On any given day, an MMJ will face numerous tasks. As a news director, I expect MMJs to attend pitch meetings with three "turnable" story ideas and two of them should be top story worthy. Writing for multimedia platforms is also included in today’s job descriptions for MMJs, and increasingly, publishing content online and on social media are as well.

There is no tried and true formula for coming up with story ideas or what types of stories should be included in a newscast, but there are several considerations that should be part of the decision-making process. Asking ‘what are people talking about’ or ‘what should people be talking about’ is a good starting place for identifying relevant content (Rickel & Sardella, 1995). MMJs should also be observant and curious about what is happening in their communities. During a drive in to work, for example, an MMJ may see a parcel of land being cleared. After calling the planning and zoning board, the MMJ learns that a new hotel will be built. That could be developed into a story about the need for more hotel rooms in the city, complete with an explanation from the tourism committee about why the need is growing and how they plan to address it. Other sources to consider for story idea inspiration include, AP wires, news releases, meeting agendas, news conferences, follow-up ideas from previous reports, environmental scanning of traditional media and incoming calls, emails, or social media messages (Papper, 2015).

Writing should be accurate and conversational. MMJs must develop a writing technique that is easily understood and is pleasant to the ear. It is best to write the way you talk, provided that you use standard English as your vernacular (Dobbs, 2015). Tompkins (2011) offers basic practices that should be goals when writing for broadcast. Writing strong leads allows an MMJ to hook a viewer into a story with an emotional or sometimes bombastic point-of-entry. Complete attribution demonstrates transparency and gives clarity to the view about the source of the information reported. Avoiding clichés often makes MMJ’s writing more specific and meaningful.

The web/social media strategy I developed as news director was designed to set realistic expectations for MMJs, to engage news consumers through social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, drive them to the station’s website to read stories and watch video, and to give them a reason to watch the broadcast product. It was written after reviewing social media and web analytical data that illustrated when and how our news consumers were most available.  MMJs are expected to post preliminary versions of their stories onto station websites before they leave the station.  This should be a two to three sentence summary of what they’re covering and pushing to the next newscast (Example: “The Planning and Zoning Commission is discussing the South Railroad Spur.  We plan to talk with county leaders and residents about the proposed ethanol pipeline.  We’ll have a full story tonight at 6:00.”)

MMJs should update their web article when they return to the station.  This could be a two to three sentence update of what they learned while covering the story (Example: “The Planning and Zoning Commission has postponed the decision of South Railroad Spur.  Find out why, and what residents have to say about the proposed ethanol pipeline.  We’ll have a full story tonight at 6.”) MMJs should update their web article with the complete story, including some added information that did not make it on air due to time limitations. Web articles must be done for every story.  If a reporter is covering three different stories, he/she should post three different web articles (and update all of them throughout the day).

It is important to remember that there is an audience for social media at all times, and that engaging content adds value to the platform for the news consumer. Similar to web postings, MMJs should post to social media before they leave the station.  This should be a text posting of about two sentences and that promote the next newscast (example: Ten singers and songwriters from the city are being featured on an upcoming CD.  We’ll have the story tonight on the news at 6. LINK).  MMJs should make a video tease for social media while they are out on their story.  This should be about 15 seconds (Example: “I’m John Smith, and I’m out at Classic Theater in downtown where ten local singers and songwriters are getting an opportunity to showcase their music.  It’s part of a collaboration between local chamber members and a well-known producer.  Find out more tonight on the news at 6:00. LINK”). Finally, MMJs should post a picture, a sentence about their story or the headline, and a link to their web story. That amounts to a minimum of three social media posts a day per story.

Time management is the key to being able to effectively multi-task all of the responsibilities that MMJs must complete (Tompkins, 2011).

The role of a reporter is in flux, and has been since the first scholarly research of the profession was conducted in the 17th century. It is understood that all reporters are journalists, but not all journalists are reporters. A journalist is a person who has “editorial responsibility for the preparation or transmission of news stories or other information” (Weaver, Beam, Brownlee, Voakes, & Wilhoit, 2009).

Papper (2016a, 2016b) found that newsrooms in the United States are actively and strategically redefining the roles of reporters. More newsrooms want more content on the web, and in some cases they are forcing reporters to publish a minimum number of stories each day. The multimedia demands on journalists is creating an environment where reporters are finding new roles and professional opportunities that allow them to utilize their newly acquired skill-sets; these are often outside of a newsroom (Sánchez-García et al., 2015). Those who remain in newsrooms continue to inform through multiple platforms: television, social media, websites, apps, radio, print, etc.

Multi-media journalists’ responsibilities extend beyond television. Papper (2015) surveyed news directors across the country and found that more than 78% of television stations distribute news content to other media companies. While larger market stations enjoy the benefit of more work distribution among larger staffs, smaller television markets and their smaller staffs are learning to serve the multi-media demands of today. In markets 101+, the typical station has four or five MMJs, who were most likely college students previously (Papper, 2015).

Sánchez-García et al., (2015) reviewed the sentiments and job functions of journalists in Spain and explored the changes in the profession brought on by the new media environment. The authors found that the media landscape is continuing to change and more duties involving online and multimedia content are being added to their responsibilities. How journalists perform their jobs is changing, but the core role of journalists to inform is steadfast. Their research revealed that a closed definition of the specific job functions of a journalist can never be absolute because the business is in a state of transition toward new digital business models (Sánchez-García et al., 2015).   The authors noted that when Tobias Peucer published Relationes Novellae in 1690, journalists were not simply writers; instead, they were considered “historian-journalists.” Peucer explained that journalists embodied several “virtues” as they conducted their work; those virtues included, intelligence, judgment, respect, and pursuit of the truth (Atwood & de Beer, 2001). Those same characteristics continue to be among the ideals that serve as standards for reporters in contemporary times (“RTDNA Code of Ethics,” 2015, “SPJ Code of Ethics,” 2014; Tompkins, 2011).

Currently, new internet-based and digital technologies are disrupting what is now referred to as traditional media (television, radio, and newspapers) and how reporters perform their duties as newsgatherers. The expansion of digital publications has allowed new outlets for digital and original reporting (Mitchell & Holcomb, 2016).  That expansion is fueled by increased demand for news content (Madison, 2014). Despite the new outlets, many media companies expect television reporters to multi-task to create new or additional reports to accommodate those expansions, instead of adding mirror positions for the new digital content distribution channels, according to a research interview conducted with a local television station general manager.

MMJs face multitasking on a daily basis. Wenger & Potter (2014) included an account from one MMJ who explained that she was responsible for a 90-second story, two 30-second versions of that story, a written web story, and was responsible for attaching video to that web story. Before the end of the day, an MMJ may need to make sure a story is published and updated on a TV station's website, make regular updates on several social media accounts, and prepare traditional broadcast reports for as many as five newscasts. The technological advances and audience expectations are what drive the ever-changing job descriptions of journalists (Wenger & Potter, 2014).

Zafra (2014) explained that television reporters are able to multi-task because of technological developments and the affordability of those new technologies. Such multi-tasking includes several technical jobs that have not traditionally been assigned to reporters, but with the refining of roles and titles, such as MMJ, television journalists have added those skills and responsibilities to their job function (Zafra, 2014).