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!
This is not the nightly news. This is VICE News Tonight. Premiering September 26 at 7:30pm on HBO.https://t.co/nXlivq6Iiy
— VICE News (@vicenews) August 29, 2016
Simon Dumenco, aka Media Guy, is an Ad Age editor-at-large. You can follow him on Twitter @simondumenco.