I'm a news junkie as much as the next journo, the only difference is I'm willing to admit that my day isn't complete without spending at least a little time catching up on news, and then catching up on the silliness of Buzzfeed. I just can't avoid the overwhelming need to read lists about why Harry Potter movies are more magical than I ever imagine, or taking a quiz about "Which Late Night TV Talk Show Host Are You?" (which btws, I got Seth Meyers and cried crocodile tears of pure happiness).
However, I have started to notice both on Buzzfeed and from articles in other media sources that the site is looking to rebrand itself as a stop for both amusing gif-filled lists, random quizzes, and - ACTUAL NEWS.
Buzzfeed's steps to become a source for credible news and investigative reports first caught my eye in early February, but apparently the site began evolving in 2011 with the hire of Ben Smith, a Politico blogger. Recently it's added bloggers and reporters from ProPublica, The LA Times, and The Indianapolis Star.
Then, yesterday I read an article about Buzzfeed's tactic to use it's lists to incorporate breaking news events. By creating lists of photos and graphs that break down the complexities of world news topics, readers can connect and understand the news story in a different way.
Luke Lewis, editor of Buzzfeed UK says:
The […] content "is not viral", Lewis said, "but the important thing is to do both". While the more detailed coverage gives that added depth and understand, the image-led list approach can serve to engage a new audience to the news story, Lewis said, who may not otherwise have clicked on more typical reports.
Lewis's point just gave me another reason to spend time on Buzzfeed. Perhaps some of the users don't typically engage with news topics, so perhaps they will be more inclined to read about breaking news if Buzzfeed is making it accessible for them.
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