Yahoo! hires journalists to step up news coverage

Internet major Yahoo! has recruited nearly a dozen journalists from media houses and opened a bureau in Washington to push original news content and increase popularity of its online news site, says a media report.

The journalists joining Yahoo! News, the most-visited news site on web, include prominent reporters and editors from Politico, ABC, Washingtonpost.Com, TalkingPointsMemo.Com, Observer and other publications, The New York Times reported.

In February, Yahoo! News had over 43 million visitors, more than any other news site, the report said citing data from a research company comScore.

According to the publication, journalists have been hired to create original articles and videos on topics like politics and media. The coverage would complement news articles that Yahoo! licenses from other media organisations and brings together on its site, it added.

The move mirrors a successful push by Yahoo! into original sports coverage some three years ago, with hiring of sports journalists and acquisition of Rivals.Com, a network of sports blogs.

"My hopes are to continue build out voice for our media properties and to replicate the success we have had in Yahoo Sports," the report said, quoting Yahoo! Media Head James Pitaro.

Yahoo!'s media properties like news, finance and sports are among the most successful web sites. The internet company has struggled in the last several years with intensifying competition from Google and a weakening advertising market.

Pitaro said the move to original news content in sports has proved profitable and that its foray into news, Yahoo! would seek to "maintain healthy profit margins."