“This sick beat”: The Tennessean lists job opening for a Taylor Swift reporter

It’s not every day a local news opening gets international attention. But, like pretty much everything else Taylor Swift touches, a job listing from The Tennessean and parent company Gannett for a “Taylor Swift Reporter” made sparks fly on Tuesday.

A new era in your career is coming …Ready For It? @USATODAY and @Tennessean are enchanted to announce we seek an experienced, video-forward reporter to cover @taylorswift13. Sound like the job of your wildest dreams? You could be the 1. Apply here:  https://t.co/pAu4Dhf5GK pic.twitter.com/0S7d3wpvkV

— USA TODAY NETWORK PR (@USATODAY_PR) September 12, 2023

The Guardian called the gig “a Taylor Swift fan’s wildest dream.” The Hill, Daily Beast, TheWrap, Variety, and CNBC ran stories. (And with this post? It’s me, hi, I’m the problem. It’s me.)

Here’s the listing:

Taylor Swift Reporter

USA TODAY and The Tennessean/tennessean.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, seeking an experienced, video-forward journalist to capture 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. 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. 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 successful candidate is a driven, creative and energetic journalist able to capture the excitement around Swift’s ongoing tour and upcoming album release, while also providing thoughtful analysis of her music and career.

We are looking for a journalist with a voice — but not a bias — able to quickly cultivate a national audience through smart content designed to meet readers on their terms. This reporter will chronicle the biggest moments on the next portions of Taylor Swift’s tour, offering readers of USA TODAY, The Tennessean and more than 200 local news sources an inside view.

Swift moved with her family to Tennessee as a teenager. It sounds like Gannett sees this role as more than a local gig, however. The listing stipulates that “this journalist must be willing (and legally allowed) to travel internationally.” Applicants should have a “willingness to travel extensively” and the “ability to report in more than one language [is] preferred.”

Local news reporters know low pay all too well. Gannett lists an hourly rate “between $21.63 and $50.87.”  At 40 hours/week that’d land somewhere between $45,000 to $105,000 a year.

Responses have ranged from “sign me up” to “journalism is doomed” to “RIP this person’s mentions.” Another strand could be summed up as something like “hm, this is rich coming from Gannett.” America’s largest newspaper chain is something of an anti-hero in the local news industry, doing more than any other company in the U.S. to shrink local news with round after round of layoffs. It’s been death by a thousand cuts for many local newsrooms. Even with this new hire you could say they’re leaving a…blank space where local news used to be.

legitimately smart. they should take this further – give this reporter a subscriber-only newsletter. https://t.co/gIQyzXgnpr

— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) September 12, 2023

Nashville is getting a Taylor Swift reporter

Memphis is still without an investigative reporter https://t.co/lmamf8Vrjq

— Laura D. Testino (@ldtestino) September 12, 2023

gannett is hiring a taylor swift reporter without a “bias” so basically they’re just asking swifties to lie on their applications pic.twitter.com/jdY66wc9lT

— grace s. deng is @gracesdeng.bsky.social (@gracesdeng) September 12, 2023

My mentions are already tough enough to handle covering politics. I don’t think I’d have the strength to deal with an inbox full of Swifties. https://t.co/JKVbYwmwOO

— Catherine Griwkowsky (@CGriwkowsky) September 12, 2023

Posting because maybe a friend wants this job, but also: This is kind of incredible – not only because it’s an actual music writing job in 2023, but also. Has anyone ever heard of a single-artist reporter job before? https://t.co/VnGjQfXSKF

— Carl Wilson (@carlzoilus) September 12, 2023

If you’re ready for “The Tennessean (Taylor’s Version),” you can read the job listing here.