Top 10 worst jobs revealed – and it's not good for anyone in the media

After a year of almost daily debate and scrutiny about the virtues and pitfalls of the media, it's perhaps not surprising that reporters are considered to have the worst job in America.

That's the view of Career Cast, which has released its "Top 10 Worst Jobs 2017" list on Thursday, putting reporters and broadcasters at No. 1 and 2 (we presume they are not taking into account those of us who work for the benevolent, glorious leaders at GoMN).

The rankings were determined based on several factors, including median salary, expected job growth over the coming years, level of competition, amount of stress, amount of physical work required and safety hazards.

The job recruitment website notes that journalists and broadcasters have been operating against tight deadlines and under extreme pressure either from external scrutiny or internal workloads, which has contributed to high stress rankings for anyone who takes on the job.

While that pressure may be higher at a national level, those working for national newspapers and broadcasters tend to be well paid for their efforts. The median salary of $37,820 for reporters and $38,870 for broadcasters highlights that there are many working at the local level for significantly less.

Take into account dwindling job prospects too, as newspapers and TV stations continue to try and make money from online ventures as their print and TV revenues tighten. Jobs in newspaper reporting are expected to drop 9 percent by 2024 and 13 percent for broadcasting.

Other jobs that feature in the top 10 include those that present more physical challenges and safety risks.

The third worst job to have in 2017 is being a logger, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the second most dangerous job in America, with enlisted military personnel in fourth, and firefighters in eighth.

Top 10 worst jobs:

1. Newspaper reporter – median salary $37,820 – expected job growth -9%.
2. Broadcaster – median salary $38,870 – job growth -13%.
3. Logger – median salary $37,590 – job growth -4%.
4. Enlisted military personnel – median salary $27,936 – job growth 0%.
5. Pest control worker – median salary $33,010 – job growth -1%.
6. Disc jockey – median salary $30,830 – job growth -11%.
7. Ad salesperson – median salary $50,360 – job growth -3%.
8. Firefighter – median salary $48,030 – job growth +5%.
9. Retail salesperson – median salary $22,900 – job growth +7%.
10. Taxi driver – median salary $24,300 – job growth +13%.