After four successful seasons of the HBO documentary TV series VICE, which earned an Emmy in 2014 for outstanding informational series, HBO and VICE Media are teaming up again to bring audiences VICE News Tonight, a half-hour nightly newscast that will air weeknights on HBO.
In the wake the recent growing disdain for traditional newscast, which have come under fire for their biased reporting or political affiliations that hinder more honest news, VICE News Tonight aims to “provide an indispensable nightly news show for viewers who have grown increasingly skeptical of daily broadcast news.” According to executive vice president of content and news Josh Tyrangiel, “The nightly news hasn’t changed its format in 60 years, whereas the way most viewers – particularly younger viewers – consume information has changed dramatically”. “We understand that people aren’t going to watch VICE News Tonight out of obligation. We’re going to have to earn people’s time and attention with great reporting and original forms of storytelling, something VICE has excelled at for several years now. We can’t wait to get started and show people what we’ve been up to.” Considering how controversial, yet admittedly entertaining, this years election has been, and how much the recent RNC and DNC added fuel to the fire, it is hard to argue against the necessity for a more honest, accurate, and modern form of reporting for the problems and events occurring on a daily basis. With VICE already proving they can handle topics such as the Flint water crisis, euthanasia, and ISIS, they seem prepared to handle the storm of events that have been sweeping the globe.
The VICE News team has already begun preparations for the upcoming show, doubling their staff over the summer to handle the extra work load and research necessary for the job. VICE has also hired Madeleine Haeringer, senior producer for NBC News and MSNBC, as executive producer for the series. Ryan McCarthy, the former assistant editor for the national desk at the New York Times has also been added to the team at vicenews.com as editor in chief. With news veterans joining the team, and an additional forty members being added from places like the Guardian and the New York Times, there can be no doubt that VICE has put a great effort into crafting an experienced team for the project.
So far, no information on the format, content and staff has been released, but VICE has stated that they will be making additional announcements regarding that information.
Tune in to HBO, HBO GO, or HBO NOW on Monday, September 26 at 7:30 p.m. to catch the premier of VICE News Tonight.