Gannett hires a journalist after the search.

Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in America, no longer has a “Taylor Swift Reporter” title. The company wrote to Brian West, a 35-year-old journalist from Arizona who just moved to Nashville to fill a newly added, headline-making position. Starting today, West will work out of a Tennessee newsroom for USA TODAY and more than 200 local dailies in China, reporting on all things Swift… and only all things Swift.

When Gannett first announced the job search in September, it prompted a lot of soul-searching and hand-wringing among media types, who have been openly debating in public forums what to do. Whether the hiring of a dedicated Swift reporter (and someone exclusively on Beyoncé’s beat) was a sign of the apocalypse or the most clearly defensible thing anyone in the business of covering entertainment has done in years remains to be seen. what am i

For anyone who does Thinking that hiring a Swiftbeat reporter makes perfect sense, it’s not hard to see why West was able to convince the company that out of hundreds of applicants, they’ll never find another like him… that He is her only…and the child that is her fun.

“I’d say the position is no different than being a sports journalist who’s a fan of the home team,” says West. “I just came from Phoenix, and all the anchors there were wearing Diamondbacks gear. They want the Diamondbacks to win. I’m just a fan of Taylor’s and I’ve followed him his whole career, but my There’s also the journalistic background: going to Northwestern, winning awards, working in newsrooms around the country. I think the fun of this job is that, yes, you can talk about Easter eggs, but it’s really more serious. of, as its impact on society and business and music.

At the beginning of the call with Variety Before the announcement went public, West was on hand to engage with a reporter on the record for a deep dive into Swift’s news, opinions and lore.

“I think the biggest moment of our feud will be the Secret Vault songs,” he said in the first minute of the call — referring to the bonus tracks on the current blockbuster “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” — “because I know you’re a ‘Now That We Don’t Talk’ fan, and I’m a big ‘Say Don’t Go’ fan.” West was even able to reference a single moment in “Say Don’t Go.” makes it the most haunting of the new songs for him: “When you listen to it, that harmony of ‘I Said I Love You'” (in a moment near the end of the track) screams, and that’s why I really like her: it’s the harmony she’s screaming that’s silent.

It’s the kind of obscure observation that could make West a man after a million Swifties’ hearts… if that core demographic can be persuaded to pick up a newspaper for the superstar. And by “pick up the paper,” we certainly mean engage digitally with Gannett’s dailies, as newspapers expand their reach with more stories produced as video content. That’s something West says gave him an advantage in the search, as he was able to highlight his history of working for the NBC affiliate in Phoenix, often toting a camera and filming his interviews. Hoy operated as a “one man band”.

Michael Anastasi, Tennessee editor and Gannett chain VP of local news, says it was wrong to think the company advertised the job posting and wasn’t looking for an actual journalist to fill the role. Ga… even if not all candidates had reporting chops.

“We were very happy with the potential of the pool we had,” Anastasi says. “I think if we hired five more people, we would have highly qualified candidates for all positions.” From hard-hitting news reporters, including at least one very established White House reporter, to Swifties with blogs and influencers … and of course, there were plenty of fans who were just following their dreams and winning. were hoping for. lottery. But what we ended up with was what I think is a very good balance between being a seasoned journalist who has serious news and someone who knows all about Taylor’s world and that universe. Something understands what he is stepping into.

“It’s not the traditional ‘We’ll write three print stories a week and make a paycheck,'” adds Ben Goode, the Tennessee news director who will serve as West’s direct boss. is, going on social, going to interact with Swifties, and at tour stops, on the red carpet, at the CMAs, wherever people are enjoying or thinking about who Taylor Swift is. . There’s no shortage of things to write about. You know, it’s not unprecedented for someone (to be dedicated to covering) who’s a Senate candidate, or an athlete, like when LeBron James goes to Miami and People just cover it. So I think there’s precedent for that. But also, I think, we’re taking a very bold step here, and I’m very optimistic about how it’s going to turn out. “

West confirms he’ll be hitting the CMA Awards red carpets in Nashville as part of his first week on the job. But if his only job is covering Swift, does that mean he’ll be asking country stars what their favorite vault track is on “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”? He is not tipping his hand there.

West has met Swift once, backstage at the Phoenix-area opening night of the “Reputation” tour in 2018 (pictured above). As a reporter for the NBC affiliate in town, he was so well known for his Swiftieness that the anchors would sometimes put him on air. “Newscasters would make fun of me, saying, ‘We’re surprised Brian didn’t call in sick to work today because Taylor released a new album.’ I put them (pockets) together, sent it to her team, and said, ‘Hey, you know, Taylor has a local news reporter who’s a fan. Trey (Penn, Swift’s publicist). wrote me the morning of the concert and said, ‘Taylor wants to see you. How soon can you get out?’ I went home, I changed, I went to Walgreens and printed out a headshot of myself and signed it, ‘From your favorite local news reporter,’ and I sat in the parking lot for four hours until he Said, ‘Hey, you have to go backstage.'” (In his video resume, West recalled the moment and said, “Our ears touched and I thought for a second. , I can be straight.”)

The submission that West sent to Gannett included that image, naturally, but also elements such as a short list of serious story ideas — like, for example, how Swift made friends. has affected the K bracelet industry economically. During the interview process, he later expanded it to a two-page PDF of story ideas.

She’s not worried about her transition as Swift’s seemingly biggest year is approaching and she’s mostly overseas in 2024. In addition to covering how the ERA Tour may have various wrinkles in the world markets, he is particularly excited about the anticipated release of “Taylor’s Version” of “Fame,” which he cites as one of his best albums. But identifies accurately and objectively.

He can indulge in conspiracy theories with the best of them — one had to do with Swift sending clues to her fans through her fingernails that she would only share off the record. But there’s also an essentially serious side to West that he shares on his resume, as someone who made major life changes five years ago.

“I was at a crossroads where I felt like I could either stay in this darkness or I could wake up and try to be a better person,” West says. I joined a local CrossFit gym that works with people in relaxation and rehabilitation. And then I started working for a company where I worked with high school student leaders across the U.S. Traveled — and I loved it because I could get out and I wanted to go because I was a good person. And it was me pulling back from the news. … And I jokingly told them, ‘If I Can report on Taylor Swift every day.’ So it almost felt like an epiphany when that same colleague texted me and said, hey, your dream job just became available.

Is Swiftie’s fortunes softening, when news comes that could put the star in a harsh light? West addressed the issue of objectivity in his video submission for the job, saying he would be able to fairly report on the superstar — and criticize if necessary — with a somewhat humorous example: He said that the proof was in reference to his three Swift songs. He can’t stand: “Wait Wait Wait,” “False God” and “It’s Good to Have Friends.” Now that his video resume is being made public, he’s a little worried that fans might “cancel” him for throwing these three tracks under the bus. (For the record, her favorite songs are: “All to Well (10-Minute Version),” “Long Live,” “I Did Something Bad,” “Death by a Thousand Cuts” and “Wildest Dreams.” An extended concert version of “For starters.)

Of course, there will be journalists who believe that this is strictly a fanboy position, or that if West has the ability to be a hard-boiled Swiftie, it is still an insult to serious news reporting when this kind of The job is being created traditionally. Jobs are being cut left and right in the newspaper industry. Many have cited significant cuts by China in the second half of 2022. It was then reported that there was a big loss in the second quarter that resulted in the first 400 layoffs and 400 open positions, followed by another 6% reduction.

But Anastasi says a key part of keeping businesses healthy is creating new jobs even as others go away. “I oversee all the newsrooms around the country for Gannett,” he says. “And it’s important to note that I’ve hired hundreds of local journalists at all of my papers over the past few months — big, medium, small — and these are not positions that are replacing other positions in our company. This is part of a very deliberate transformation strategy to become the company we need to grow, thrive and be in a position to serve all our local communities across the country in the future.

West is not guaranteed an interview with Swift, who now rarely gives interviews. If he makes the landing, he has a store full of mystery for the plums, as any fan, big or small, will. Like: “I love ‘Wildest Dreams.’ I can’t believe that was his heartbeat. I want to ask him, ‘Were you at the doctor’s office and they were just taking a pulse, and you Are they like, ‘Wait, I have to record this’?