BuzzFeed's elevation of entertainment unsettles its newsroom

New York

STAFF meetings at BuzzFeed are not uncommon. Jonah Peretti, the site's founder and chief executive, who is based in Los Angeles, travels to the New York offices regularly and often meets with employees to answer questions or outline strategy.

But two recent meetings took on greater import, after BuzzFeed told employees two weeks ago that it was formally dividing its news and entertainment divisions. The day the reorganisation was announced, editor-in- chief Ben Smith met with the news staff to reassure them that the company was committed to its news operations. And last Wednesday, Mr Peretti held a question-and-answer session and vowed that the company was not planning to sell its news division.