Singapore – Vice Media Group has announced that it will cease publishing new content on its main news site Vice.com, as well as announcing more layoffs across its staff, according to an internal memo Bruce Dixon, group CEO at Vice Media Group, sent out across its employees.

According to the memo, Vice Media will look into partnering with established media companies to distribute their digital content, including news, on their global platforms, as the company fully transitions to a studio model.

“After careful consideration and discussion with the board, we have decided to make some fundamental changes to our strategic vision at Vice. We create and produce outstanding original content true to the Vice brand. However, it is no longer cost-effective for us to distribute our digital content the way we have done previously,” Dixon said.

While he did not specify how many employees, Dixon said that the company will be ‘eliminating several hundred positions’. He also noted that Refinery 29, Vice’s standalone website focused on young women stories, will remain as a standalone business. The memo did not mention, however, on the current standing of Virtue, Vice’s in-house creative agency.

“I know that saying goodbye to our valued colleagues is difficult and feels overwhelming, but this is the best path forward for Vice as we position the company for long-term creative and financial success. Our financial partners are supportive and have agreed to invest in this operating model going forward. We will emerge stronger and more resilient as we embark on this new phase of our journey,” he added. 

The company had previously announced bankruptcy earlier in 2023, and was acquired by investment companies Fortress Investment Group, Soros Fund Management and Monroe Capital for US$350m. Prior to this, it had also announced several layoffs, including the entirety of its newsroom team in Asia-Pacific.

Aside from Vice Media Group, the media industry has been taking a hit this year, with media entities such as Time, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, Forbes, and Business Insider all announcing staff reductions earlier this year. In APAC, CNN Philippines recently shut down due to financial losses, effectively laying off its entire workforce.

Tokyo, Japan – Global news agency Reuters has announced the relaunch of its Japanese-language site edition as part of the news agency’s position to strengthen its local readership amongst Japanese professionals and being their top news source.

The upgraded website introduces enhanced functionality, including a reorganized content structure, increased accessibility features and a responsive mobile web experience, to improve discovery and navigation through the site. 

Users will also have a multimedia-enriched experience with more prominent video placement throughout the site and increased use of embedded video, graphics and data modules within articles. 

Meanwhile, the site provides new ad formats for advertisers to reach Japanese audiences. The Japanese-language site also presents a new look and feel consistent with the global English-language Reuters.com.

Harold Geslai, senior manager for product management for Asia at Reuters, said, “The new Reuters Japan edition delivers an elevated mobile-first and video-rich news experience that provides users more convenient access to the world and business news shaping our world.”

Meanwhile, Josh London, head of Reuters Professional and chief marketing officer at Reuters, commented, “Professionals in Japan and globally rely on Reuters unmatched depth and breadth of coverage to empower smart decisions. The refreshed jp.reuters.com strengthens Reuters position as the source and destination for global intelligence for Japanese-speaking professionals.”

As part of the Japanese site launch, Reuters has also added a new Japan subsection on the global Reuters.com, available under its World section. The navigation update provides English-speaking audiences faster access to Reuters reporting from one of the leading global economies.

Manila, Philippines – Independent local news portal Rappler has announced that they have received an order from the nation’s Securities and Exchange Commission to shut down the organisation, according to its CEO Maria Ressa.

Ressa announced the news during her speech at the East-West Center international media conference in Hawaii, according to a report from CNN Philippines.

“In an order dated June 28, our Securities and Exchange Commission affirmed its earlier decision to revoke the certificates of incorporation of Rappler Inc. and Rappler Holding Corporation. We were notified by our lawyers of this ruling that effectively confirmed the shutdown of Rappler,” the online statement said.

The company also added, “We are entitled to appeal this decision and will do so, especially since the proceedings were highly irregular.”

In a full 12-page statement released by SEC, it stated that the order is made due the organisation’s “violation of constitutional and statutory restrictions on foreign ownership in mass media.”

“The Company Registration and Monitoring Department is hereby directed to effect the revocation of the Certificates of Incorporation of Rappler, Inc. and Rappler Holdings Corp. in the records and system of the Commission,” SEC said.

This was not the first time Rappler has been ordered by SEC to shut down its operations. In 2018, Rappler was ordered to shut down for the same reason. According to SEC, Rappler violated the constitutional and statutory foreign equity restrictions in mass media when it issued Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) that granted Omidyar Network, a foreign entity, control over the media organisation.

Rappler is the latest news organisation that has been hit with closure orders. Recently, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has ordered the closure of several websites, including independent news organisations such as Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly, that are allegedly linked to terrorist organisations Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).

Closure of news organisations have been more rampant in the Philippines in recent years, especially those that have been critical of the outgoing government led by President Rodrigo Duterte. The biggest of which is the closure of media conglomerate ABS-CBN on June 30, 2020, where they have been told to go off air in free television.

New York, USA – As the current world is currently seeking independent and unbiased reporting, global news organization Reuters has launched its first ever major brand campaign, adhering to their existing philosophy of journalism: tell all sides of stories but take none.

Made in partnership with brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R, ‘The Source’ takes back viewers to the company’s 170-year heritage to emphasize its reputation as one of the world’s most trusted news outlets.

A predominant theme in the campaign is the utilization of quotation marks in its creative as the universal symbol of reporting directly from the source. The quotation marks are employed to frame the truth at the heart of Reuters reporting, letting the story speak for itself.

“With 2500 journalists in 200 locations around the world, our strength spans markets and geographies, delivering the deep global and local expertise that is uniquely Reuters. ‘The Source’ campaign puts that unique value front and center, showcasing what Reuters has been for nearly two centuries: the place for trusted, unbiased news,” said Alessandra Galloni, editor-and-chief of Reuters.

For Josh London, CMO at Reuters and head of Reuters Professional, said campaign speaks to the pedigree of long-time journalism, as well as the evolution of Reuters and their continuous innovation in how they report and deliver the news.

“With the intense speed at which information travels and the proliferation of misinformation, people and organizations need a source they can rely on for the unfiltered truth. ‘The Source’ squarely tells them that place is Reuters,” London added.

Meanwhile, Tamryn Kerr, creative director at VMLY&R London, commented, “With journalists in every corner of the world, Reuters truly is the source for unbiased news and information. We are proud to have worked with some of the best journalists in the world to bring authenticity and journalistic authority to the campaign.”

The campaign is set to roll out first for their United States and United Kingdom markets.

Reuter’s Asia-Pacific presence is evident across 14 locations in the countries of India, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines.