Months after ordering layoffs that shrank local newsrooms, the country’s largest newspaper chain is hiring journalists to exclusively cover two people: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.
Gannett posted two unusual want ads this week — one for a multi-hyphenate writer, photographer and social media expert with “an undeniable thirst for all things Taylor Swift,” and another for a reporter to “tap into stories about the Beyhive,” a.k.a. Beyoncé’s fans.
Both journalists will write remotely for Gannett’s flagship national paper, USA Today, as well as the Tennessean in Nashville, where Swift began her rise to superstardom. Their work may appear in around 200 local Gannett papers, and they will earn between $21.63 and $50.87 an hour.
It’s not unheard of for a megastar such as Swift or Beyoncé to get their own dedicated reporter, though these posting are notable, because Gannett is coming off a string of painful job eliminations, cutting 6 percent of its roughly 3,400-person staff in December and laying off 400 in August of last year. Gannett staff members briefly walked off the job in June to protest leadership and job cuts, which critics say leave local communities without enough journalists to properly report on government activities and other important issues.
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An executive for Gannett defended the pop-star jobs, which were announced Tuesday and Wednesday, along with dozens of more traditional listings, including a new climate change reporter at the Savannah Morning News and a mailroom worker in Ohio.
“Taylor Swift is an artist and businesswoman whose work has tremendous economic, cultural and societal significance,” Kristin Roberts, Gannett’s chief content officer, said in a statement. “She is shaping a generation and is relevant, influential and innovative — just like us.”
Similarly, Roberts called Beyoncé “a force in the world of business, music, fashion and our culture,” adding: “Our role is to cover the newsmakers who Run the World, influence our society, impact lives and create positive change.”
Share this articleShareAs word of the listings spread in journalism circles, plenty of reporters joked that they were penning their own resignation letters to apply.
Swift’s latest world tour continues to dominate American pop culture, melting down ticket websites and getting its own movie later this year. The singer’s personal life and her upcoming album rereleases have transfixed fans, members of Congress have recited Swift’s lyrics in hearings, and several cities have been symbolically “renamed” to honor the pop star. Starbucks even piped an entire playlist of Swift’s songs into its stores to celebrate Swift in August, according to Billboard.
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End of carouselBeyoncé has been having a strong summer, too, enjoying massive demand for tickets to her Renaissance World Tour.
Swift and Beyoncé are hardly the first celebrities to warrant a dedicated reporter. Global leaders, presidents and politicians often have beat reporters who exclusively cover them. Multiple journalists in the past have also focused their coverage on specific high-profile individuals, such as Elon Musk. In 2014, the Plain Dealer newspaper and Cleveland.com sought to hire a LeBron James reporter, whose entire job was centered on reporting about the NBA star.
Representatives for Swift and Beyoncé did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gannett has hired 225 journalists since March and more than 100 open roles “are actively being recruited for as we grow our audience,” said Lark-Marie Antón, the company’s chief communications officer.
This story has been updated.
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