BuzzFeed's editor in chief says his organization is "proud" of its decision to publish unverified memos alleging that Russian operatives have compromising personal and financial information about President-elect Donald Trump. "I think we are trying to best inform our audience, to be true to our audience, to treat our audience with respect." Related: BuzzFeed's publication of Trump memos draws controversyBuzzFeed's decision sparked an intense debate within the journalism community about journalistic ethics and responsibility. A number of outlets, including CNN, had obtained the memos in recent weeks, but they had not published the memos or any specific details from them because the accuracy of the memos' information could not be verified. Smith said BuzzFeed has not been threatened with any legal action by the Trump transition team for its decision.

Source: CNN January 15, 2017 18:00 UTC