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Media Jobs

As new forms of media are developed, media professionals will need to hone their skills so they can navigate the ever-changing and evolving world of media and communications. Media careers ranging from journalists and broadcasters to bloggers and social media specialists are geared toward communicating a message to an audience or readership. Learn more about how to spread the word via a media career.

Journalists and Broadcasters
Journalists and broadcasters inform the public about news and events happening internationally, nationally, and locally. They report the news for newspapers, magazines, websites, TV, and radio, and they spend a lot of time in the field conducting interviews and investigating stories. Some journalists and broadcasters report on a particular topic such as sports, medicine, or politics, while others cover a wide range of issues. A bachelors degree in journalism or communication is usually required for entry into the field. Broadcasters are paid more than journalists an average annual salary of $55,720 versus $34,870 in May 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Bloggers
The rapid growth of online media has led to a myriad of new media job opportunities, chief among them the relatively new occupation of paid blogger. Bloggers are writers who regularly post content on a Web log (blog), which can be of any length and on any topic. Bloggers are usually experts in the field they blog about. As professional writers, they must be excellent communicators who understand what content most appeals to their audience. Blogging also requires discipline to produce high-quality research and writing on deadline or to post breaking news.

Social Media Specialists
Social media specialists are responsible for generating and maintaining a presence on social media sites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Foursquare, StumbleUpon), as well building an audience through campaigns, ads, and updates. In order to be successful, social media specialists must make the connection between statistics and how they translate to a campaigns success, branding, and return on investment. All of this requires strong writing, presentation, and data analytics skills. According to the BLS, social media specialists earned an average annual salary of $53,190 in May 2011.