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Somebody threw Vice a lifeline. WSJ calls them new...like a quarter of a century old media company is new?
Vice was positioned to inject youth appeal into old dumb phone line media companies who didn't understand the internet. They needed numbers. The needed kids. So Vice pumped them. variety.com/2016/digital/n…
Tom Freston knew the predictable cultural necropsy of big media. He groomed Vice to be the cure for that disease.cnbc.com/2016/06/15/for…
In addition to the problems caused by rapid growth, inexperienced staff and a fictional concept of internet popularity, Vice caught the casting couch disease. vox.com/identities/201…
Vice asked me to work with them when they first began in TV. I passed, Later when they launched their news I had so many employees calling me about how to get into wars I suggested they just hire me and I will show them how it's done. Rocco Castoro asked me what I wanted to do
I suggested that we cover war in real time, in all media and provide a deep background through the eyes a young man who was concerned about his new nation's freewill into anarchy. I wrote the entire 50K word issue in two weeks. vice.com/en_us/article/…
Tim Freccia and I travelled to South Sudan to hunt down Riek Machar and found him in the bush after narrowly escaping an assassination attempt by Salva Kir. We then filmed the brutal fighting of the White Army for the first time.
Despite numerous frustrations caused by Vice's corporate wienies the Saving South Sudan project was done and is still a fascinating multimedia. window into a unique historical event. 
I also wrote the sad short life of an American jihadi and the inside story of Bowe Bergdahl. Then Rocco had to make his break. After Vice tried to prevent him from speaking out about problems, he resigned live at a journalism event. And the expose's began. Vice never recovered.
Vice had such talent, potential and impact with many of their stories, producers and correspondents bringing stories to market. They put my stuff in for Pulitzers and I wish them well. Let's hope they get their mojo back. news.vice.com/en_us/article/…
