Apparently they’ve evolved quite a bit: https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/chris-hamby-buzzfeed-news

BuzzFeed is quite different from BuzzFeedNews which produces higher quality content. Very unfortunate naming and we go through that exchange on hn every time they get linked.

As we should. Reputation is the best tool we have for tracking credibility throughout society. As a pioneer of clickbait garbage, Buzzfeed has a deservedly poor reputation, and a little bit of brand diversification doesn’t change that. If the Sackler family started opening rehab clinics, it wouldn’t change my opinion on what a bunch of scumbags they are.

No, the reputable journalists at BuzzFeed News, which has produced two Pulitzer Prize finalists so far.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BuzzFeed_News

Any writer of news someone doesn't like can be an "activist" rather than a journalist, it's a pointless distinction

Please don't.

Those two things aren't mutually exclusive.

BuzzFeed News is not BuzzFeed. They've won several well-deserved journalistic awards.