NEW YORK: It's rare for a news outlet to dedicate a reporter to one personality, but the publication USA Today has decided that pop superstars Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are phenomena requiring their own beats.

The recent announcement by Gannett, which owns USA Today, that it was seeking two journalists to cover the biggest names in music as if they were running for president triggered both excitement and eyerolls — and broader conversation about coverage priorities in an increasingly fragmented and financially precarious news media environment.