Intrigue: A White House Reporter Apparently Went For That Viral Taylor Swift Job
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Who’s the Swiftie in the White House briefing room?
A “very established” White House reporter was reportedly among hundreds of applicants for the Taylor Swift reporter position that made headlines when Gannett listed it in September.
“We were very pleased with the caliber of the pool that we had,” Michael Anastasi, editor of the Tennessean and Gannett’s vice president of local news, 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,” he added.
The job listing sought “an experienced, video-forward journalist to capture the music and cultural impact of Taylor Swift” who “will identify why the pop star’s influence only expands, what her fanbase stands for in pop culture, and the effect she has across the music and business worlds.”
Gannett, the parent company of USA Today and the Tennessean, announced Monday that it had filled the position.
Bryan West, a two-time Emmy-winning TV producer and “passionate Swiftie,” will be based in the Tennessean’s Nashville newsroom, reporting on the pop star for USA Today and the chain’s hundreds of other titles.
The tidbit about the applicants piqued the interest of social media users, including some who happen to work in the White House.
“Who is this v well established WH reporter??!” Associated Press White House reporter Seung Min Kim posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Re: the applicants for the Gannett job covering Taylor Swift:
“It ran the gamut from veteran hard-news reporters, including at least one very established White House reporter, to Swifties … “
(Who is this v well established WH reporter??!) https://t.co/cLuRsf77LL— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) November 6, 2023
Andrew Feinberg, White House correspondent for The Independent, said it wasn’t him, “but I would like to know who it was also.”
Others were also dying to know:
Gannett says a big deal White House reporter applied for the Taylor Swift job.@realBobWoodward, if it was you, meet me at the bottom floor of the Galleria parking lot at 9:30 pm Friday. I just wanna talk. pic.twitter.com/zreC6aD87r
— Andrea Ball (@andreeball) November 7, 2023
I need to know which "very established White House reporter" applied for the Taylor Swift beat job
— Kelcie Moseley-Morris (@KelcieMMorris) November 6, 2023
To the White House reporter who applied for the Taylor Swift reporter job… DM me so we can get drinks omfg https://t.co/vkJ7GZGtZGpic.twitter.com/EwoFaUuCAg
— McKenzie Wilson (@McKenzieAWilson) November 6, 2023
all I’m saying is I haven’t seen an on the record denial from @steveholland1….
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) November 6, 2023
To whoever it was: Sorry you missed out. Just shake it off!