BuzzFeed Inc., befitting a media company bred for virality, always meant many things to many people: listicles, charticles, investigations, quizzes and “15 Poop Horror Stories That Will Make You Feel Better About Yourself.” It was a fire hose of award-winning news and digital pablum.
And on April 20, BuzzFeed leaders excised its award-winning news.
In its prime, BuzzFeed News had formidable reporters across the board, its efforts culminating in a 2021 Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on China’s detention of Muslims in Xinjiang province. The publication’s demise has prompted sneering aplenty. But for all of BuzzFeed’s missteps under Chief Executive Officer Jonah Peretti—it burned through hundreds of millions of dollars—it was a trailblazer. When social media replaced physical newsstands as the main distributors of news, BuzzFeed’s distinctive headline-writing and its videos’ visual language pioneered ways to lure an audience.
