FILE -Taylor Swift appears at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 2019, left, and Beyonce appears at the world premiere of “The Lion King” in Los Angeles on July 9, 2019. Gannett, the United States’ biggest newspaper chain, posted two unusual job listings to its site. On Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023 they revealed they are hiring a reporter focused on Taylor Swift. On Wednesday, Sept. 13, they shared a posting for a dedicated Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter who will be employed through USA Today and The Tennessean, the company’s Nashville-based newspaper. (AP Photo/File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gannett, the United States’ biggest newspaper chain, posted two unusual job listings to its site. On Tuesday, they revealed they are hiring a reporter focused on Taylor Swift. On Wednesday, they shared a posting for a dedicated Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter who will be employed through USA Today and The Tennessean, the company’s Nashville-based newspaper. Online criticism of these new roles come in part because of major layoffs at Gannett. The NewsGuild says that Gannett’s workforce has shrunk 47% in the last three years due to layoffs and attrition. Journalists, fans and academics shared their opinions on the controversial job postings with the Associated Press.