As of April 22, 2025, the average annual salary for a Journalist in the United Kingdom is £38,806, with an hourly rate of £19, according to Salary.com Global Salary IQ data. The average salary ranges from £34,925 to £48,110, influenced by factors like location, education, experience, and more.

Global Market Data
25TH   £34,925
50TH(Median)   £38,806
75TH   £48,110
Journalist Salaries by Percentile
Percentile Salary Location Last Updated
25th Percentile Journalist Salary £34,925 United Kingdom April 22, 2025
50th Percentile Journalist Salary £38,806 United Kingdom April 22, 2025
75th Percentile Journalist Salary £48,110 United Kingdom April 22, 2025

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How Much Does a Journalist Make by Hour, Week, Month, and Year?

Last Updated on April 22, 2025

Salary.com provides you with accurate and diversified Journalist salary data based on specialized databases to help you get a fairer salary. The average annual pay for a Journalist is about £38,806 a year, this translates to an approximate hourly rate of £19, a monthly salary of about £3,234, and a weekly pay of around £746. Click the switch button below to see more details about Journalist hourly pay, weekly pay, monthly pay, and so on.

How Much Do Journalists Earn at Different Levels in 2025?

A Journalist's salary varies significantly based on experience level. Entry typically earn £35,968 - £38,227, while Intermediate make £36,779 - £39,084, Senior earn £37,937 - £41,861, Specialist earn £39,778 - £45,194, Expert can reach £40,195 - £45,610 or more, depending on the company and location.

Levels Salary
Entry Level Journalist £37,532
Intermediate Level Journalist £38,227
Senior Level Journalist £40,195
Specialist Level Journalist £43,389
Expert Level Journalist £43,666
£37,532 0 yr
£38,227 < 2 yrs
£40,195 2-4 yrs
£43,389 5-8 yrs
£43,666 > 8 yrs
Entry Level 3%
Intermediate Level 1%
Senior Level 4%
Specialist Level 12%
Expert Level 13%
View as Table
View as Graph
Last Updated on April 22, 2025

Skills to Boost a Journalist Salary

Mastering key skills can significantly increase your earning potential as a Journalist. According to Salary.com's Real-time Job Posting Data, expertise in Storytelling can lead to a 7% salary raise, while strong News Reporting skills boost pay by a 4%. Even Public Relations can result in a 2% salary increase.

Skill Library evaluates talent skills across five levels, supported by 5-10 behavior indicators, delivering precise insights for data-driven hiring decisions.
Storytelling
Planning, creating and presenting stories or narratives to achieve diverse personal and business goals.
News Reporting
News reporting involves discovering all relevant facts, selecting and presenting the important facts and weaving a comprehensive story. Reporting involves hard work, which in turn involves stamina and patience. The main function of journalistic profession is news reporting.
Public Relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of deliberately managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) and the public. Public relations may include an organization or individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment. This differentiates it from advertising as a form of marketing communications. Public relations is the idea of creating coverage for clients for free, rather than marketing or advertising. But now, advertising is also a part of greater PR Activities. An example of good public relations would be generating an article featuring a client, rather than paying for the client to be advertised next to the article. The aim of public relations is to inform the public, prospective customers, investors, partners, employees, and other stakeholders and ultimately persuade them to maintain a positive or favorable view about the organization, its leadership, products, or political decisions. Public relations professionals typically work for PR and marketing firms, businesses and companies, government, and public officials as PIOs and nongovernmental organizations, and nonprofit organizations. Jobs central to public relations include account coordinator, account executive, account supervisor, and media relations manager.
More Skills...
Based on recent job listings, in-demand skills in the Journalist field include Storytelling (7%), News Reporting (4%), Public Relations (2%), Advertising (2%), and Workday (2%). These skills reflect current market needs.
Skills Salary Demand
Skill & Salary Demand
Storytelling £41,522
Storytelling
£41,522
7%
News Reporting £40,358
News Reporting
£40,358
4%
Public Relations £39,582
Public Relations
£39,582
2%
Advertising £39,582
Advertising
£39,582
2%
Workday £39,582
Workday
£39,582
2%
Storytelling
1.81%
News Reporting
3.52%
Public Relations
2.65%
Advertising
2.07%
Workday
5.21%

What are the Highest Paying Cities in the United Kingdom for Journalist?

The top 3 highest-paying cities in the United Kingdom for Journalist are London, Brighton and Hove, and Manchester. In London, the average salary is £41,910 per year, while Brighton and Hove offers £39,094, and Manchester pays around £37,197 annually.

Which Job Pays More: Senior Journalist or Journalist?

As of April 22, 2025 , a Senior Journalist makes less than a Journalist. A Senior Journalist earns an average annual salary of £38,486. And a Journalist earns an average annual salary of £38,806.

Job Title Salary Range in GBP
Senior Journalist
£33,579
£45,252

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