The love for Beyoncé and Taylor Swift just got more real now that Bey Hivers and Swifties can secure a job covering the singers.
This week, newspaper chain Gannett, which owns over 200 daily papers nationwide, put out a job advertisement seeking “modern storytellers” who can keep readers up-to-date on the latest news surrounding the two superstars, the Associated Press reports.
The two new hires will lend their pop star reporting to USA Today
and The Tennessean.Beyoncé reporters will be tasked with relaying information on the “Cuff It” singer’s effect on society and the industries in which she operates. In contrast, Swift reporters will need to “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,” according to Gannett’s job description.
“I put our sophisticated coverage up against anybody,” Michael Anastasi, The Tennessean’s editor and Gannett’s vice president for local news said of the paper’s three-person music team.
While Anatasi said the newspaper chain isn’t “hiring a Taylor Swift reporter at the expense of other reporters,” there are some journalists who feel the celebrity-driven roles seemingly shun the investment into local journalism at a company known for its local daily beats.
“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 Poynter Institute said of the new positions.
Music writer Jeremy Gordon also criticized the new roles saying it “doesn’t feel
great to see ‘full-time stan’ go out as an actual journalism job.” But when it comes to the Beyoncé reporter specifically, Omise’eke Tinsley, academic and author of Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism, believes the gig will make space for more positive stories about Black women.RELATED CONTENT: Tina Knowles Shuts Down Beyoncè And Taylor Swift Comparisons: They Both Should Be Celebrated‘