Former Guardian deputy editor Janine Gibson has joined Buzzfeed UK as editor-in-chief. (Picture by Marco Kesseler)
Gibson, who left The Guardian last month after unsuccessfully applying to replace Alan Rusbridger as editor-in-chief, starts on 1 August.
She was editor of Guardian US during the time of the Edward Snowden revelations two years ago and more recently was put in charge of the Guardian website.
In an announcement to staff, current Buzzfeed editor-in-chief Luke Lewis said he would be moving to become executive editor. Lewis has been in his role since Buzzfeed UK’s launch in March 2013.
He said: “The fact she’s coming to run Buzzfeed UK is testament to the scale of what we have achieved. Two years ago we were three people in a shared office. We’re now a vibrant newsroom with more than 40 editorial staffers, 18 million unique visitors, and a culture of creativity and innovation that is the envy of everty publisher.”
On his new position, Lewis said: “I will be taking on the expanded role of executive editor, reporting to Janine and continuing to run the buzz side of things.”
Gibson was among 26 people to apply for the Guardian editor job, and was one of four to take part in a hustings event for a staff ballot. Katharine Viner, who replaced Gibson as editor of The Guardian US last summner, won the hustings – claiming 438 first-choice votes, 53 per cent of the total cast – and was later named as Rusbridger's successor.
Gibson, who launched The Guardian's media website and was previously Media Guardian editor, came third – behind Emily Bell – with 175 votes.
Gibson started her career in journalism at Televisual, first as a staff writer and then rising to become deputy editor, before moving on to Broadcast magazine in July 1997. She then went on to become media correspondent for The Independent before joining The Guardian in 1998.
She was at the helm of Guardian US for the newspaper group's coverage of the NSA-Snowden stories.
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