The Taylor Swift-ification Of Journalism - Editorial
Lately we have noticed that no matter where we look—on social media, in the headlines, live events and, pretty soon, the movie screen—pop sensation Taylor Swift has taken over completely.
And we are not the only ones, it seems. Two of media giant Gannett’s news publications posted job listings seeking a reporter entirely dedicated to covering all things Taylor Swift. What came next was a stunning and curious inundation, both of applications from those eager to fill the role and ire from those who resent its existence and triviality—much of which came from journalists.
We understand Gannett’s move in creating the Taylor Swift beat. She is a mogul of her own business and cultural empire, influencing the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. And with that kind of influence—millions watching, imitating your every move, following every word—it is no wonder that trends originating in her fandom can have real influence on the economy, the zeitgeist and politics.
Proof of that is everywhere: Swift’s recent beau Travis Kelce, of the Kansas City Chiefs, saw jersey sales spike some 400 percent after she attended his game a few weeks ago; she got more than 35,000 people to register to vote with a single Instagram post; even the NFL is seeing boosted ratings from the swarms of Swifties that are now watching and dissecting Chiefs football games in the name of their matriarch.
The bottom line is: wherever she goes, people (and their money) will follow. Dedicating a full-time reporting position to covering someone with so much power actually does make sense, both for news and business. And thousands jumped at the chance to fill that role.
But Gannett’s chief content officer Kristin Roberts offered another take on the creation of the position, which was soon after joined by a similar position dedicated to Beyoncé.
“This is how we save local journalism,” she said.
The topic of local journalism seemed to drive the most criticism—and deservingly so—slung at Gannett in the aftermath. Six percent of employees were axed last December alone, the final of multiple rounds of layoffs. NewsGuild, which represents workers in more than 50 Gannett newsrooms, reports that between layoffs and attrition, the company’s workforce has shrunk 47 percent in the last three years.
Roberts did add that the company has hired 260 journalists and is looking to fill more than 100 open roles, but those numbers are a far cry from reversing its years of massive layoffs, which left swaths of the country with little or no local news coverage.
It’s a boldly simple strategy to propose for saving local news, and we have our doubts. If properly done, singular coverage of mega-influential celebrities could be a promising addendum to the concept of 21st century journalism. To truly save local journalism, though, we need to rebuild an ecosystem of local newsrooms, staffed with local journalists, and to do that, there needs to be resources and funding to support and sustain their work. It is complex.
We do not have the answer as to how local journalism can be saved, but unless local newsrooms start moonlighting as venues for her next tour, we are pretty confident that Taylor Swift is not it.