Buzzfeed political editor Jim Waterson has been appointed as the new media editor at the Guardian.

Waterson said: “The Guardian’s media coverage has long been the best in the business and I’m excited to follow in the footsteps of some fantastic journalists.

“The media business is going through a period of enormous change, the public is waking up to the impact that major internet companies are having on society, and there’s huge interest in the behind-the-scenes forces which shape the news agenda.

“I’m looking forward to reporting on these stories during an incredibly turbulent age for the industry.”

In a tweet announcing the move, he said he would be covering “the traditional side of the industry, how social media firms are breaking everything, and who controls how news is made”.

He said: “Media is increasingly politicised so probably needs to be covered in the same way we cover politics.”

He added: “BuzzFeed is an amazing place and I owe so much to [Buzzfeed editor] Ben Smith, [Buzzfeed UK editor] Janine Gibson and [Buzzfeed head of news] Stuart Miller and many others. The site’s in an exciting place and will keep doing great stuff.

“I just need a new challenge after a long stint and am really excited to be joining the Guardian.”

Waterson will lead on media coverage across print and digital, working closely with the Guardian’s media business correspondent Mark Sweney.

He has been political editor of BuzzFeed UK since 2013, when he helped to start the site’s UK news coverage. Before that he spent two years as a politics and business reporter at City AM.

Guardian editor Katharine Viner said Waterson would “bring a terrific instinct for news and a deep understanding of digital media to this important role”.

Waterson replaces Graham Ruddick who moves to a new role as assistant business editor at The Times.

In other Guardian news, senior live blogger Claire Phipps has been appointed digital editor alongside Jonathan Haynes.