Crikey editor Marni Cordell to join Buzzfeed Australia as head of news
Cordell: new head of news at Buzzfeed
Buzzfeed Australia has appointed Crikey editor Marni Cordell as its first head of news, Mumbrella can reveal.
Cordell joined Private Media’s Crikey in May 2014 and worked previously for The Australian and The Guardian. She is also the former editor and owner of New Matilda.
Buzzfeed Australia editor, Simon Crerar, said in a statement: “I’m enormously thrilled Marni is joining us and excited to see how her leadership, editorial smarts and mentoring energises our young team of editors and reporters.
“Fiercely passionate about independent journalism, Marni comes with a reputation as a tough, driven, bold editor – with her at the helm I’m confident our news team will punch well above its weight in this election year, and beyond.”
Buzzfeed editor-in-chief, Ben Smith, said in a statement: “Marni brings the mix of the best traditional news values of aggressive, accurate reporting, and an entrepreneurial new media spirit, that embodies our approach to journalism. I’m thrilled she’s joining our great team of reporters in Sydney and Canberra, and we think we will have a lot to contribute to the coming election.”
Cordell joins the company in April.
Buzzfeed Australia launched in February 2014 and currently has 20 journalists in Australia. However, it continues to struggle to convince Nielsen it is a news website.
Miranda Ward
Linkedin
Buzzfeed Oz has TWENTY journalists? Do a headcount – there’s a few food-video creators, a bunch of listicle makers, but journalists? I don’t think so
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@hmm This BuzzFeed doesn’t do journalism trope is so boring and wrong. Their Indigenous Affairs reporter was nominated for a Walkley. Their Canberra coverage is consistently top notch. All you’re proving with that statement is that you don’t actually read their journalism, not that it doesn’t exist.
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That’s a shame — I am an avid Crikey Subscriber and Marni has been a great editor. Her editorials are terrific.
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What I’ve seen on Buzzfeed seems to want to come across as quirky or cute… Where’s the serious journalism hidden?
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I actually think Buzzfeed is doing a good job of trying to reach a younger, traditionally less news-engaged audience in serious newsworthy topics – through the presentation of the info in visual formats and also use of common idiom and slang. I don’t think news reporting needs to sit in an ivory tower, as long as the background rigour and research principles remain. Good example I saw recently was their article on WA indigenous suicide. Well researched, long form journalism presented in an accessible format for a varied readership.
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The social media front of Buzzfeed succeeds in burying their best work behind silly, repetitive lists and hijinx in the office. The result is not just limited reach for their longform and political exclusives but it damages the credibility of real journalism. Their efforts to redefine journalism for Nielsen and the younger generation may win in the end, but only at the loss of readers who have an attention span longer than a tweet.
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Hopefully Jason Whitaker will return as editor.
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Have loved her work since The Paper. Go Marni!
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OMG I love these “but but but but buzzfeed isn’t a real jernalisms, it doesn’t even have dead trees!” tropes. *SHAKES FIST AT CLOUDS*
Welcome to the present. I’m sure many of these posters have no interest in interrupting their nostalgia porn, but just in case you want to get some context, try these (digital) resources. Ask your nephew to print them out or something….
Why BuzzFeed is the most important news org in the world:
https://stratechery.com/2015/buzzfeed-important-news-organization-world/
Columbia Journalism Review (oooooh, old media…) on the emergence of new models in newsrooms
http://www.cjr.org/cover_story.....s_true.php
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