Eccentric current affairs media outlet Vice Media is going under, but its executives aren’t.

VICE Union revealed the company paid several senior executives over a million dollars of “retention bonuses” two weeks before filing for bankruptcy and one day after after the company announced layoffs of more than 100 employees.

The bankruptcy announcement garnered attention from many corners of the media industry, given that VICE was poised to outshine legacy outlets, raising billions from investors, including Disney and 21st Century Fox. Notable payouts included the $45,000 paid to Cory Haik, COO of news and entertainment, and $201,467 to Subrata De, executive vice president of news. Both individuals oversaw divisions that experienced massive layoffs. 

While it’s received its fair share of critiques, VICE News’s coverage has long been associated with words like alternative, radical, and progressive. The company has a legacy of covering “taboo” topics like sex and drugs with the rigor and seriousness they deserve, and its staff has often covered stories from angles that other outlets avoid.

Because of this, minoritized communities have sought coverage from VICE to ensure their stories are appropriately heard. However, the ethics of their editorial values aren't translating to adequately caring for their staff.

According to the union’s GoFundMe, VICE News did not issue severance payments to union employees, which the union said is against the terms of the 2021 contract it negotiated with the company. Under bankruptcy law, certain employees are entitled to a severance payment, but the matter is still being deliberated in court.

While some employees are waiting for severance they’re owed, others may never receive the minimal support. JC Gotinga, a journalist who worked on VICE’s Asia-Pacific Team, tweeted the company is legally allowed to avoid paying severance to him and four former colleagues because it doesn’t have an office in their countries.

Staff affected by the layoffs are searching for work in a depressed job market and struggling to pay for basic necessities, housing, and healthcare, hence the union’s GoFundMe.

That VICE put its former workers in this situation is staggering and terribly ironic, considering VICE’s head of HR Daisy Auger-Dominguez (who was paid a $99,000 retention bonus) authored “Inclusion Revolution: The Essential Guide to Dismantling Racial Inequity in the Workplace.”

In its statement, VICE Union says the company’s actions are unacceptable: “If bankruptcy has accomplished anything, it’s shown that VICE is in dire financial straits because of rampant mismanagement and corporate greed of such staggering proportions that $1.6 billion in funding disappeared in less than a decade.”

—Uyiosa Elegon

It's not too late to get our first print magazine, The Reckoning in Food Media! Flip through reported and first-person criticism of food media coverage, along with looks to how food media can improve.

Reveal lays off all Black unionized staff: Jacob Gardenswartz continues our Reclaiming Democracy series, reporting on Reveal’s choice to lay off all its unionized Black employees despite issuing a public mea culpa in late 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. (The Objective) 

After 2020, Black-led publications still in search of long-term support: Also for our Reclaiming Democracy series, Uyiosa Elegon covers Black-led publications' pursuit of sustainability three years after the "racial reckoning" in media — especially since researchers point out journalism philanthropy has a "race problem." (The Objective)

Forbes union study shows newsroom pay disparities: A new analysis from Axios’ Sara Fischer and Kerry Flynn found that the 61 full-time white members of Forbes’s union make $94,360 on average, almost $15,000 more than its eight Black members and $7,000 more than its 10 Asian American members. (Axios)

Santa Barbara News-Press files for bankruptcy: After 150 years of reporting in Santa Barbara, last week the outlet joined other regional — and national — outlets across the country that have filed for bankruptcy. (The Santa Barbara Independent)

The Iowa meteorologist who quit after death threats got nice emails, too: Emily Atkin writes about an all-too common phenomenon facing journalists today: death threats and constant harassment. (Heated)

Local news gets a new supporter — artificial intelligence: The American Journalism Project announced it would be partnering with — and taking an over $5 million grant from — OpenAI, in efforts to “assess the potential value of emerging AI technologies” in local newsrooms. Journalists have expressed skepticism about the partnership, especially for AI’s potential to erode readers’ trust and publish misinformation. (American Journalism Project Twitter, Axios)

18 days until … the deadline to apply for the Movement Broadcast Intensive. This 12-week virtual series, presented by Press On, Migrant Roots Media, and Interrupting Criminalization, is meant for anyone interested in creating video, audio, and live broadcasts to support movements for liberation.

($) 27 days until … the ONA23 Conference in Philadelphia. This year, ONA will be held both in person and virtually, with the virtual component taking place later in September. Registration prices vary by organizational affiliation.

Looking for a job? Here are a few places to look: INN | ONA | JournalismJobs.com | 10 Jobs and a Dog | NABJ | AAJA | NAHJ | NLGJA | @WritersofColor | MEO Jobs | Freelance Journalist Rates | Source Jobs | Opportunities of the Week ($) | West Coast Media Jobs

How about a style guide? Trans Journalist Association | Diversity Style Guide | Tribal Nations Media Guide | NABJ Style Guide | Disability Language Style Guide | AAJA Guide to Covering Asian Pacific America | NAHJ Cultural Competence Handbook |  SPJ Race & Gender Hotline | AMEJA Media Resource Guide | The Press in Prison | The Conscious Style Guide

Thanks for reading our newsletter! We appreciate you being here, and we’ll have more for you soon.

This issue is by Uyiosa Elegon, Nawar Nemeh, and James Salanga, with edits by Curtis Yee and Jen Ramos Eisen.