BuzzFeed will make its first foray into more localised news coverage by beefing up its UK editorial team, with reporters covering beats including the north of England, Scotland and Wales.
Buzzfeed is seeking to significantly boost its news operation hiring 14 staff including four regional beat reporters.
The move, which follows former Guardian deputy editor Janine Gibson joining as editor-in-chief of the UK, will see BuzzFeed boost its news operation by about 50% to 40 staff.
It comes as the future of local news providers in the UK – and the BBC’s impact on the sector – comes under increased scrutiny.
The vacancies at BuzzFeed include deputy news editor, business editor, weekend editor and deputy social media editor.
BuzzFeed’s move into more localised content will not please regional newspaper publishers who already face significant competition to keep readers attracted to their online news sites.
Earlier this month, publishers attacked the BBC’s proposal to help the local news industry by funding 100 local journalists calling it a Trojan horse for expansion.
In January, BuzzFeed UK hired Heidi Blake, the former Sunday Times journalist, to head up its investigative journalism unit.
Last month, NBC Universal invested $200m in BuzzFeed in a deal which values the news and media company at about $1.5bn.
