A news correspondent is a type of journalist who works for the television news, and provides direct coverage of recent events, usually teamed up with a cameraman. News correspondents are usually dispatched to the site of a currently popular event by the news agencies they work for, or they may take their own initiative in finding things to report. The news correspondent will usually talk to viewers live, reporting anything of interest related to the current event, in most cases trying to conceal their emotions in a professional manner (which can be very difficult in live reporting).
Becoming a news correspondent usually requires a degree in journalism, and the job can be very competitive in some places, due to the large number of people trying to get hired in the industry. In general, some previous working experience for a newspaper or another type of news outlet is almost always required, as well as the ability to report in a concise manner, concentrating on the important points and disregarding any emotions.
The average annual salary of a news correspondent is between $55,000 – $100,000. The large difference in both ends comes mainly from the fact that news correspondents’ work varies frequently, as in some cases they’ve got a heavy workload to take care of, while in others they do next to nothing – and it depends mostly on the events at the moment. In most cases, television studios tend to compensate news correspondents accordingly for any extra effort they’re putting in scouting for news, etc.