In recent months, Vice has been plagued by bankruptcy, layoffs, leadership shake-ups—and now, its reported deference to the Saudi regime. According to The Guardian, the media company killed two stories over fears they would anger the Saudis and jeopardize the safety of Vice’s contracted employees located there. The decisions came months after the company signed a partnership deal with MBC Group, the Saudi-backed broadcaster. One freelancer who claimed his story was killed said the actions would only further destroy Vice’s brand as a watchdog calling out injustice—particularly when working with a regime the U.S. concluded ordered the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, prompting Vice to pause its work there for years. “Bankruptcy has already affected the publication’s reputation, but if they are now seen as shying away from difficult stories due to their ownership, it’s really the final nail in the coffin of their countercultural image,” the freelancer told the paper. A Vice spokesperson declined to comment to The Guardian.
