SOLUTIONS JOURNALIST - WIS-TV

Gray Local Media, Inc; Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 45,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

WIS-TV is seeking a Solutions Journalist in Columbia, SC, to join a market-leading newsroom and develop enterprise reporting that holds power accountable while examining responses across broadcast and digital platforms.

The ideal candidate has 3–5 years in investigative or accountability reporting, strong public records skills, and the ability to tell rigorous, evidence-based stories with verifiable sources. FOIA/data skills are a plus.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years in investigative, enterprise, or accountability reporting (solutions journalism experience is a plus)
• Refined ability to write for both broadcast & digital presentation
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field
• Understanding of and adherence to AP Style for digital platforms and broadcasting writing for TV
• Ability to operate a field camera, editing, and lighting equipment
• Ability to lift/carry equipment ranging from 35-50 lbs
• Must have a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record
• Represent WIS professionally/responsibly in the community and newsroom, online and in person
• Must have the desire to win, reflect critically on your work, and apply feedback
• Demonstrated ability to report with rigor on evidence, impact, and limitations (data literacy and document reporting preferred)

Responsibilities

• Pitch, report, and produce enterprise/solutions stories that examine both the problem and credible responses, with clear evidence and limitations
• Shoot, write, edit, and publish multiplatform video (broadcast + digital) with high standards of verification and transparency
• Plan and execute short- and long-term projects on a shared enterprise calendar with newsroom stakeholders
• Use public records (FOIA), databases, documents, and data to uncover accountability and measure outcomes
• Develop sources and leads that reveal exclusive information and deepen reporting over time
• Interrogate claims made by institutions and organizations promoting “solutions,” testing what’s true and what’s overstated
• Center the audience with clear “why it matters” framing and practical context, without advocacy or cheerleadingPresent information fairly and accurately, including right-of-reply and strong attribution
• Collaborate closely with News leadership, digital, and producers to maximize reach, clarity, and follow-through reporting
• Build and maintain reporting systems (trackers, databases, timelines) to ensure stories evolve beyond a single hit
• Create strong digital components (explainers, FAQs, document viewers, short-form video, follow-ups) that extend impact and engagement

Skills

Investigative reporting

Public records

Multiplatform storytelling

AP Style

Video shooting/editing

Education

Bachelor's degree in journalism

Tools

Field camera operations

Adobe Premiere Pro

Job description

About Gray Media:

Today, we are a growing multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. We are the nation's largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets serving 117 full-power television markets that collectively reach approximately 37% of US television households. The portfolio includes 80 markets with the top-rated television station and 100 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station in average all-day ratings across 116 of such markets that were measured by Nielsen in 2025. We also own the largest Telemundo Affiliate group with 47 markets and Gray Digital Media, a full-service digital agency offering national and local clients digital marketing strategies with the most advanced digital products and services. Our additional media properties include video production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, and studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios.

About WIS-TV:

WIS is the #1 local media organization in the capital city market of Columbia, South Carolina. It is the market’s top-rated broadcast television station, a digital publisher reaching tens of millions of users each year, and the home of GDM Columbia, a full-service in-house digital advertising agency with national scale. WIS is also the hub for Palmetto Sports & Entertainment, a statewide broadcast sports network, and an affiliate of Telemundo SC.

Serving South Carolina's Midlands since 1953, WIS offers the opportunity to join an award-winning culture for a popular brand built upon decades of market leadership. Named the South Carolina Broadcasters Association's Station of the Year a record 17 times, WIS has earned the Edward R. Murrow Award for Journalism Excellence, the National Association of Broadcasters' Service to America Award, the George Foster Peabody Award, and is an annual attendee of the Southeast Emmy Awards.

Among the many notable former journalists who helped set our standard, NBC Today Show co-host Craig Melvin began his career with WIS as an intern, photographer, reporter, and then anchor.

WIS produces more than 60 hours of local, original programming per week. The station offers a unique variety of multiplatform advertising solutions, sponsored content, and professional creative services for businesses of any size.

Columbia, South Carolina, is a vibrant and growing capital city with a diverse population. It is home to the U.S. Army's largest installation for Basic Combat Training, Fort Jackson, along with the University of South Carolina and multiple other colleges and universities. WIS is located downtown, just two blocks from the South Carolina State House.

Our community combines affordable quality of living with a variety of entertainment and activities to accommodate your lifestyle, whether it's our 50,000-acre Lake Murray, our Columbia Fireflies minor league baseball team, the Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens, nearby Congaree National Park, and so much more.

Job Summary/Description:

A Solutions Journalist at WIS joins a market-leading, award-winning newsroom to research, develop, and produce enterprise reporting that doesn’t stop at identifying what’s broken. This role is for an investigative-minded storyteller who understands evolving audience demand for journalism that holds power accountable while also rigorously examining responses—what’s being tried, what’s working (or not), for whom, and why.

Solutions journalism is not “good news.” It is tough, evidence-based reporting about responses to problems, grounded in:

• Evidence of effectiveness (data, results, credible evaluation)
• Insight (what can be learned and why it matters here)
• Limitations (tradeoffs, gaps, risks, what hasn’t worked, who’s left out)

The ideal candidate is an aggressive self-starter with strong public records skills, understands how to research, has a deep commitment to fairness and verification, and has the ability to produce compelling, high-impact stories across broadcast and digital platforms.

Duties/Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Pitch, report, and produce enterprise/solutions stories that examine both the problem and credible responses, with clear evidence and limitations
• Shoot, write, edit, and publish multiplatform video (broadcast + digital) with high standards of verification and transparency
• Plan and execute short- and long-term projects on a shared enterprise calendar with newsroom stakeholders
• Use public records (FOIA), databases, documents, and data to uncover accountability and measure outcomes
• Develop sources and leads that reveal exclusive information and deepen reporting over time
• Interrogate claims made by institutions and organizations promoting “solutions,” testing what’s true and what’s overstated
• Center the audience with clear “why it matters” framing and practical context, without advocacy or cheerleadingPresent information fairly and accurately, including right-of-reply and strong attribution
• Collaborate closely with News leadership, digital, and producers to maximize reach, clarity, and follow-through reporting
• Build and maintain reporting systems (trackers, databases, timelines) to ensure stories evolve beyond a single hit
• Create strong digital components (explainers, FAQs, document viewers, short-form video, follow-ups) that extend impact and engagement

Qualifications/Requirements:

• 3-5 years’ experience in investigative, enterprise, or accountability reporting (solutions journalism experience is a plus)
• Refined ability to write for both broadcast & digital presentation
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field
• Understanding of and adherence to AP Style for digital platforms and broadcasting writing for TV
• Ability to operate a field camera, editing, and lighting equipment
• Ability to lift/carry equipment ranging from 35-50 lbs
• Must have a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record
• Represent WIS professionally/responsibly in the community and newsroom, online and in person
• Must have the desire to win, reflect critically on your work, and apply feedback
• Demonstrated ability to report with rigor on evidence, impact, and limitations (data literacy and document reporting preferred)

WIS-TV/Gray Media is a drug-free company

Additional Info:

Gray Media provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Gray Media complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment at every location where the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Gray Media expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with Gray’s employees' ability to perform their job duties may result in discipline, up to and including discharge.