Is The Guardian turning into Buzzfeed? Pics of sleeping dogs is the future

I only ask because the website unveiled its Guardian Witness project this week. It is a section in the website where readers can share their images and videos to help supplement the stories produced by Guardian journos.

So far so good.

It works with the paper giving the reader assignments – so you can send in your images of Thatcher’s funeral, shots of your fave albums for Record Store Day etc.

Except of course that not even The Guardian can resist the power of (coughs) pet based photography.

For at the time of writing while 40 people have sent in images of the ex-PM’s final journey and 31 have sent representations of what government cuts mean to them – over 300 have submitted images of sleeping dogs!

It is the eternal dilemma now for the world’s serious press. Publish stuff online that you know people want to look at (pets pictures, football gossip, funny virals) or use the web to educate and inform people and get them to contribute to the debate. I know which one drives traffic and ad views…

Still, check it out – it is a lovely idea.