There’s no doubt that we’re in the midst of a Swiftaissance; every day seems to bring a new girl-gang-exiting-a-restaurant sighting, a new photo of Taylor cheering Travis Kelce on at a Kansas City Chiefs game, a new theory about how she’s behind the next big Hollywood release—but here’s the ultimate proof: the news that the biggest newspaper chain in America, Gannett, has now hired a full-time Taylor Swift correspondent.
Based in Nashville and working between USA Today and The Tennessean, the lucky journalist, Bryan West will, per his new employers, “explore Swift’s influence on music, business and social issues, while also chronicling the latest news from the superstar’s tour stops, her album releases and all the Easter eggs she drops along the way.” As for his qualifications, which helped him stand out in a highly competitive pool made up of hundreds of applicants from across the nation? He’s worked in a fast-paced newsroom for eight years; is accustomed to shooting and editing his own interviews on the fly; has won two Emmys as a TV producer, as well as the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for his investigative work; and is a dedicated Swiftie who has even met the star herself, during her Reputation tour, while he was working for an NBC affiliate in Phoenix.
“Our ears touched and I thought for a second, ‘I could be straight,’” West quips of the latter moment in his video résumé. He expanded further on the encounter in an interview with Variety following his appointment this week: While working in Phoenix, he said, his fellow newscasters “would make fun of me, saying things like, ‘We’re surprised Bryan didn’t call in sick to work today because Taylor released a new album.’ I put those [jibes] together, sent it to her team, and said, ‘Hey, just so you know, Taylor’s got a local news reporter that’s a fan. Tree [Paine, Swift’s publicist] wrote to me the morning of the concert and said, ‘Taylor wants to meet you. How soon can you get out here?’ I went home, I changed, I went to Walgreens, and printed out a headshot of me and signed it ‘from your favorite local news reporter,’ and I sat in the parking lot for four hours until she said, ‘Hey, your passes to go backstage are at will-call.’”
He adds that he views the job as “no different than being a sports journalist who’s a fan of the home team. I just came from Phoenix, and all of the anchors there were wearing [Arizona] Diamondbacks gear; they want the Diamondbacks to win. I’m just a fan of Taylor and I have followed her her whole career, but I also have that journalistic background.” He’s not wrong—journalists are frequently assigned to cover political candidates and athletes, so why not the 12-time Grammy-winning, most-streamed woman on Spotify?—and, in a world where you can already do a Taylor Swift course at NYU, not to mention the hourly deluge of Swift-related news to discuss, isn’t it about time this role was created? Hell, given the insatiable global appetite for content centered on the musician, it might just be the safest job in today’s uncertain media landscape. Once West’s settled into the role and the views begin rolling in, I wouldn’t be surprised to see several similar roles pop up either.
So, CVs at the ready, Swifties—though, it seems you’ll have plenty of more traditional journalists to contend with, too. “We were very pleased with the caliber of the pool that we had,” The Tennessean’s editor, Michael Anastasi, told Variety. “It ran the gamut from veteran hard-news reporters, including at least one very established White House reporter, to Swifties who have blogs and are influencers… and, of course, there were a number of fans who were just following their dreams and hoping to win the lottery.” To that White House reporter we say: we get it. As Donald Trump eyes another election, we all need an escape—and what better way to do just that than by becoming a Taylor Swift reporter?
