How Much Income May One Reasonably Look Forward to, if Successful in the Field of Journalism?
In few vocations is there greater difference in salaries than in the field of journalism. So far there does not seem to be any general standard that all the papers of the country attempt to live up to. The managers of certain newspapers follow the practice of employing only experienced men, taking them wherever they can be found from the staffs of other newspapers. Such papers, of course, pay good salaries. Other publications are willing to take on a few, or even a large number of beginners. Such papers naturally pay smaller salaries. Seldom, however, is the beginner in journalism paid less than $12 or $15 per week on the daily papers, though some receive as low as $10 a week. Often a paper works, not only on a basis of straight pay, but on the basis of the space the articles contributed occupy.
“Space rates” range from $2 to $10 per column, the amount varying with the standing of the newspaper, and with the character of the news itself. Promotions are very rapid and anyone with promise can hope to get a raise in salary from time to time until it reaches from $19 to $25 a week, which is the salary of regular reporters. Reporters who do special work are generally paid more. Their salaries range from $25 to $35 per week. On the very best papers there are very few reporters who draw salaries ranging from $35 to $50 per week. Such men are as well paid as men in the editorial department. The chiefs of the different editorial departments draw from $30 to $50 a week. Managing editors and editors-in-chief get salaries ranging all the way from $2,500 to $10,000 per year.
From the mere money point of view there are other lines of work far easier to master, and more certain to bring large money rewards than journalism. The tendency now, however, is to pay bigger salaries to newspaper men. As it is, the income is greater than that of the minister and equal to that of a lawyer.