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Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff

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Re: Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff

#41

Post by ucaetano »

I'm still hoping that Vice Media will renounce its bigotted past and either remove or address some articles, such as:

https://www.vice.com/da/article/9bv7qv/the-vice-guide-to-par...

A sneak peak:

Here are some of the types you'll need to invite.

TRANSSEXUAL: Pre-op is good, but post–breast implants, pre–gender reassignment is PERFECTION. All transsexuals are slutty, so don't worry about that. This guest is a very high priority and should be catered to accordingly. Put her first in the queue for cocaine and drinks. Tell her how pretty she is. Touch her a lot.

GUY WHO WILL FUCK TRANSSEXUAL: He is your #2 guy, your party wingman. If the tranny doesn't feel loved, she will leave.

Re: Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff

#43

Post by siruncledrew »

Reedx wrote: post #14

IIRC, I was introduced to Vice with their fascinating coverage of North Korea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24R8JObNNQ4 (first trip - Shane Smith was banned from the country as a result) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrCQh1usdzE (second trip years later, where they got in under the guise of a Basketball game) Unfortunately it's been increasingly hit or miss ever since and now their process seems to be along thes…

Documentary Now actually got me to look more into Vice with their 'Dronez' episode: https://www.netflix.com/title/80010778

Re: Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff

#44

Post by anongraddebt »

ucaetano wrote: post #41

I'm still hoping that Vice Media will renounce its bigotted past and either remove or address some articles, such as: https://www.vice.com/da/article/9bv7qv/the-vice-guide-to-par... A sneak peak: Here are some of the types you'll need to invite. TRANSSEXUAL: Pre-op is good, but post–breast implants, pre–gender reassignment is PERFECTION. All transsexuals are slutty, so don't worry about that. This guest is a very hig…

My first question about these types of articles is, "Who is the intended audience?" The transgender community is a very small portion of the populace. Vice seems to be a center-left organization (if not, then even more to the left). Presumably, they aren't writing for the transgender community because:

(1) The community is very small. and (2) That community would likely not want to read this.

Is the intended audience center-left folks? I don't really see why that audience would want to read this. Is the audience center-right? Full-throated right-wing? I don't see why any substantial number of conservatives would care to read this?

I have a pet theory about the rate of absurdity in a world being dependent on the rate of both population growth and communications connectivity, but I won't bore anyone here with it.

Re: Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff

#45

Post by ucaetano »

anongraddebt wrote: post #44
ucaetano wrote: post #41

I'm still hoping that Vice Media will renounce its bigotted past and either remove or address some articles, such as: https://www.vice.com/da/article/9bv7qv/the-vice-guide-to-par... A sneak peak: Here are some of the types you'll need to invite. TRANSSEXUAL: Pre-op is good, but post–breast implants, pre–gender reassignment is PERFECTION. All transsexuals are slutty, so don't worry about that. This guest is a very hig…

My first question about these types of articles is, "Who is the intended audience?" The transgender community is a very small portion of the populace. Vice seems to be a center-left organization (if not, then even more to the left). Presumably, they aren't writing for the transgender community because: (1) The community is very small. and (2) That community would likely not want to read this. Is the intended audience…

A little more context: the article is from 2005, when Vice was still a hipster/edgy/provocative publication focused on shocking and with no political leaning, largely led by Gavin McInnes (of later alt-right Proud Boys fame).

While Vice largely change its approach after McInnes left, it hasn't removed or addressed the articles from those darker times.

Re: Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff

#46

Post by black6 »

hahla wrote: post #9
creaghpatr wrote: post #7

I wonder if the Buzzfeed/Vice/Huffington Post layoffs are related to the appropriations of the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act running out. The US government was subsidizing certain organizations to counter fake news to the tune of $20M. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Countering_F...

How do you keep abreast of these sort of appropriations that are passed?

The Congressional Dish podcast[0] by Jen Briney is a fantastic resource, for those of us who don't want to watch committee hearings or read the scrawlings of Congress. She mixes in a bit of opinion, but she presents the facts and, since she uses the value-for-value model of listener support, she is not compromised by advertisers.

0: https://congressionaldish.com/

Re: Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff

#47

Post by maxxxxx »

mrguyorama wrote: post #34
untog wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're also falling victim to many of the traps startups do with regard to VC funding. Vice (and Buzzfeed for that matter) are ticking along nicely, generating a profit. But they're not generating enough profit for their investors, so they're forced to jump through cost-cutting hoops that will ultimately be to the detriment of their product.

I wonder if there was ever a time in history where it was okay to just run a business and make some money.

The majority of businesses still work that way. VC backed companies are outliers but they are in the press a lot.

Re: Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff

#48

Post by 52-6F-62 »

untog wrote: post #31
52-6F-62 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's happening in Canada as well. They're just not making enough money. They're making money, but not enough. There's a large drive to produce more with less, and to reboot. Journalism, especially good journalism, is expensive. Expensive to execute, and expensive to produce. And everybody wants it for free now.

They're also falling victim to many of the traps startups do with regard to VC funding. Vice (and Buzzfeed for that matter) are ticking along nicely, generating a profit. But they're not generating enough profit for their investors, so they're forced to jump through cost-cutting hoops that will ultimately be to the detriment of their product.

This happened similarly with "traditional" media in the 90s.

Properties got bought up, and owning papers and magazines was a hot item. They were posting large gains yearly, and shareholders were pleased.

When those gains started going down, shareholders became not so pleased! Then the company puts pressure on the properties to cut costs and perform better and sell more to keep those gains coming against a downward pressure that was almost constant. The companies put more pressure on the properties, etc. Many of those properties cut print production completely over the past 20 years and have moved solely online with teams a small fraction of the size they once had. A few emerged less damaged, but still not what they once were financially.

There's a great thread about this very thing happening:

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1088503510184927233.html

And I guess it's now happening to the online-native media companies.

It will probably hit tech harder in the coming years too, if these histories are evidence of a pattern.

Re: Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff

#49

Post by InitialLastName »

mrguyorama wrote: post #34
untog wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're also falling victim to many of the traps startups do with regard to VC funding. Vice (and Buzzfeed for that matter) are ticking along nicely, generating a profit. But they're not generating enough profit for their investors, so they're forced to jump through cost-cutting hoops that will ultimately be to the detriment of their product.

I wonder if there was ever a time in history where it was okay to just run a business and make some money.

Can only work if everyone whose money you're using to run the business is OK with it.

Re: Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff

#50

Post by creaghpatr »

danso wrote: post #28
creaghpatr wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are confusing that with money that was originally allocated by the Pentagon, not S.3274 >And that's assuming this money was allowed to be used as direct subsidy to non-government news outlets. That is not an assumption, that is what the text of the bill explicitly states: >There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State for fiscal years 2017 and 2018 $20,000,000 to support the Center and provide…

> You are confusing that with money that was originally allocated by the Pentagon, not S.3274 From the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countering_Foreign_Propaganda_... > n the version of the bill incorporated into the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, the U.S. Congress would ask the United States Secretary of State to collaborate with the United States Secretary of Defense and other relevant…

>Tillerson’s decision comes after POLITICO reported that he was holding off on using the money despite the desire of Republicans and Democrats to see it spent.

>Almost $20 million of the $60 million was already in the State Department’s coffers and will be released to the center's officials to fight propaganda by terrorist groups such as the Islamic State. Tillerson also approved a request for a transfer of $40 million from the Pentagon to the center so it can fight state-sponsored propaganda.

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/31/rex-tillerson-fund...

Both the Pentagon money and the original S.3274 amount were authorized, albeit after some foot dragging by Tillerson. That would seem to undercut my speculation that it went and was spent by news orgs, we'd have to figure out who the GEC's non-governmental partners were/are. I'm not sure how to look that up.

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