
Branding Vice - I_HALF_CATS
https://notvice.com/branding-vice-c967274f352d
======
linkregister
The author of this article has a serious axe to grind with VICE which
overshadows the few good points he makes. The photoshopped pictures of VICE
executives with consumer brands are embarrassingly bad.

It does bother me that VICE sometimes over-editorializes some of its stories
and does some truth stretching. Overall, I think the quality stories are
worthwhile and I can just roll my eyes at the misinformative ones, e.g. many
on motherboard.vice.com.

I clicked on another entry in this ranty blog and found a hilarious VICE
parody done by the Onion:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHvrirXi5Ds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHvrirXi5Ds)
.

~~~
I_HALF_CATS
The other Vice parody link in the same article.

[https://vimeo.com/121639159](https://vimeo.com/121639159)

via: [https://notvice.com/everyone-is-laughing-at-
vice-a82a33228b0...](https://notvice.com/everyone-is-laughing-at-
vice-a82a33228b01)

P.S. I'm the author, will answer questions regarding my adversarial blog after
work. (posted at lunch)

~~~
linkregister
That was the article, thanks for introducing me to EDGE, it's great!

I'm looking forward for the discussion after you finish lunch.

~~~
I_HALF_CATS
Sorry. Got side tracked. Will reply as long as the thread stays open.

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tn13
The rant might be genuine. Post McInnes VICE was not as provocative as it use
to be. At present VICE just brings the politically correct news reporting in a
provocative format. Clearly one has ignore facts in favor of a good story.
Most news media does this I dont think why VICE should be singled out.

The whole zoo is like a fancy dress competition I dont see why VICE should be
demonized or singled out.

P.S. Vice also remains probably the only media house to come up with these
real off beat stories. They might have taken creative liberties with facts but
then who does not ?

Examples:

[https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/life-as-a-member-
of-i...](https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/life-as-a-member-of-indias-
third-gender-is-a-blessing-and-a-curse) [http://www.vice.com/read/first-
person-shooter-building-maint...](http://www.vice.com/read/first-person-
shooter-building-maintenance-porter-janitor-guys)
[http://www.vice.com/read/why-prisons-should-give-inmates-
acc...](http://www.vice.com/read/why-prisons-should-give-inmates-access-to-
social-media)

~~~
I_HALF_CATS
Companies that don't take creative liberties in the way you are suggesting:

New York Times, Reuters, Washington Post, NPR, PBS Frontline, BBC, CBC Radio,
ProPublica, Associated Press, The Guardian.

Their code of ethics can be found here: [http://www.nytco.com/who-we-
are/culture/standards-and-ethics...](http://www.nytco.com/who-we-
are/culture/standards-and-ethics/)
[http://handbook.reuters.com/?title=A_Brief_Guide_to_Standard...](http://handbook.reuters.com/?title=A_Brief_Guide_to_Standards,_Photoshop_and_Captions)
[http://asne.org/content.asp?pl=236&sl=19&contentid=335](http://asne.org/content.asp?pl=236&sl=19&contentid=335)
[http://ethics.npr.org/](http://ethics.npr.org/)
[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/about-
us/journalisti...](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/about-
us/journalistic-guidelines/)
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/](http://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/)
[http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/reporting-to-
canadians/act...](http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/en/reporting-to-
canadians/acts-and-policies/programming/journalism/)
[https://www.propublica.org/about/code-of-
ethics/](https://www.propublica.org/about/code-of-ethics/)
[http://www.apme.com/?page=EthicsStatement](http://www.apme.com/?page=EthicsStatement)
[http://www.theguardian.com/guardian/article/0,5814,642387,00...](http://www.theguardian.com/guardian/article/0,5814,642387,00.html)

Vice has editorials for sale if you happen to have $27,850:
[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cj_1xHMVAAE9FUs.jpg:large](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cj_1xHMVAAE9FUs.jpg:large)

------
tcdent
What a trashy, incongruent rant of an article.

Regardless, a vast majority of their content doesn't include any reference to
marketable brands. If the OP is accusing them of being a PR news agency, I
have seen very little evidence of it. Questioning wether they are a business
trying to earn a profit is incredibly naive.

However, if I was to criticize anything about their journalistic integrity,
it's the tendency for their reporters to inject too much personal opinion.
Though they do often succeed at concluding their pieces in a way that leaves
the consumer considering multiple perspectives.

We don't have nearly enough (imperfect or not) media companies pursuing the
types of stories Vice does. Given their willingness to publish exceptionable
stories, it's no wonder there are significant attempts to discredit them.

~~~
busterarm
A handful of Vice articles I've read over the years have touched on my
personal sphere - people or causes I'm directly involved with. Their fact
checking is actually quite poor. They get tons of easily verified stuff wrong.
Moreover, I've seen at least two instances where such errors prevented a
brand/product/person from being perceived in a negative light. Some of their
articles have been wrong to the point of the entire article being incorrect
(like their 'first clown escort' story).

I'm sure they do or have done some quality journalism, but the amount of
bullshit they do shovel leaves them suspect as a whole to me.

~~~
linkregister
Yes their fact-checking is really poor in some articles. Their tech reporting
is awful. I love their international stories, such as the North Korea special.
Do you know of any inaccuracies in these stories?

~~~
xemdetia
From what I have read elsewhere most of those stories seem to be in line with
what the world at large knows. It is hard to tell if it's just two different
parts of the shop lead by by different management with different goals.

------
tn13
Example: This news article is an advertisement in disguise:
[http://www.vice.com/read/david-shapiro-supremacist-
supreme-s...](http://www.vice.com/read/david-shapiro-supremacist-supreme-
streetwear-book-interview)

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serg_chernata
Is there a publication that does edgy, interesting content like Vice but isn't
tied up in advertising controversy? This is a multi-layered question so answer
however you like, I'm genuinely curious.

~~~
ybrah
4chan

~~~
serg_chernata
Well played, though I'd wager between trolling and conspiracy theories it's
near impossible to pick out legitimate information from the rest.

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chrisdbaldwin
Is it "injecting" if the content was native-advertising to begin with?

~~~
rewrew
If it was it wasn't labeled correctly. That said, it appears that many of the
examples even six or seven years old; before even the FTC _suggested_ labeling
guidelines came out (and the actual rules only came out in December).

Reading more of this site the author comes not as having a very personal
vendetta against Vice (although there's not really a hint as to what has set
it off). I'm very skeptical of the underlying agenda here.

~~~
chrisdbaldwin
As a disclaimer, I stopped consuming VICE for this exact reason. I'm more
skeptical of the underlying agenda of VICE than some rando blogger with an axe
to grind.

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profeta
I call it the "Wired Style".

