

Skills	Percentages
Edit Video	24.79%
Community Events	12.76%
TV	9.22%
News Reports	8.58%
Conduct Interviews	5.92%

Complete relevant field reporter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New field reporters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a field reporter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real field reporter resumes.

Research field reporter duties and responsibilities

Report to managing editor as member of editorial staff, contribute to newspaper editorials.
Assist in producing episodes for on campus television show for YouTube.
Contribute to the facebook, twitter, and instagram accounts on game days.
Cooperate with metro reporters, graphic designers, and photojournalist to produce daily-base newspaper.

Prepare your field reporter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your field reporter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a field reporter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Field Reporter Resume templates

Build a professional Field Reporter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Field Reporter resume.

Apply for field reporter jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a field reporter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do field reporters rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Field Reporter reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Pros

Every day was different, you meet a lot of new people, the events covered could be very exciting

Cons

Physically demanding, low pay and part time positions available to those just starting out, no health insurance, competitive, pressure to be available on call despite terms of contract