Here is are the differences between Journalist and Reporter:

Although the terms journalist and reporter are often used interchangeably, there are some important differences that any prospective journalist or media relations professional should keep in mind.

The best way to remember or understand the difference between journalist and reporter is: while all reporters are journalists not all journalists are reporters.

In the following blog we will examine the similarities and differences between the two.

Journalist vs. Reporter: 


Journalist and reporter are not two professions, the main difference is that one (reporter) is a particular specialization or more focused career path within the larger journalism profession.

A journalist is a broad term used to describe many different types of people whose day to day job contributes to the journalistic profession through the publishing of articles and other news content.


The key differences:

A journalist can be a reporter, but a journalist can also be a producer, a writer or editor.

The word reporter typically refers to journalists who record information faithfully, conduct interviews and then publish them via some type of audio media (like radio and podcasting) or through video (like broadcast news, television news).

Many journalists can be involved in the news sourcing and fact checking work, they refer to themselves as journalists but not necessarily as reporters.

Who is a Reporter?


Most reporters are typically news anchors or reporters who transmit their work through video or audio media.

These professionals are journalists whose expertise isn't just in gathering information but in diffusing it through engaging stories.

Describing the reporter's work


A reporter's job includes sourcing news stories, conducting interviews with subject matter experts (SMEs), and reporting their findings through mass media.

Reporters use their strong interviewing skills to question subject matter experts and sources to help them balance their stories and provide context so their reporting can be accurate and takes into account all viewpoints.

Some reporters use journalism tools and sources to help them find these subject matter experts. Rolli (Rolliapp.com) or HARO (Help a reporter out) are resources for journalists. Rolli is a reporter database that journalists use in order to find vetted experts in a particular field.

In this blog post we take a closer look at how Rolli empowers journalists to find vetted subject matter experts, story ideas and press events quickly and efficiently.

 

Who is a Journalist?


While reporters deliver the news and tend to be the most visible part of a news station, there are many journalists behind the scenes that provide critical support and guidance so that a reporter disseminates the information correctly.

Journalists are often considered to be all the professionals who influence coverage through their work in-front and behind the camera, as print journalists, investigative journalists, news directors or fact checkers for a media outlet.

 

Describing the journalist's work


Journalists can contribute to news reports in a lot of different ways, they can produce segments, collect information, they can help by taking accurate notes and writing articles.

These journalism professionals do a lot of news-gathering and vetting. They can be editorial writers, copy editors, photographers, and producers.

These non-reporter type of journalists are a critically important part of newsrooms and are essential for any media outlets whose job is to report news.

Because journalists also do print journalism, write and produce content, they also gather information and use subject matter experts.

As mentioned above in a reporter's jobs description, journalists too sometimes use tools like HARO (AKA, help a reporter out, help a writer out) and Rolli (rolliapp.com) to find vetted experts that they can quote in their stories, segments or articles.

While journalists can use both HARO and Rolli as a resource, reporters tend to use only Rolli because HARO doesn't work well for video or audio journalists working on a deadline.

Similarities between Reporters and Journalists


The words reporters and journalists both describe media professionals. These terms are very similar and a lot of people use them interchangeably.

Both journalists and reporters have a lot of the same duties, they must be unbiased, have a strong moral compass and have a commitment to disseminating information in an accurate way.

Journalists and reporters can both provide information to the community or to their audience in regards to current events and provide context via their research.

Conclusion


A good way to remember the difference between a journalist and reporter, is that while all reporters are journalists, not all journalists are reporters.

A reporter and a journalist both provide critical support to news stations and media outlets.

It is important to remember that it takes a lot of people to put together newscasts or write articles in newspapers. And while reporters might be the most visible part of the product and the people who are specialized in transmitting the information to the final viewer or listener, there is an army of producers, editors, and other journalism professionals that are contributing to the content you are seeing in many different ways.

The work of every journalist has value, even if they aren't in-front of the camera reporting.




About the Author

Nick Toso is a former CNN television producer and journalist. He worked in the Washington DC Bureau for nearly a decade, during his time, he helped produce interviews with dozens of presidents and world leaders, including President Obama, Clinton, and more.

During his time in the newsroom, Nick saw the impact that having vetted and diverse subject matter experts had on the quality and depth of news coverage– and how it led to more equitable representation in the media, and meaningful public discourse. Nick wanted to provide his team with better tools to accomplish this goal, but few existed so Nick created Rolli (Rolliapp.com).

Rolli's searchable Newsroom as a Service™ platform empowers all journalists with the resources and research of a state-of-the-art newsroom.