BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City,[2] BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Kenneth Lerer, co-founder and chairman of The Huffington Post, started as a co-founder and investor in BuzzFeed and is now the executive chairman.
Originally known for online quizzes, "listicles", and pop culture articles, the company has grown into a global media and technology company, providing coverage on a variety of topics including politics, DIY, animals, and business.[3][4] BuzzFeed generates revenue through native advertising, a strategy that helps increase the likelihood of viewers reading through the content of advertisements.[5]
In late 2011, BuzzFeed hired Ben Smith of Politico as editor-in-chief, to expand the site into long-form journalism and reportage.[6] After years of investment in investigative journalism, by 2021 BuzzFeed News had won the National Magazine Award,[7] the George Polk Award,[8] and the Pulitzer Prize,[9] and was nominated for the Michael Kelly Award.[7] BuzzFeed News later moved to its own domain rather than existing as a section of the main BuzzFeed website.[10] On April 20, 2023, Peretti announced that BuzzFeed would be shuttering BuzzFeed News and focusing its news efforts into The Huffington Post, laying off about 180 workers.[11]
A 2014 Pew Research Center survey found that in the United States, BuzzFeed was viewed as an unreliable source by the majority of respondents, regardless of age or political affiliation.[12] The company's audience has been described as left-leaning.[13]
Awards and recognition[edit]
In 2017, BuzzFeed won Webby Awards for Best News App and Best Interview/Talk Show (for Another Round),[168] and president Greg Coleman was named Publishing Executive of the Year by Digiday.[169]
In 2018, staff of BuzzFeed news was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in their international reporting category for their article that "proved that operatives with apparent ties to Vladimir Putin have engaged in a targeted killing campaign against his perceived enemies on British and American soil".[170] BuzzFeed later won a Pulitzer Prize in 2021 in the international reporting category for an investigative series about the Xinjiang internment camps.[9]