'Journalism Without the Makeup': Vice Hypes Launch of 'Vice News Tonight'
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“WE NOW INTERRUPT YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED WORLDVIEW,” reads the typographic message that opens a new promo for “Vice News Tonight,” Vice Media’s joint attempt with HBO to get millennials to watch a daily TV news show (beginning Sept. 26). As the promo continues, an announcer promises “the next generation of news” as more typography — “NO ANCHORS,” “NO SPONSORS,” “NO CENSORS” — flashes across some rather random scenes (explosions, gunfire, a gay pride parade). “Journalism without the makeup, truth without the talking heads,” the announcer continues. “This is not the nightly news. This is Vice News Tonight.”
The absence of anchors and makeup (we’ll see about that) is meant to convey authenticity, while the lack of censors and sponsors positions ‘Vice News Tonight’ as a more unfiltered, truthful form of broadcast journalism. Of course, Vice famously takes money from big brands and filthy advertisers elsewhere in its empire (including Phillip Morris, through Vice’s Edition Worldwide), and Vice Media is partially owned by the mainstreamest of mainstream media conglomerates, including Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox and A&E Networks (the Hearst Corp./Walt Disney Co. joint venture).
But this — this new news show over on HBO? This is PURE!
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