Los Angeles Journalism Jobs Overview
In today’s culture of accelerated app usage, instant gratification, and clickbaiting for page views, journalists need to keep one underlying directive in mind: adaptation. There’s ever-growing competition for attention playing out in the digital space, with social media, legacy publications, and new media all battling it out. Hence, those who can integrate their journalistic acuity with tech proficiencies will get the best journalism jobs.
Do you have an inquisitive mind? Are you a good writer who isn’t afraid to ask tough questions and do the legwork? Do you enjoy delving into datasets to extract the right information? Then you may want to jump into a journalism career. Your daily schedule will have you pitching story ideas; researching documents and archives to synthesize facts; making calls to gather quotes or schedule interviews; hitting the field to observe and report; strapping yourself to your desk to pump out articles on-deadline; and working with your editor on revisions before going to press.
You can expand your search for media jobs by checking out these similar positions:
About Working in Los Angeles, California
The Hollywood sign stands for everything glamourous and star-studded in Los Angeles. But did you know it was built in the 1920s to advertise a new neighborhood called Hollywoodland? The "land" was eventually dropped from the sign in 1949, and it became associated with nearby Paramount Pictures, Universal, and Warner Brothers. Today, downtown L.A. is the largest government hub outside of Washington D.C. and has the largest historical theater district in the U.S. But not all Los Angeles jobs are in show business. More than 700,000 health services and biomedical jobs and 190,000 aerospace jobs stoke L.A.'s economy.
If L.A. were a country, the city's economy would be bigger than those of Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and Sweden. Los Angeles is a sprawling metropolis, engulfing five counties—Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, Orange, and San Bernardino. If you're looking for jobs in Los Angeles, you have a lot of choices for relocation. There are more than 80 neighborhoods in L.A. and 16 districts just in downtown. For those who want a slightly less hectic pace, you can also find jobs in L.A.'s beautiful suburbs, including Pasadena, West Covina, and Anaheim.
Update Your Los Angeles Journalism Resume
Recruiters for journalism jobs will be looking for a particular set of accomplishments on your resume, so make sure to highlight the following:
- Interviewing skills (and whom you’ve already interviewed and/or profiled).
- The nature of your source list and how many contacts you have within certain industries.
- Any stories that you broke or scoops/exclusives that you brokered.
- Any awards you received for outstanding reporting.
If you’re already concentrating on any specific fields or subject matter, give some examples of how you’ve applied your expertise. But if you’re still feeling jammed, read through our reporter resume sample. You should also include a magnetic cover letter that outlines your journalistic ethos—everything from your storytelling approach and aptness for uncovering stories before others to your ability to protect sources and hold corruptors accountable. Get some pointers from our journalism cover letter.
How Much Do Journalism Jobs Pay in Los Angeles, California?
Got money on your mind? You should! Make sure you’re getting paid what you’re worth. Our Salary Tools can help you understand what you can expect to make in journalism jobs in Los Angeles, California, as well as the skills that can boost your value and what the next steps in your career might be. Right now, the median reporter pay in Los Angeles is $45,059 per year, which is 10% higher than the national average.
Find Your Next Los Angeles Journalism Job. Monster Can Help Get You Started
Are you prepared for a career in journalism? If so, set up your profile on Monster for free and begin clicking on those journalism jobs. When you sign up with us, you’ll receive custom job alerts and expert advice on how to negotiate your salary in Los Angeles, how to nail your job interview, and more.