Political journalists often strive to report on current pollical events in community, local or national matters. An excellent political commentator should remain unbiased, regardless of his political stance. However, most are controversial and often lean towards one viewpoint. Unlike other reporters, a political journalist needs to be familiar with political science, political power, and civil governments. It is for this reason that they fetch a high price in the market. On average, the salary of an average political journalist is about $55,231 annually.
Top Political Journalists and Their Salaries
1. Megyn Kelly Net Worth and Salary
Megyn Kelly identifies as an Independent American political journalist, talk show host, and lawyer. Her fame and correspondence to the world of reporting stem from her long hosting career at Fox News. She served the network from 2004 to 2017 and switched to NBC, where she hosted Today. Two years later, amid controversy, Kelly left the network and began her media production company, Devil May Care Media.
Despite her departure from well-established Networks, Megyn Kelly’s financial wallet hardly took a dent. She signed a book deal with HarperCollins to published her autobiography that allegedly brought in more than $10 million. Currently, according to International Business Times, Megyn Kelly’s net worth features a cool $45 million from an annual salary of $23 million.
2. Rachel Maddow Net Worth and Salary
Rachel Maddow is an American liberal political commentator, author, and television host on MSNBC Network. She is also the first openly lesbian journalist in the United States to headline a primetime news program. Maddow’s career began during her college years while co-hosting for WRNX. She would slowly transition from radio broadcasting to podcasts and finally to television media.
Rachel Maddow often airs her liberal commentary on political views on television as well as social media. Maddow has been the recipient of one Grammy and several Emmy Awards. Her current contract with MSNBC sees that she receives $7 million as an annual salary with side income sources in her published works. Rachel Maddow’s net worth currently reads $25 million.
3. Christiane Amanpour Net Worth and Salary
Some of the best journalists in the world have often reported fearlessly in significant conflict areas. CNN’s Christiane Amanpour is a British-Iranian journalist who took CNN to a new level of news coverage in the Iran-Iraq war.
The journalist flawlessly reported on hot stories such as European Communism, Democratized Revolutions, and the Bosnian War. Christiane even criticized former president Barrack Obama’s non-interventionist approach to Syria. Her work doesn’t just feature on CNN alone; she’s worked with other ABC and PBS news networks.
Christian Amanpour’s net worth currently reads $16 million with an annual salary of $5 million as per online sources. While reporting the current news takes up much of the time, Christiane also nets in some amount from her Screen and media appearances. Additionally, her contributions to the Council of Foreign Relations also make up part of her income.
4. Jake Tapper Net Worth and Salary
Jake Tapper is a highly acclaimed American journalist, author, and cartoonist with a huge fan following on social media. Some of his greatest works include covering the inauguration of President Obama and moderating the Republican primary debate of September 2015. With a bit of luck, Jake also several contributions to media outlets like GQ, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and more.
Jake Tapper’s on-duty calls have seen him live and on-air on networks such as CNN and ABC. He was also the recipient of three Merriman Smith Memorial Awards while working as the White House Correspondent for ABC news. For all his work, Celebrity Net worth reports Jake Tappers at $8 million with a salary of $4 million from both networks.
5. Chuck Todd Net Worth and Salary
Most political reporters studied political science alongside journalism as their main course in college. Chuck Todd, however, had the first-hand experience in running various political campaigns before his journalism career. He ran former senator Tom Harkin’s 1992 presidential campaign before heading over at National Journals. Since then, Chuck has been influential in delivering current political affairs on NBC and MSNBC.
According to online reports, Chuck Todd’s net worth currently holds steady at $2 million. The salary of this political journalist, however, remains a mystery despite working at The Hotline and its affiliates for 15 years. His other professional ventures and sources of income include working as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University. Todd is also the author of several books, which in turn generate lots of revenue.
6. Eugene Scott Net Worth and Salary
Eugene Scott’s work as a political journalist transcends many of his peers. In the early 1990s, he joined a scholarship program by Donald E. Graham that got him hooked as a writer. Scott has written for Washington Post’s The Fix, which has him mostly touching on identity politics. He was also the breaking news political reporter at CNN, instrumental during the 2016 presidential election.
Eugene Scott’s current net worth stands at approximately $1 million, whereas the salary of this political journalist sits at $75K per year. Besides writing about politics, he was also a researcher for Time Magazine and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. Scott’s political activism can be found on his podcast, The Next Four Years, available on Amazon
7. Thomas Friedman Net Worth and Salary
Thomas Friedman is an extensive writer, journalist, and political columnist of the New York Times magazine. After earning his degree from Oxford University, Friedman has been frantic to air out his views as a journalist. Initially, he worked for the United Press and later switched careers with The Washington Post. His political opinions mostly touch on terrorism, Wars in Iraq, Kosovo, Iran, Israel, and Radical Centrism in China.
As a three-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, it’s safe to assume Thomas Friedman’s net worth in the million-dollar category. However, the exact figure of the salary of this political journalist remains elusive from the public eye. We know his strong ties to billionaire cofounder of a shopping mall empire, Mathew Bucksbaum, after marrying his daughter, Ann Bucksbaum.
8. John Yang Net Worth and Salary
John Yang is an American gay political journalist and news correspondent on PBS NewsHour. He is also the recipient of the Peabody Award for his comprehensive coverage of news at ABC network. He served as a correspondent on shows like Today and MSNBC and other networks such as ABC News. After which, in 2016, Yang transitioned from NBC News programming to PBS. He has done many pieces touching on economic policies and domestic politics surrounding Congress and the White House.
John Yang’s net worth currently falls short of a million and sits at $660K while his salary comes at $176K per online source. He, however, lives lavishly, having bought a condominium apartment in Lake View for approximately $7 million.