Gannett, the largest US newspaper publisher, is facing the heat after posting a job for the role of ‘Taylor Swift reporter’ after having fired 600 journalists covering local communities in recent years.
Kati Kokal, the education reporter for The Palm Beach Post tweeted: “I know everyone is dunking on this, but I’m going to add on. Last year @Gannett laid off at least 600 ppl and stopped filling 400 jobs. People had to wait almost 2 months for their severance, which btw was capped at 26 years. Local this, local that. Where are the priorities?”
Brad Vidmar, the public safety and education reporter for The Hawk Eye, wrote: “I suppose now is a good time to remind Twitter that I’m the only full-time news reporter left at my newspaper that was sold by Gannett in December (and in 2015, they had a 30-person newsroom staff and the town it’s located in has a population of 30,000ish).”
Daily Beast reporter Corbin Bolies also remarked on the fact that Gannet is not satisfied with hiring a Taylor Swift reporter. “Gannett isn’t stopping at Taylor Swift. It also wants a Beyoncé reporter to cover her and “tap into stories about the Beyhive, her protective fanbase that propels the image and relevance of the artist.” All while the company has shed jobs nationwide,” Bolies said.
Gannett’s flagship newspaper, USA Today, and the Tennessean posted the job listing Tuesday in which the perfect candidate was said to be able to “capture the music and cultural impact of Taylor Swift.”
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“We are looking for an energetic writer, photographer and social media pro who can quench an undeniable thirst for all things Taylor Swift with a steady stream of content across multiple platforms,” the listing stated. “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 desired reporter needed to be “experienced, video-forward” and great at capturing “the music and cultural impact of Taylor Swift”.
“Swift’s fanbase has grown to unprecedented heights, and so has the significance of her music and growing legacy,” the posting read. “We are looking for an energetic writer, photographer and social media pro who can quench an undeniable thirst for all things Taylor Swift with a steady stream of content across multiple platforms.”
