Digital Video Journalist / Social Content MMJ

Sinclair Broadcast Group; Amarillo (TX); On-site; USD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Sinclair Broadcast Group has an immediate opening for a Digital Video Journalist / Social Content MMJ in Amarillo, Texas. This role is for a creative journalist to produce exclusive video content across digital and social platforms. The candidate must have strong video creation skills and understand audience engagement on various platforms.

The role includes responsibilities such as creating original digital videos, pitching stories, and engaging communities in the Texas Panhandle. A bachelor's degree in journalism and relevant experience are preferred.

Qualifications

• Ability to write clean, accurate, conversational copy.
• Comfort appearing on camera and conducting interviews.
• Ability to shoot and edit quickly under deadline pressure.

Responsibilities

• Create original digital video content for KVII's platforms.
• Research, write, shoot, edit, and publish stories independently.
• Produce short-form vertical videos for social media.

Skills

Strong writing, shooting, and editing skills

Experience creating content for social media platforms

Strong organizational skills

Knowledge of social media trends

Ability to work independently

Education

Bachelor's degree in journalism or related field

Tools

Adobe Premiere

Final Cut

Job description

KVII/KVIH has an immediate opening for a Digital Video Journalist / Social Content MMJ in Amarillo, Texas.

We are looking for a creative, self-starting journalist who can create exclusive, platform-first video content for KVII’s digital, streaming, and social audiences. This position is built for someone who thinks like a reporter, shoots like a visual storyteller, edits with urgency, and understands how audiences consume news on YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels, station websites, mobile apps, and streaming platforms.

This is not a traditional desk-only digital role. The right candidate should be able to write, shoot, edit, publish, and appear on camera when needed, similar to a traditional MMJ. The primary focus will be producing original vertical and social-first content, but stories produced in this role may also be used on KVII’s linear newscasts when appropriate.

KVII serves the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, plus four counties in eastern New Mexico. This role is designed to help KVII reach those communities wherever they are watching, scrolling, searching, or streaming.

Responsibilities include:

• Create original, exclusive digital video content for KVII’s social, mobile, streaming, and online platforms.
• Produce short-form vertical videos for YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Facebook Reels, and Instagram Reels.
• Pitch, research, write, shoot, edit, caption, and publish stories independently.
• Identify local stories, community moments, explainers, weather, sports, public safety, consumer, lifestyle, and trending topics that can perform well with digital and social audiences.
• Develop accountability-focused digital stories that ask questions, seek answers, and follow up on issues important to viewers across the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma Panhandle, and eastern New Mexico.
• Turn viewer concerns, public records, local government decisions, consumer complaints, safety issues, and community problems into clear, fair, accurate, and engaging digital-first journalism.
• Produce “what happened next” follow-ups that track whether promises were kept, problems were fixed, and public concerns were addressed.
• Explain how local decisions affect viewers’ lives, including issues tied to schools, roads, taxes, public safety, severe weather recovery, utilities, housing, agriculture, and local government.
• Turn KVII newsroom content into platform-appropriate social video while also creating original content that starts online.
• Use strong hooks, natural sound, captions, graphics, pacing, and mobile-first editing to make stories clear, accurate, and engaging.
• Shoot and edit video in the field using professional cameras, mobile tools, and newsroom editing systems.
• Appear on camera when needed for explainers, social updates, live streams, and digital-first storytelling.
• Work with producers, reporters, anchors, photographers, editors, and digital staff to develop content that can live across multiple platforms.
• Contribute video, sound, interviews, and story elements that may be used in KVII linear newscasts when appropriate.
• Monitor audience trends, platform performance, analytics, comments, and engagement to help guide future content decisions.
• Follow KVII and Sinclair editorial standards, copyright rules, legal guidelines, and journalistic ethics.
• Help grow KVII’s social audience, digital video reach, and connection with younger and mobile-first viewers.
• Perform other newsroom and digital duties as assigned.

Required skills and qualifications:

• Strong writing, shooting, and editing skills.
• Ability to work independently as a digital-first MMJ.
• Strong understanding of short-form vertical video and platform-specific storytelling.
• Experience creating content for TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, or similar platforms.
• Ability to write clean, accurate, conversational copy for digital and social audiences.
• Solid news judgment and understanding of local journalism.
• Ability to ask direct questions, pursue follow-ups, and handle accountability stories with fairness, accuracy, and professionalism.
• Comfort reading public documents, reviewing basic data, requesting information, and turning complex issues into understandable stories.
• Comfort appearing on camera and conducting interviews.
• Ability to shoot and edit quickly under deadline pressure.

Knowledge of social media trends, audience behavior, captions, thumbnails, hooks, and video pacing.

Ability to balance creativity with accuracy, fairness, and newsroom standards.

Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects at once.

Flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, holidays, and breaking news as needed.

Valid driver’s license and clean driving record.

Preferred qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, digital media, or related field.
• Previous experience as an MMJ, digital journalist, video producer, content creator, social media producer, or accountability reporter.
• Experience with Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, CapCut, Canva, Photoshop, or similar editing/design tools.
• Experience using analytics to evaluate performance and improve content strategy.
• Experience with public records requests, data-driven reporting, source development, or consumer/problem-solving journalism.
• Knowledge of SEO, social headlines, thumbnails, captions, and mobile-first publishing.
• Familiarity with newsroom CMS systems, social publishing tools, and streaming platforms.

What we’re looking for:

The ideal candidate is a journalist and creator in one. You should be curious, creative, accurate, and fast. You should know how to take a local story and make it work for someone scrolling on a phone, while still meeting the standards of a professional newsroom.

KVII’s coverage area offers a wide range of content opportunities: severe weather, agriculture, education, high school sports, Texas Panhandle culture, public safety, local government, military, community events, Route 66, and stories from across the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma Panhandle, and eastern New Mexico.

Social video is an increasingly important way audiences discover news. Pew Research Center’s 2025 social media research notes that YouTube remains the most widely used social platform among U.S. adults, while Instagram and TikTok continue to be major platforms for younger and mobile-first audiences. This role is designed to help KVII meet viewers where they are while maintaining the credibility, accuracy, and public-service mission of local journalism.

Sinclair is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and a drug free workplace. Employment practices will not be influenced or affected by virtue of an applicant's or employee's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.