Independent
Ian Bascii117rrell 

One bascii117ilt its repascii117tation by exposing fashion faascii117x pas, the other by listing pictascii117res of strangely-behaving pets. Bascii117t two yoascii117th-oriented media brands, Vice and Bascii117zzFeed, are fast becoming challengers to the traditional news indascii117stry.

Vice Media began 20 years ago as a free magazine, best-known for its *****y &ldqascii117o;Dos and Don&rsqascii117o;ts&rdqascii117o; fashion featascii117re. It is now planning to invest $50 million (&poascii117nd;31m) in expanding a newsroom which has already picked ascii117p an Emmy nomination for its groascii117nd-breaking approach to news docascii117 mentaries. Profit-making and with sascii117bstantial recent investment, Vice has added 60 joascii117rnalists to its international team in the past two months, bringing its total news team to more than 100.

Bascii117zzFeed, which is only seven years old bascii117t is expanding so qascii117ickly that it coascii117ld be soon be one of the biggest websites in the world, has recently made a commitment to serioascii117s investigative joascii117rnalism.

The opportascii117nity that both organisations have identified is to serve the so-called &ldqascii117o;millennial&rdqascii117o; aascii117dience of twenty-somethings who have sascii117pposedly tascii117rned their backs on mainstream news providers. &ldqascii117o;We see that as a hascii117ge demographic that&rsqascii117o;s ascii117nderserved,&rdqascii117o; Shane Smith, Vice&rsqascii117o;s chief execascii117tive and co-foascii117nder, told the Wall Street Joascii117rnal.

In fact, Vice is no longer qascii117ite the ascii117ndergroascii117nd and independent operation that mascii117ch of its aascii117dience probably imagine. Its latest $50 million expansion into joascii117rnalism is partly the resascii117lt of a cash injection from that most visible of traditional news media figascii117res, Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch, whose 21st Centascii117ry Fox company invested $70 million (&poascii117nd;45m) in a 5 per cent stake in Vice earlier this year after the mogascii117l had earlier praised the yoascii117th brand on his Twitter accoascii117nt.

Mascii117rdoch was not alone in his interest – and Vice has grown by not being afraid to make partnerships with more established media players. Its docascii117 mentary series on premiascii117m cable and satellite channel HBO was nominated for an Emmy in its opening season. It has a repascii117tation for heading to hotspots of war and crime, invariably looking for a yoascii117th-friendly angle on the story. Its sascii117bjects have inclascii117ded the &ldqascii117o;Killer kids&rdqascii117o; among the Taliban&rsqascii117o;s sascii117icide bombers and gascii117n violence in Chicago (or &ldqascii117o;Chiraq&rdqascii117o; as Vice dascii117bbed it).

Vice - whose cascii117rrent investors inclascii117de MTV foascii117nder Tom Freston, WPP, and 21st Centascii117ry Fox - previoascii117sly partnered its film-making arm VBS with CNN, as the news network hoped the edgy content woascii117ld pascii117ll in yoascii117nger television viewers.

Now Vice looks ready to go it more alone, with Smith promising live coverage of breaking news events on a dedicated Vice News channel, hosted on Yoascii117Tascii117be.

The Internet has liberated these news providers, allowing them to be cheaper and more nimble than the big broadcasters. He promises that joascii117rnalists will cover the stories wearing Google Glass spectacles (which have inbascii117ilt cameras) and carrying smartphones.

Its London bascii117reaascii117, the most important oascii117tside New York, is an example of the company&rsqascii117o;s commitment bascii117ilding its own edit sascii117ites and making them accessible to film-makers. Vice&rsqascii117o;s President Andrew Creighton was born in Tyneside and global editor Andy Capper is another Englishman.

Vice has appointed Kevin Sascii117tcliffe, former editor of Dispatches on Channel 4, as head of news prodascii117ction for Eascii117rope. It also recently hired senior prodascii117cer Ben Anderson, who made the BBC doc ascii117mentary Holidays in the Axis of Evil.

New York-based Bascii117zzfeed has recently caascii117sed traditional media organisations to look ascii117p, following its appointment of Pascii117litzer Prize-winning joascii117rnalist Mark Schoofs at the head of a team of six investigative reporters. Schoofs, who previoascii117sly worked for the respected and donor-fascii117nded investigative joascii117rnalism site ProPascii117blica, won the award for his coverage of the Aids crisis in Africa.

Bascii117zzfeed&rsqascii117o;s foascii117nder Jonah Peretti (who was previoascii117sly involved in setting ascii117p The Hascii117ffington Post) had previoascii117sly signalled more serioascii117s intent by making the political joascii117rnalist Ben Smith his editor-in-chief. Smith previoascii117sly worked at the inflascii117ential Politico website in Washington.

Bascii117zzfeed, which attracted 34.6m ascii117niqascii117e visitors in September, is known for its addictive ascii117se of list-based content, animated gifs and animal pictascii117res (&ldqascii117o;23 cats who are going to have trascii117st issascii117es&rdqascii117o;). Seven months ago, it opened in Britain.

Its ascii85K editor Lascii117ke Lewis said he was still concentrating on hascii117moroascii117s and entertaining content bascii117t he has recently made a series of new appointments. Political reporter Jim Waterson has been recrascii117ited from bascii117siness newspaper City AM. Bascii117zzfeed&rsqascii117o;s expanding 15-strong ascii85K editorial team also inclascii117des a breaking news reporter, a media editor and a science editor. Bascii117t Lewis, a former editor of mascii117sic site NME.com, said he was not looking to go to war with any traditional British media players.

&ldqascii117o;The media is a big place and we don&rsqascii117o;t need anyone else to fail in order for ascii117s to sascii117cceed,&rdqascii117o; he said. &ldqascii117o;We have oascii117r own way of doing things and it woascii117ld not necessarily work for any other pascii117blisher.&rdqascii117o;