In United Kingdom, published freelance rates for are £175–£289.38 a day.
Role
Assistant producer£900 a week Camera operator£300–£500 a 10-hour day Copy editor£31.92–£42.66 an hour Desk editor£44,792.40 a year Director£1,200 a week Edit producer£1,500 a week Feature writer£500 per 1,000 words Journalist£17,500–£25,500 a year Photographer£404 a day Producer£1,300 a week Producer-director£1,500 a week Reporter£175–£289.38 a day Researcher£750 a week Series producer£1,850 a week Sound recordist£430–£530 a 10-hour day Sub-editor£180–£200 a shift Video editor£155 an 8-hour day Video journalist£550 a day
Freelance
£175–£289.38 a day
Sources
3 documents
Pay rates for journalists in United Kingdom, as published by unions, governments and surveys, each quoted as printed and turned into a day's pay to compare. How the pay guide works →
Each published rate as a day's pay
On staff · 9 figures
£750 a week
£1,300 a week
Freelance · 10 figures
£25 a day
£289.38 a day
US$ a day at the ECB rate for the month. A month is 12 payments over 260 working days, or 13 or 14 where the agreement says so; a year is 260 days; a shift counts as a day.
| Type of work | What | As printed | US$ a day | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On staff | Researcher (PAYE) | £750 a week | $201.47 | Bectu · Recommended minimums |
| On staff | Full-time newspaper and periodical editors (2491): median gross annual pay | £44,792.40 a year | $231.39 | ONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026 |
| On staff | All journalists and reporters (2492), full and part time: median gross annual pay | £46,360.70 a year | $239.50 | ONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026 |
| On staff | Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): median gross weekly pay | £907 a week | $243.65 | ONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026 |
| On staff | Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): median gross annual pay | £48,153.40 a year | $248.76 | ONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026 |
| On staff | Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): median gross hourly pay | £23.54 an hour | $252.94 | ONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026 |
| On staff | Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): mean gross annual pay | £51,469.80 a year | $265.89 | ONS · Official statistics · 1 Apr 2026 |
| On staff | DV Director (PAYE) | £1,200 a week | $322.36 | Bectu · Recommended minimums |
| On staff | Producer (PAYE) | £1,300 a week | $349.22 | Bectu · Recommended minimums |
| Freelance | UK per diem for meals not provided | £25 a day | $33.57 | Bectu · Recommended minimums · 2 Feb 2023 |
| Freelance | Median annual income from freelance journalism, primary-occupation freelancers | £17,500 a year | $90.40 | CREATe · Survey |
| Freelance | Median total individual income incl. other paid work | £25,500 a year | $131.73 | CREATe · Survey |
| Freelance | Assistant Editor, minimum rate, 8 hr day | £155 an 8-hour day | $208.19 | Bectu · Recommended minimums |
| Freelance | Online: writing, per day | £175 a day | $235.05 | NUJ · Recommended minimums |
| Freelance | National newspapers: 6 or 7 hour sub-editing shift | £180 a shift | $241.77 | NUJ · Recommended minimums · 9 Aug 2021 |
| Freelance | National newspapers: writing news, per day | £200 a day | $268.63 | NUJ · Recommended minimums · 9 Aug 2021 |
| Freelance | Proofreading | £31.92 an hour | $342.99 | CIEP · Recommended minimums · 1 Mar 2026 |
| Freelance | Indexing | £34 an hour | $365.34 | CIEP · Recommended minimums · 1 Jan 2026 |
| Freelance | TV reporting or producing day, all-rights buyout | £289.38 a day | $388.68 | NUJ · Collective agreement · 1 Jan 2024 |
Advertised pay in United Kingdom
Open marketWhat employers offered in public job ads over the last 12 months, from 61 job ads with pay. These figures come from the open job market, not from journalist.net, and we do not check them.
Desk editorOn staff
£36,000 a year
ReporterOn staff
£37,500 a year
Desk editorOther or not stated
£36,975 a year
ReporterOther or not stated
£32,500 a year
JournalistOther or not stated
£52,500 a year
JournalistOn staff
£42,750 a year
ProducerOn staff
£32,250 a year
Journalism jobs in United Kingdom →
The middle figure of the ads for each job, with the middle half of them. Shown only where at least 3 employers posted ads with pay and none posted more than half of them.
Journalism in United Kingdom
Leading news outlets
BBC News Brasil
The Guardian
Goal
The Telegraph
The Independent
SkySports
EXPRESS
Reuters
Mirror
Nature
ITV Hub
Manchester Evening News
The highest-ranked news sites based in United Kingdom in EventRegistry's news-source ranking, most important first. Updated monthly.
Press freedom
18
/ 180
Satisfactory
In the 2026 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), United Kingdom ranks 18 of 180, with a score of 79.5 out of 100. Up 2 places on the year before.
RSF World Press Freedom Index ↗By job type
ONS · Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): median gross annual pay£48,153.40 Year
ONS · Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): mean gross annual pay£51,469.80 Year
ONS · All journalists and reporters (2492), full and part time: median gross annual pay£46,360.70 Year
ONS · Full-time journalists and reporters (2492): median gross weekly pay£907 Week
Reporter in United Kingdom, every figure →
Bectu · Camera Operator, TV drama Band 1 (<£1m/h), 10 hr day + 1 hr lunch£563 Day
Bectu · Camera Operator, TV drama Band 3 (<£7m/h), 10 hr day + 1 hr lunch£673 Day
Bectu · Camera Operator, TV drama Band 1, hourly base rate (1T)£56 Hour
Bectu · Camera Operator, Target Rate£500 Day of 10 hours with a meal break
Camera operator in United Kingdom, every figure →
Bectu · Unit Stills Photographer, TV drama Band 1, 10 hr day + 1 hr lunch£404 Day
Photographer in United Kingdom, every figure →
Bectu · Sound Engineer, 10 hour day£430 Day of 10 hours with a meal break
Bectu · Sound Supervisor, 10 hour day£530 Day of 10 hours with a meal break
Bectu · Sound Engineer overtime, 11th and 12th hours£43 Hour
Bectu · UK per diem for meals not provided£25 Day
Sound recordist in United Kingdom, every figure →
Bectu · Editor, minimum rate, 50 hr week£2,040 Week
Bectu · Editor, prime time, 50 hr week£2,250 Week
Bectu · Editor, premium budget (feature docs, landmark series), 50 hr week£2,370 Week
Bectu · Assistant Editor, minimum rate, 8 hr day£155 Day of 8 hours
Video editor in United Kingdom, every figure →
CIEP · Proofreading£31.92 Hour
CIEP · Copyediting£37.11 Hour
CIEP · Substantial editing, rewriting, development editing£42.66 Hour
CIEP · Indexing£34 Hour
Copy editor in United Kingdom, every figure →
NUJ · National newspapers: 6 or 7 hour sub-editing shift£180 Shift
NUJ · National newspaper supplements: 6 or 7 hour sub-editing shift, weekend£200 Shift
NUJ · Online: sub-editing, per day£180 Day
NUJ · Online sub-editing, per day£180 Day
Sub-editor in United Kingdom, every figure →
NUJ · Video shoot day, equipment included£550 Day
NUJ · TV news footage, up to 1 minute transmitted (immediate use only)£330 Piece or item
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
CREATe · Median annual income from freelance journalism, primary-occupation freelancers£17,500 Year
CREATe · Median total individual income incl. other paid work£25,500 Year
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
Bectu · Researcher (PAYE)£750 Week
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
Bectu · Producer/Director (sole trader)£1,500 Week
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
Bectu · DV Director (PAYE)£1,200 Week
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
NUJ · National newspapers, "qualities": normal features, per 1,000 words, from£500 1,000 words
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
Bectu · Edit Producer (sole trader)£1,500 Week
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
Bectu · Series Producer (sole trader)£1,850 Week
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
ONS · Full-time newspaper and periodical editors (2491): median gross annual pay£44,792.40 Year
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
Bectu · Producer (PAYE)£1,300 Week
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
Bectu · Assistant Producer incl. self-shooting AP (PAYE)£900 Week
Fewer than 3 figures, so this job stays as a row here.
Rates documents 17
BBC Scotland freelance and casual rates, agreed rate 2025/26 · Bectu · 2
Bectu Camera Branch rate card for TV drama and film, 1 Jan 2025 · Bectu1 Jan 2025 · 4
Bectu factual and entertainment TV editors rate card, 2023-24 · Bectu · 5
Bectu outside broadcast recommended freelance rates and terms, April 2023 · Bectu1 Apr 2023 · 3
Bectu recommended rates for outside broadcast sound freelancers, 2023 · Bectu2 Feb 2023 · 4
Bectu Unscripted TV minimum weekly rates, 2024/25 · Bectu · 7
CIEP suggested minimum hourly rates 2026–27 · CIEP1 Mar 2026 · 4
Earnings of UK freelance journalists, CREATe survey, Mar 2024 · CREATe · 2
Journo Resources freelance rates database (last updated Oct 2024) · Journo Resources · 0
NUJ Freelance Fees Guide suggested minimums for videography · NUJ · 3
NUJ Freelance Fees Guide: suggested minimum rates, national newspapers and online (rates updated 9 Aug 2021) · NUJ · 9
NUJ Rate for the Job: reported freelance rates (updated 29 Jun 2026) · NUJ · 0
NUJ-BBC house agreement minimum fees for freelance contributors, 2024 · NUJ1 Jan 2024 · 2
ONS ASHE pay for newspaper and periodical journalists and reporters (SOC 2020 2492), 2026 provisional · ONS1 Apr 2026 · 6
Unions and bodies in United Kingdom
Nearby
Lowest staff minimum in each country's agreements, as US$ a day.
About this data. These rates are compiled from publicly available sources and quoted as printed, with their date. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any figure. For information only: Journalist.net does not recommend or set rates. How we count