LOS ANGELES — This week the United States’ greatest newspaper chain posted to its website two uncommon job listings: a Taylor Swift reporter and a Beyoncé reporter.

Gannett, which owns greater than 200 each day papers, will make use of these new hires by USA Today and The Tennessean, the corporate’s Nashville-based newspaper. The chain is searching for “modern storytellers” adept in print, audio and visible journalism, mentioned Michael Anastasi, The Tennessean’s editor and Gannett’s vp for native information.

“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 corporate mentioned in its job description.

Similarly, the corporate needs a journalist who can seize Beyoncé’s impact on society and the industries by which she operates.

Anastasi mentioned the Tennessean already has a three-person music workforce and “I put our sophisticated coverage up against anybody.” Gannett is at all times searching for alternatives to make itself important for paying prospects, he mentioned.

Critics of the brand new roles cited layoffs at Gannett, the place the workforce has shrunk 47% within the final three years due to layoffs and attrition, based on the NewsGuild. At some newspapers, the union mentioned the headcount has fallen by as a lot as 90%. Last yr alone, Gannett reduce about 6% of its roughly 3,440-person U.S. media division.

Some journalists mentioned that whereas hiring these massively standard artist-specific roles mirror their affect in popular culture, they do fail to spend money on native journalism at an organization identified for its native 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 professional on the journalism suppose tank Poynter Institute, mentioned of the brand new positions.

Said Anastasi: “We’re not hiring a Taylor Swift reporter at the expense of other reporters.”

Some journalists criticized the job listings for presenting superfan habits as a full-time journalism job. Music author Jeremy Gordon mentioned 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. )

If the rent acts extra like a fan than a journalist, the choice might backfire on Gannett. But if the job is finished nicely, and the reporters can penetrate tightly managed operations to glean insights, they'll set up themselves as nationwide authorities on necessary cultural figures.

Representatives for Swift and Beyoncé didn't instantly reply to requests for remark.

Omise’eke Tinsley, tutorial and creator of “Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism,” says such a function makes house for extra constructive tales about Black ladies.

But additionally, she provides, the existence of each jobs instantly displays Beyoncé and Swift’s financial energy. “If there wasn’t that component to it, there wouldn’t be a Beyoncé reporter,” Tinsley mentioned.

It isn't unusual for journalists to develop a beat on a selected determine, notably in politics — as evidenced by Amy Chozick, whom the New York Times employed in 2013 to cowl Hillary Clinton completely. But most leisure journalists are accountable for reporting on a variety of expertise — even when they're material consultants on a selected artist.

That was the case for Los Angeles Times reporter Suzy Exposito, who known as herself an “unofficial” beat reporter on standard reggaetonero Bad Bunny as a result of she spent a disproportionate period of time in a earlier job protecting him in comparison with different priorities.

“His near-weekly output became really overwhelming, and it took away focus from a lot of other artists who were also making compelling work,” Exposito mentioned. “He’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.”

She mentioned a significant problem for leisure journalists is the sheer quantity of releases from pop artists. “The business of music is a numbers game,” Exposito mentioned. “Hit records become deluxe editions become sold-out world tours, and it can be dizzying for a general music journalist to keep up.”

So, are artist-specific jobs the way forward for music journalism?

“It is a bit odd, but Taylor Swift Inc., I guess you would call it, is a big economic driver right now,” mentioned Eric Grode, director of the Goldring Arts Journalism and Communications program at Syracuse University. “Taylor Swift is doing a lot of newsworthy things beyond just selling concert tickets.”

If a reporter takes the job significantly and offers greater than breathless live performance protection, their established experience might be invaluable for a information group, Grode mentioned. Still, there are only a few musicians who've such a large cultural attain.

The probability of followers to click on on tales about Swift or Beyoncé makes it an apparent motivating think about designing the brand new jobs, Exposito mentioned.

“Digital media is now competing with fan accounts on social media — not when it comes to accuracy, but when it comes to being the first source to report on pop stars’ developments,” she mentioned.

Top artists prioritize the eye and work of professional reporters, resulting in what critic Soraya Roberts has known as a ” tradition of sameness ” — one more barrier to native arts protection.

Tinsley believes that posts on social media criticizing the main target of those new roles could mirror a tradition of sexism.

“Adding to the pantheon of what figures and representatives matter has the potential to do something important,” she mentioned. “I believe some of the dismissals (of these roles) have to do with what we value and don’t value as a society — and I think there’s an implicit misogyny in it.”

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