Taylor Swift reporter hired after job listing goes viral
(CNN) — Consider journalist Bryan West the “lucky one,” because he’s The Tennessean and USA Today network’s new Taylor Swift reporter.
The Tennessean announced the news on Monday, saying West, a veteran journalist and two-time Emmy winning TV producer, “emerged as the standout choice from a pool of hundreds of applicants.”
“Admittedly, I’m a Swiftie,” West is seen saying in his video application shared by the publication, wherein he listed 13 reasons why he’s the guy for the job.
“So, I do follow a lot of Taylor news. I know about every outing, every new song, every lyric, every album release, every party,” he added.
Touting his technical skills as a multi-platform journalist and a licensed drone pilot, West went on to highlight his track record for predicting Swift’s album announcements and how he’s one of the 100 accounts the official “Eras Tour” Instagram account follows.
West shared that he once met Swift during her 2018 “Reputation” tour, hilariously adding that “our ears touched at a meet and greet and I thought for a second, ‘I could be straight.’”
He also noted three of Swift’s songs that he “can’t stand” to prove his point that, despite being a self-admitted Swifite, he can report unbiased news on the singer.
(We’re just the messenger here, but if you must know… those songs are “Stay Stay Stay,” “False God” and “It’s Nice to Have a Friend.”)
West, according to The Tennessean, has been sober since 2018 and “uncovered a deeper affinity for Swift’s music during his recovery after struggles with depression and alcohol addiction — a battle he shares openly in hopes of inspiring others.”
His duties will include exploring the “Anti-Hero” singer’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.”
“I think this job is to highlight her global and societal impact,” West said, via The Tennessean, adding, “She keeps breaking her own records.”
The original job listing went viral when it was posted in September by Gannett, the parent company of USA Today and The Tennessean.
Gannett also posted a separate job listing at the time for a Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter.