LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� This week the United States鈥� biggest newspaper chain posted to its site two unusual job listings: a reporter and a reporter.
Gannett, which owns more than 200 daily papers, will employ these new hires through USA Today and the company's Nashville-based newspaper. The chain is looking for 鈥渕odern storytellers鈥� adept in print, audio and visual journalism, said Michael Anastasi, The Tennessean's editor and Gannett's vice president for local news.
鈥淪eeing both the facts and the fury, the Taylor Swift reporter will identify why the pop star鈥檚 influence only expands, what her fanbase stands for in pop culture, and the effect she has across the music and business worlds,鈥� the company said in its job description.
Similarly, the company wants a journalist who can capture 叠别测辞苍肠茅's effect on society and the industries in which she operates.
Anastasi said the Tennessean already has a three-person music team and 鈥淚 put our sophisticated coverage up against anybody.鈥� 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 in the last three years 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 U.S. media division.
Some journalists said that while hiring these massively popular artist-specific roles reflect their influence in pop culture, they do fail to at a company known for its local dailies.
鈥淎t a time when so much serious news and local reporting is being cut, it鈥檚 a decision to raise some questions about,鈥� Rick Edmonds, an expert at the journalism think tank Poynter Institute, said of the new positions.
Said Anastasi: 鈥淲e're not hiring a Taylor Swift reporter at the expense of other reporters.鈥�
Some journalists criticized the job listings for as a full-time journalism job. Music writer Jeremy Gordon said on social media that it 鈥渄oesn't feel great to see 鈥榝ull-time stan鈥� go out as an actual journalism job.鈥� ("Stan" is slang )
If the hire acts more like a fan than a journalist, the decision could backfire on Gannett. But if the job is done well, and the reporters can penetrate tightly controlled operations to glean insights, they can establish themselves as national authorities on important cultural figures.
Representatives for Swift and 叠别测辞苍肠茅 did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Omise鈥檈ke Tinsley, academic and author of 鈥湹鸩獯遣猿γ� in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism,鈥� says this type of role makes space for more positive stories about Black women.
But also, she adds, the existence of both jobs directly reflects 叠别测辞苍肠茅 and Swift鈥檚 economic power. 鈥淚f there wasn鈥檛 that component to it, there wouldn鈥檛 be a 叠别测辞苍肠茅 reporter,鈥� Tinsley said.
It is not uncommon for journalists to develop a beat on a specific figure, particularly in politics 鈥� as evidenced by Amy Chozick, whom the New York Times hired in 2013 to exclusively. But most entertainment journalists are responsible for reporting on a wide range of talent 鈥� even if they are subject matter experts on a specific artist.
That was the case for Los Angeles Times reporter Suzy Exposito, who called herself an on popular because she spent a disproportionate amount of time in a previous job covering him compared to other priorities.
鈥淗is near-weekly output became really overwhelming, and it took away focus from a lot of other artists who were also making compelling work,鈥� Exposito said. 鈥淗e's so prolific that I think I literally ran out of new words to describe him at some point. He could use his own reporter, too.鈥�
She said a major challenge for entertainment journalists is the sheer volume of releases from pop artists. 鈥淭he business of music is a numbers game,鈥� Exposito said. 鈥淗it records become deluxe editions become sold-out world tours, and it can be dizzying for a general music journalist to keep up.鈥�
So, are artist-specific jobs the future of music journalism?
鈥淚t is a bit odd, but Taylor Swift Inc., I guess you would call it, is a big economic driver right now,鈥� said Eric Grode, director of the Goldring Arts Journalism and Communications program at Syracuse University. 鈥淭aylor Swift is doing a lot of newsworthy things beyond just selling concert tickets.鈥�
If a reporter takes the job seriously and provides more than breathless concert coverage, their established expertise could be valuable for a news organization, Grode said. Still, there are very few musicians who have such a wide cultural reach.
The likelihood of fans to click on stories about Swift or 叠别测辞苍肠茅 makes it an obvious motivating factor in designing the new jobs, Exposito said.
"Digital media is now competing with fan accounts on social media 鈥� not when it comes to accuracy, but when it comes to being the first source to report on pop stars鈥� developments,鈥� she said.
Top artists prioritize the attention and work of expert reporters, leading to what critic Soraya Roberts has called a " " 鈥� yet another barrier to local arts coverage.
Tinsley believes that posts on social media criticizing the focus of these new roles may reflect a culture of sexism.
鈥淎dding to the pantheon of what figures and representatives matter has the potential to do something important,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 believe some of the dismissals (of these roles) have to do with what we value and don't value as a society 鈥� and I think there鈥檚 an implicit misogyny in it."
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Bauder reported from New York.
Maria Sherman And David Bauder, The Associated Press
