This week the United States’ biggest newspaper chain posted to its site two unusual job listings: a Taylor Swift reporter and a Beyonce reporter.
Gannett, which owns more than 200 daily papers, will employ these new hires through USA Today and The Tennessean, the company's Nashville-based newspaper.
The chain is looking for “modern storytellers” adept in print, audio and visual journalism, Michael Anastasi, The Tennessean's editor and Gannett's vice president for local news, said.
“Seeing both the facts and the fury, the Taylor Swift reporter will identify why the pop star’s influence only expands, what her fanbase stands for in pop culture and the effect she has across the music and business worlds,” the company said in its job description.
Similarly, the company wants a journalist who can capture Beyonce's effect on society and the industries in which she operates.
Adverts criticised
Anastasi said the Tennessean already has a three-person music team and “I put our sophisticated coverage up against anybody.” Gannett is always looking for opportunities to make itself essential for paying customers, he said.
Critics of the new roles cited layoffs at Gannett, where the workforce has shrunk 47% in the last three years because of layoffs and attrition, according to the NewsGuild.
At some newspapers, the union said the headcount has fallen by as much as 90%. Last year alone, Gannett cut about 6% of its roughly 3,440-person US media division.
Some journalists said that while hiring these massively popular artist-specific roles reflect their influence in pop culture, they do fail to invest in local journalism at a company known for its local dailies.
“At a time when so much serious news and local reporting is being cut, it’s a decision to raise some questions about,” Rick Edmonds, an expert at the journalism think tank Poynter Institute, said of the new positions.
Said Anastasi: “We're not hiring a Taylor Swift reporter at the expense of other reporters.”
Some journalists criticised the job listings for presenting superfan behaviour as a full-time journalism job.
Music writer Jeremy Gordon said on social media that it “doesn't feel great to see ‘full-time stan’ go out as an actual journalism job.” ("Stan" is slang for superfan.)
