Vice Media Announces Another Round of Layoffs: Sparks Debate!

Introduction

• Vice Media has announced another round of layoffs in its news division, resulting in dozens of job eliminations.
• The company is consolidating to two divisions and winding down certain productions, which will have an impact on certain roles.
• The layoffs come after Vice Media canceled its flagship program “Vice News Tonight” earlier this year as part of a broad restructuring that resulted in painful cuts across the organization.
• The restructuring had major implications on news teams at Vice Media, and the company sunset the Vice World News brand and folded its operations under the Vice News umbrella, giving the company a singular news brand.
• The latest round of layoffs highlights the struggles in the news industry and raises concerns for the future of journalism.
• The Vice union has responded to the layoffs, accusing management of “contempt” for its workers and handling the actual layoff announcements poorly.

Responses to the Layoffs

• In response to the latest round of layoffs at Vice Media, the Vice union has accused management of “contempt” for its workers and criticized the handling of the actual layoff announcements.
• The union has also expressed concerns about the impact of the layoffs on news quality and diversity.
• Other media outlets and organizations have also responded to the layoffs, with some expressing disappointment and frustration at the continued struggles in the media industry.
• The layoffs come amid a wave of media layoffs and closures in 2023, including at PopSugar, G/O Media and Jezebel, MTV News, and ABC News.
• The media industry is facing an industry-wide funding crisis and existential questions about the future of journalism.

Our statement regarding today's layoffs at VICE pic.twitter.com/CJTtiYXJML

— VICE Union (@viceunion) November 9, 2023

Public Response to Vice Media Layoffs

they finally got me, I've been laid off from @VICENews

VICE was my dream job and my first real job out of college, and I was so unbelievably lucky to be able to work with some of the most talented, kind and funny people in the entire industry.

— maggie duncan 🪐 (@magdalinealice) November 9, 2023

Today is yet another really rough day in media; dozens of my Vice colleagues are being laid off globally and we just got news that Jezebel, where I worked for years, is being shut down.

— Anna Merlan (@annamerlan) November 9, 2023

Today I am proud to join one of the coolest, most illustrious groups there is: people laid off by vice. My number was finally called after seven and a half years of service. Hit up your boy if you wanna pay me to help you make ill internet content.

— Ben Craw (@ben_craw) November 9, 2023

Implications for Journalism Industry

1. The latest round of layoffs at Vice Media’s news division has significant implications for the journalism industry.
2. The layoffs come amid a wave of media layoffs and closures in 2023, raising concerns about the future of journalism and the media industry as a whole.
3. The impact of these layoffs and restructuring on news teams and productions has been significant, with concerns raised about the impact on news quality and diversity.
4. The media industry is facing an industry-wide funding crisis and existential questions about the future of journalism.
5. The Vice union has accused management of “contempt” for its workers and criticized the handling of the actual layoff announcements.
6. Other media outlets and organizations have also responded to the layoffs, with some expressing disappointment and frustration at the continued struggles in the media industry.
7. The layoffs reflect an industry-wide funding crisis that has raised existential questions about the future of journalism.
8. The impact of these layoffs on the industry as a whole is yet to be seen, but it is clear that the media industry is undergoing significant changes, leading to layoffs across various organizations.