Is it your newsroom, or journalism?
Many journalists leave because the jobs disappeared while they still loved the work. Before leaving the business, check whether you are leaving journalism or a shrinking corner of it. Tick what's true for you.
There are no wrong answers, and ticking a mix is normal.
Most journalists still believe in the work
Pew Research Center found US newsroom employment fell 26% between 2008 and 2020, with newspaper newsroom jobs down 57% while digital-native newsroom jobs more than doubled. Challenger, Gray and Christmas counted 4,902 announced news job cuts in 2024 and 2,254 in 2025.
| Answer | Share |
|---|---|
| Would choose a career in news again | 77% |
| Describe the industry with a negative word | 72% |
| Highly concerned about future press restrictions | 57% |
| At least somewhat concerned about their job security | 42% |
| Harassed or threatened by an outsider in the past year | 42% |
Yet in Pew's 2022 survey of 11,889 journalists, most still believed in the job while doubting the industry. Half said their pay had not moved in the past year, and TV journalists were the least positive about their jobs and the most likely to report harassment. If you still love reporting and are leaving over layoffs, pay or harassment, the best move keeps the reporting habits and fixes the conditions.
14 careers journalists move into, ranked by what you want
Pick what matters most. The list re-ranks. Pay is the US median compared with the journalist median of $62,200. Open any row for why it fits and the first step.
Pay: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 medians where an occupation exists. “Skills carried over” and “Fit” are our editorial ratings.
What 4,288 experienced career changers told us
Government data tells you what each career pays. It can't tell you what holds experienced people back or what they want next. These answers come from 4,288 MyPassion.ai quiz takers with four or more years of work experience, across every profession, January 29, 2026 to September 24, 2026. We publish a single profession only once at least 100 people from it have taken the quiz, and journalists aren't there yet.
What this means for you: not knowing which direction to pick is the most common struggle, ahead of being bored in the current job. The exit finder above narrows the field; the quiz below is built for the direction question.
Source: MyPassion.ai Career Changer Index 2026, self-reported answers from quiz takers with 4+ years of experience or returning after a break, January 29, 2026 to September 24, 2026. n = 4,288; each card shows its own base.
The quiz matches what you enjoy and what you're good at to specific careers, with salary data for each. Under 10 minutes, free.
Take the free quiz →Your reporting isn't wasted. Here's what it's worth outside a newsroom
O*NET lists getting information, verifying it and communicating with people outside the organization as the top activities of reporting. Every employer above needs those; they call them different things.
Three ways to make the switch
How you leave matters as much as where you go. Pick the route that matches your savings and how far you're moving.
Trade publications, nonprofit newsrooms, newsletters and digital-native outlets hire reporters. The trade-offs are audience size and prestige.
Content, editing and communications contracts hire on clips and deadlines. Use the first contract to test whether you like writing for a client.
User research and technical writing need methods or tools you can learn from a short course and two sample projects, without a new degree.
Where these jobs are posted
Journalism job boards mostly show newsroom roles. Search by the title and the type of employer instead.
Search "communications specialist", "media relations", "public affairs" at agencies, nonprofits and companies in the sector you covered.
Search "content strategist", "content editor", "newsletter editor", "managing editor" at companies with in-house publishing.
Search "user researcher", "UX researcher", "market research analyst" at product companies and research firms.
Search "technical writer", "documentation specialist" at software and health tech companies.
Search trade publications, nonprofit newsrooms and digital-native outlets in the beats you know.
Does your clip file still work?
Replace the clip list with five to eight pieces grouped by the skill each shows, and change your headline from "reporter" to the role you want. A hiring manager in content or research is not reading for scoops.
PR, public affairs, editing and trade reporting. Your strongest clips, grouped by beat and format.
Content strategy and communications. Re-present clips as explainers, campaigns and audience results.
User research and technical writing. Two or three samples in the target format: an interview synthesis, a how-to.
What happened to journalists who left
Paraphrased from public Reddit threads, usernames removed. Each card links to its thread.
A former investigative journalist now does data visualization and analysis at a large university, with similar skills, especially data storytelling, and room to learn new technologies.
One former reporter called marketing and PR a natural move. It felt like selling out at first, but owning a house and having a normal life outside work was worth it, and they like the work.
After a decade in journalism and burnout, one reporter spent two years in healthcare PR and now does nonprofit communications on climate.
Questions journalists ask before switching
What are the best alternative careers for journalists?
Moves that reuse the most include public relations and communications, content and marketing, technical writing, editing and publishing, market and user research, and teaching. O*NET lists public relations specialists, editors, writers and authors and producers among the occupations most related to reporting. Each keeps one part of the job: the investigation, the writing or the audience.
Is it hard for journalists to move into PR?
The skills transfer directly: you know how a pitch reads to an editor, how to write on deadline and how a story is built. The harder part is the switch in loyalty, writing for a client after years of independence. Try it on a freelance basis first. In the May 2025 BLS data, public relations specialists earn more than reporters at the median, and public relations managers earn far more.
Will I take a pay cut?
Usually not. In the May 2025 BLS wage data, every destination outside news with a BLS occupation pays more than the reporter median of $62,200. The exceptions are freelance writing, where the median hides a wide spread, and the first year of any move where you start with a junior title.
Why are so many journalists leaving the industry?
Mostly because the jobs shrank. Pew found US newsroom employment fell 26% between 2008 and 2020, and newspaper newsroom jobs fell 57%. Challenger, Gray and Christmas counted 4,902 announced news job cuts in 2024 and 2,254 in 2025. Yet 77% of journalists in Pew's 2022 survey said they would choose the career again.
What jobs can a laid-off journalist get quickly?
Contract and freelance work in content, editing and communications is usually the fastest income, because it hires on clips and deadlines. Handle severance and health insurance first, then take paying contract work while you decide on a permanent move.
Can a journalist become a technical writer?
Yes. Technical writing rewards the same habits as reporting: interviewing experts, turning complicated material into clear sentences and checking every fact. It pays well above reporting at the median in BLS data. The gap is subject knowledge, so reporters who covered technology, health or science have an advantage.
Do I need another degree?
Rarely. PR, content, editing, technical writing and most research roles hire on portfolio and experience. Public school teaching needs a state license, and university teaching usually needs a graduate degree or a strong professional record.
Can I go back to journalism later?
Yes. Clips and a beat don't expire, and experience in research, communications or a specialist industry can make you a stronger trade or nonprofit reporter.
Answer a few questions and get matched careers with salary data and a first step for each.
Start the free quiz →Related guides
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (pay)
- O*NET OnLine, News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists (activities and related occupations)
- Pew Research Center, U.S. newsroom employment has fallen 26% since 2008
- Pew Research Center, Journalists sense turmoil in their industry (2022 survey)
- Challenger, Gray and Christmas, 2025 year-end job cuts report
- Reddit, "Former journalists, what do you do now?" (r/Journalism, 2019)
- Reddit, "Who's pivoted to other career fields?" (r/Journalism, 2024)
- Reddit, "Former journalists who pivoted to another career" (r/Journalism, 2023)
- MyPassion.ai Career Changer Index 2026 (quiz takers with 4+ years of experience)