AP – BuzzFeed is shrinking and shifting the focus of its Pulitzer prize-winning news division as the digital media company, best known for its lighthearted lists and quizzes, strives to increase its profitability.
The New York-based company is offering voluntary buyouts in its high-profile, 100-person newsroom and some top editors are leaving.
They include, Editor in Chief of BuzzFeed News Mark Schoofs, and Deputy Editor in Chief Tom Namako, who announced a move to NBC News Digital on Tuesday. Ariel Kaminer, the Executive Editor for Investigations, is also leaving.
BuzzFeed News is unprofitable but has won awards, including its first Pulitzer last year, and its staff has been regularly poached by traditional news organisations.
BuzzFeed spokesman Matt Mittenthal said about 35 people were eligible for the buyouts, but the company doesn’t expect all of them to take one. Buyouts will be offered to news staffers on the investigations, inequality, politics and science teams, as BuzzFeed focusses more on big breaking news and lighter content.
Beyond the newsroom buyouts, the company also said it is cutting 1.7 per cent of its staff. In a January filing with securities regulators, Buzzfeed said it had 1,524 US and international employees, so the cuts would amount to roughly 25 people.
