Social Journalism is the future: and BuzzFeed is killing it
As digital media continues to expand rapidly; certain publications are embracing the development in everything they do.
BuzzFeed, an organization that prides itself on having the most shareable news in digital form, continues to lead the way with using social media to reach — and engage — with their audience.
As you would expect, the company has a strong social media existence through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest, and their own mobile app; all of which makes their content accessible to a variety of different audiences.
Not only are they producing content for a variety of different outlets, BuzzFeed is also reporting hard-hitting news, life-tips, trends, recipes, and quizzes. The latter may surprise some audiences, but in the past few months alone, BuzzFeed news scored a Pulitzer citation and won several RALLY awards for valuable investigative reporting.
The daily content that is produced on a variety of topics allows BuzzFeed to reach different demographics of audiences, while also being a one-stop shop for easily digestible news.
Success for many media outlets will involve being accessible to large audiences with different tastes and media habits. The ability to portray important information, in a conversational way that is easy to understand, is a key attribute for many digital players. While some may still believe BuzzFeed is not a legitimate news source, BuzzFeed’s recent track record shows that their journalism is more than credible.
A large part of “social journalism” is a belief that publications need to listen to their audience to find out what is working and what is not. BuzzFeed’s new slogan “reporting for you” reflects the concept of always keeping the audience in mind.
The new slogan, which was implemented on April 26th, was accompanied by an email from BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief, Ben Smith, stressing the importance of its message to all BuzzFeed employees.
When BuzzFeed creates content, they often choose stories that have the capability to go viral — and be shared — over social media; a tactic of social journalism to continuously promote their content. Sharing is a key part to the longevity of social journalism and for publications using digital platforms.
A technique that works well for BuzzFeed in this space involves its unique headline writing style. Adopting full sentences, with a lot of information in the headline, attracts viewer attention and is in marked contrast with traditional headline writing styles.
In a meeting with journalism students from the University of Oregon, Tom Namako, the deputy news director for BuzzFeed News, said that a compelling headline paired with an interesting visual is important for catching the eye of potential viewers. Even if they don’t end up reading the article, readers could still share the story based on the image and headline/social text alone.
Social journalism does not make traditional reporting standards redundant. In the digital age, the credibility of news sources remains vital. Being honest and balanced builds a trusting relationship, which in turn reassures viewers that the information they are consuming is accurate.
Publications with high editorial standards will grow — and retain — consumers. BuzzFeed is showing this through quality investigative work such as exposing the employment conditions of Blue Apron, or The Court That Rules the World — a feature about “a parallel legal universe, open only to corporations and largely invisible to everyone else” — written by Chris Hamby, a Pulitzer Prize winner for investigative reporting.
The future of journalism relies heavily on social journalism, and use of social media to present valuable information and impactful stories. BuzzFeed, increasingly, is doing exactly that.
