BuzzFeed is closing its in-house, open-source innovation lab in October after two years of experimentation at the crossroads of technology and media.
BuzzFeed’s Open Lab for Journalism, Technology, and the Arts, which is housed at BuzzFeed’s San Francisco bureau, will wind down in October after the current fellowship class finishes its work, BuzzFeed San Francisco Bureau Chief Mat Honan wrote in a note to employees obtained by Poynter.
“As we near the end of our original two-year commitment, we’ve learned that there are better ways to integrate new technologies into BuzzFeed’s mission,” Honan said. “That means that we will no longer continue to operate the Open Lab as a separate initiative, and we won’t renew the Open Lab fellowship after the current class finishes its work in October.”
Rather than encouraging engineers to work apart from the broader newsroom in a standalone lab, BuzzFeed plans to “have engineers and hackers integrated directly into the newsroom,” Honan wrote, through programs like newsroom residencies.
BuzzFeed launched its Open Lab in 2015 in partnership with GE and Eyebeam, which helped sponsor the lab’s first fellowship class. In an announcement published on BuzzFeed’s site, Honan and BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti predicted the lab would foster innovation by getting “just on the edge of what’s possible and what’s permissible.”
“We want to break shit, and build it back better than it was before,” they wrote. “And then we want to show you how to follow along, using the very same tech we developed. Basically, we want to teach everyone to fish. But with drones.”
During its two-year span, fellows at BuzzFeed’s Open Lab worked on a variety of new media projects, experimenting with sensors, drones, bots and 3-D videos. Senior Fellow Amanda Hickman, who oversees the lab, has described it as “everyone’s R&D department.”
In his memo, Honan said BuzzFeed will continue to promote the collaborative spirit that has characterized BuzzFeed’s Open Lab.
“After October, you will continue to see that kind of direct connection between engineers and reporters that will help BuzzFeed News foster an innovative and experimental environment,” he wrote. “One big thing we’ve learned is that it makes more sense to have engineers and hackers integrated directly into the newsroom, rather than in a stand-alone lab.”
Here’s the full memo:
Hi all,
When we announced the BuzzFeed Open Lab two years ago, we were excited about the ways that we could experiment with novel technologies and incorporate them into BuzzFeed’s mission, and the larger media ecosystem. Over the past year and a half, the lab has produced a lot of wins — from bots that talk to convention goers, to incredibly usable 360 video cameras, to tools that analyze Trump’s tweets, to a hotline for sharing immigrant experiences, and a lot more.
As we near the end of our original two year commitment, we’ve learned that there are better ways to integrate new technologies into BuzzFeed’s mission. That means that we will no longer continue to operate the Open Lab as a separate initiative, and we won’t renew the Open Lab fellowship after the current class finishes its work in October. The current class will remain on until then, as will lab director Amanda Hickman.
After October, you will continue to see that kind of direct connection between engineers and reporters that will help BuzzFeed News foster an innovative and experimental environment. One big thing we’ve learned is that it makes more sense to have engineers and hackers integrated directly into the newsroom, rather than in a stand-alone lab. Engineers now do residencies in the newsroom, for example.
And until October rolls around, there will be more to come from the Open Lab. We still have a lot more exciting projects in the works. Finally, I want to congratulate Amanda and the fellows from both years for the incredible work and contributions they have made to BuzzFeed, and to the integration of news and data science across the board.
Please stay tuned, and if you have not registered already, please do attend the Open Lab’s Mid-Year Showcase on April 5. (I think Amanda can still get you a slot.)
