Multimedia Journalist

The Multimedia Journalist will help lead video and multimedia efforts for Military Times and Defense News, as well as Sightline Media’s other brands. Primary responsibilities center around production of the weekly television show, Defense News Weekly, live event support, and day-to-day reporting on the military and defense news beats. The Multimedia Journalist will need to be able to produce both spot news stories and longform features, and appear on camera at need. Experience in all areas of the production chain – from finding and pitching stories to putting the final touches on an edit – is required.

In addition to strong production and editing skills, experience in front of the camera as a field reporter or other talent is preferred. The Multimedia Journalist should be comfortable shooting video in a fast-moving environment and be ready to edit their own footage under tight deadlines. Live video production will be an essential part of on-the-job learning to help support the team. A functional understanding of the U.S. military and defense spaces is helpful, but not required.

Responsibilities

Finding and Sourcing Stories
The Multimedia Journalist is required to find and pitch stories, then execute packages on deadline, to include finding and booking guests/sources and working with Sightline Media reporters and experts to film and deliver stories.

Video Production
Candidate must have some experience in all elements of production, including shooting video (including multi-cam), collecting clean, professional audio, and proper lighting. Experience with professional video cameras is a great asset.

Editing and Post Production
Candidate will be expected to edit a range of stories on a weekly basis, from spot news packages to features to short social-ready videos. As such, proficiency in Adobe Premiere Pro is a base requirement.

On-air reporting and hosting
As a producer for our weekly television show, the Multimedia Journalist will be expected to appear on camera as necessary as either part of field packages or as partial host of the show. An effective on-camera presence is helpful and comfort in front of the camera is important. At need, this may include interviews with senior leaders from military, government and industry, both in-studio and in the field.

Live Event Video Switching and Production
For Military Times and Defense News Video, live events are all-hands-on-deck operations. Every member of the team is expected to learn and be able to operate our live-switching software to ensure redundancy. This will be taught on the job.

Distribution
Each member of the video team aids in the department’s distribution requirements, including uploading videos to various CMS and social media platforms, and generating copy and thumbnails to accompany videos and stories.

This is a highly challenging and fast-paced role that requires a jack-of-all-trades experience set and suite of capability. Candidates from the world of daily broadcast journalism are well suited here, but one-man-band news producers may also have the skillset. A baseline requirement is experience in journalism and news: this is a news producer position with a high bar for entry.