Associated Press hires 21 writers to cover celebrities

Newspapers are headed for extinction, but celebrity news has never been more in demand.

The Associated Press wire service is hiring 21 writers this year, spread across Los Angeles, New York and London, says Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily blog.

It’s also cold comfort that AP insists its new separate entertainment vehicle is “not about gossip, unnamed sources and innuendo or about ‘peephole’ journalism with AP photographers becoming paparazzi.” Instead, the wire service claims it’s just giving its members what they want “in an area of growing interest” because it “makes good business sense.”

If the AP covers a story, it will send it to hundreds of its member papers. So there’s a big advantage to getting into an AP story. The push for more celebrity news is a great chance for experts to piggyback onto it. 

Debra Holtzman does just that. She’s an author and child safety expert and keeps a close eye on celebrity news. When she sees a celebrity putting a child at risk, or announcing a pregnancy or adoption, she responds by writing press releases.

For example, when Madonna and her husband, Guy Ritchie, decided to adopt a baby boy, Debra wrote a press release headlined Madonna and Guy’s Perfect Baby Room for David, with tips on how to create a safe nursery. She has received lots of coverage from top-tier publications as a result of her press releases.

What kind of celebrity news can you piggyback onto? (See “Special Report #50: How to Piggyback onto Celebrity News to Promote Your Product, Service, Cause or Issue.”)