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Vice Media to Reorganize, Lay Off 10 Percent of Staff

hollywoodreporter.com

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

#51

Post by creaghpatr »

creaghpatr wrote: post #50
danso wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 milli…

It gets weirder, the money was released but then maybe not? In any case, I'm gonna go ahead and guess my original theory was wrong.

https://toinformistoinfluence.com/2018/09/23/global-engageme...

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

#52

Post by newnewpdro »

Their youtube channel used to deliver incredibly raw and direct coverage of world events other US news sources seemed to be ignoring. Over the last few years though I've become increasingly annoyed with what content of theirs I saw, it's definitely changed.

Their coverage of the rebuilding efforts and failures in Afghanistan for instance was very illuminating and well done, I highly recommend giving this a watch though it's very upsetting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75hf6QI

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

#53

Post by grawprog »

I didn't mind vice media until I watched their 'documentary' about crokodil in Russia. The whole thing was dramatized around the idea of a new horrifying, skin melting drug that was killing people. Throughout the whole thing there was one very small mention about the fact it's actually codeine with the solvents used in production improperly purged and no real mention about the flesh melting being caused by red phosphorus not being completely removed.

The entire focus was on this 'new terrifying drug' when it really should have been about the abject poverty leading those desperate junkies to shooting up cheap, solvent laced opiates.

The whole thing really bugged me and honestly, the attitudes of their journalists when they go into places like that is really just terrible sometimes. Though I guess it did lead me to research more on the subject and learn enough to know what a poor documentary it really was...

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

#55

Post by partiallypro »

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...

I think it has more to do with Facebook's recent algorithm change http://fortune.com/2018/01/12/facebook-news-feed-change/

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

#56

Post by partiallypro »

hemantv wrote: post #54

Is it just me or there is lay off every other day. Tesla, Buzzfeed etc. This does not seem like a economy at its peak. It seems like a contraction.

Those are all related to their own problems, not weakness in the overall economy.

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

#58

Post by ataturk »

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...

Countering so-called fake news by producing other fake news? Propagandists gonna propagandize.

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

#59

Post by lotsofpulp »

bdamm wrote: post #35
mrguyorama wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Still can be done. Just gotta stay private.

Even private businesses are at risk of a well funded company coming undercutting them on costs until they sell themselves or fold.

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

#60

Post by blacksmith_tb »

dleslie wrote: post #25
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.

Vice was cheap to run, for a time. It started as a niche magazine in Quebec and expanded into yellow journalism with cheap to make, but provocative, YouTube documentaries. Then it was acquired and it pivoted sharply into being a media and news portal, with a presence on nigh every platform. The content quickly expanded in quantity, and critically overloaded itself in trying to dominate online discussion in every spac…

That's interesting, I would have thought the costs associated with printing a paper magazine would be fairly high compared with digital distribution, though?
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