Lucky one: Taylor Swift reporter hired

By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

November 07, 2023 at 3:03 pm EST

A veteran journalist with two Emmy awards now has a new beat.

The Tennessean announced that its parent company Gannett hired Bryan West as the reporter who will be covering Taylor Swift.

The admitted Swifty “emerged as the standout choice from a pool of hundreds of applicants,” the newspaper said.

“I have been a fan-slash-expert of Taylor even when she was canceled during Reputation,” West said in the announcement. “It almost feels like all the roads I’ve been on are merging for this position.”

West, a former investigative journalist, will be tasked with day-to-day Swift coverage and writing stories about her influence on music, business and social issues, according to The Tennessean.

West said Swift’s music helped him when he was recovering from depression and alcohol addiction.

“The past five years have taught me so many valuable lessons, like always clean your side of the street — which is a Taylor lyric, but it’s from the sober community,” West said in the announcement of his new job. “I learned to take things one day at a time.”

Not only was Gannett looking for someone to cover Swift, but they were also looking for someone to cover Beyoncé for all of its publications.

First Taylor, now Beyoncé: USA Today publisher looking for writer to cover Queen Bey

There is no word on if someone has been hired. Though the LinkedIn job post appeared on Google as of Tuesday, the position is listed as “no longer available” on the professional social media site.

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