Staff at VICE have been knowledgeable that the media group is stepping again from on-line information and getting ready a spherical of heavy layoffs.
On Thursday (February 22), VICE Information CEO Bruce Dixon despatched out an inner memo informing workers that the media firm would now not be publishing on its flagship information website. “It’s now not cost-effective for us to distribute our digital content material the way in which we have now performed beforehand,” Dixon wrote. “As a part of this shift, we’ll now not publish content material on vice.com, as an alternative placing extra emphasis on our social channels as we speed up our discussions with companions to take our content material to the place will probably be considered most broadly.”
There was extra to the gorgeous growth. “With this strategic shift comes the necessity to realign our sources and streamline our total operations at VICE,” Dixon added. “Regrettably, which means we shall be lowering our workforce, eliminating a number of hundred positions. This determination was not made flippantly, and I perceive the numerous influence it can have on these affected. Staff who shall be affected shall be notified about subsequent steps early subsequent week, per native legal guidelines and practices.” The strikes wouldn’t have an effect on Refinery29, with the ladies’s way of life model and web site that Vice acquired in 2019 persevering with as a standalone enterprise.
The information displays a shocking fall for VICE, which started as a publication protecting punk rock and various music in Montreal within the Nineties based by Suroosh Ali, Shane Smith, and Gavin McInnes who would go on to discovered the Proud Boys, the fascist group that has aligned itself with the American far-right. At its peak, the Brooklyn-based firm delivered information in a extremely unbiased format with correspondents throughout the globe along with unique programming similar to Most Expensivest hosted by 2Chainz and F—- That’s Scrumptious by Motion Bronson. The “Simple Rider” rapper took to social media on Friday, saying: “JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YA’LL KNOW I NEVER STOPPED MAKING F—Okay THATS DELICIOUS BECAUSE VICE IMPLODED.”
Representatives for VICE declined to remark when contacted by the press. The information comes amid a number of media teams asserting their downsizing measures similar to Pitchfork and GQ, and Advanced Media being offered off to the Ntwrk e-commerce platform. They joined information retailers similar to The Washington Put up, the Los Angeles Instances, CNN, and ABC Information which had initiated their cuts in current weeks and months.
