BuzzFeed Canada closes Ottawa bureau, wraps Canadian politics coverage

TORONTO – BuzzFeed says it is closing its Ottawa bureau, which employs two staff, and wrapping up its Canadian political coverage.

The company provided a memo sent to staff earlier Tuesday from Scott Lamb, vice-president of international editorial, that said politics editor Paul McLeod will move to Washington, D.C., to cover Capitol Hill news.

McLeod tweeted that he’s excited about the move.

The memo said politics reporter Emma Loop has been offered a position in D.C. as well and is yet to make a decision. On her Twitter account, Loop thanked supporters for their kind words, but did not elaborate on the situation.

Lamb said in the memo that he hopes both staff members remain with the company.

The American website was founded in 2006 and expanded to Canada a little more than a year ago. It also has an office in Toronto.

It started out as a source for offbeat lists and quizzes, but has since attempted to establish itself as a producer of more traditional journalism.