Questions raised about future of Vice

Multiple staffers are concerned that Vice Media is considering shuttering or gutting its flagship news website six months after the brand was sold to a consortium of its former lenders, reports Lachlan Cartwright of The Hollywood Reporter.

Cartwright reports, “Editors from different parts of Vice met with their staffs Thursday and informed them that they have asked management for clarity on the situation but haven’t received a reply. Vice News’ top editor Josh Visser addressed staffers on a midday Zoom and said he had given senior executives of the company, including CEO Bruce Dixon, an opportunity to deny rumors the site was shuttering, but he had not heard back, which he described as ‘very upsetting.’

“‘Our website and our work being pulled down would be completely reprehensible,’ he told staffers. ‘I cannot even understand any business reasons why you would do something like that.’

“Visser told staff a plan he had proposed to restructure the newsroom had essentially been rejected by management and that, even though it is almost March, he still does not have a budget for the year. Staff asked Visser about whether their next paycheck would clear and if their Vice laptops may become disabled by the company.”

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