VICE NewsSeizoen 2017
Most of this years long form content was broadcast as part of "VICE" or "VICE News Tonight" series on HBO.
Where to Watch VICE News • Seizoen 2017
27 Episodes
- The Soldiers of Odin: Inside Canada's Extremist Vigilante GroupA1
The Soldiers of Odin: Inside Canada's Extremist Vigilante Group VICE News investigates the Soldiers of Odin and their declared commitment to preserving Canadian values. Amid rising Islamophobia and violence in Canada, reporter Ben Makuch explores the blurry line between nationalist pride and racist rhetoric. - Inside The Swedish City Where Gun Violence is on The RiseA2
Inside The Swedish City Where Gun Violence is on The Rise Donald Trump’s recent comments lamenting a nonexistent terrorist attack in Sweden have put the Scandinavian country’s crime rate into the global spotlight. But while the terrorist incident might not have happened and the crime rate in Sweden has only been rising modestly, one city there does have a real problem with gang violence. Malmö, Sweden’s third-largest city, has seen a spike in shootings this year already; and given Sweden’s reputation as a refugee-friendly nation, many commentators have been quick to point a finger. And now, hysteria from both the Left and the Right is overshadowing the facts. VICE News went to speak to some of those caught up in the violence in Malmö. - Haitian Migrants Stranded In TijuanaA3
Haitian Migrants Stranded In Tijuana The U.S. had once welcomed Haitians, but with an estimated 40,000 of them en route, former President Barack Obama, and now President Donald Trump, refused to let them cross the border. Migrants were left waiting in Mexico for months before U.S. immigration officials would even look at their cases. Now, as Trump has further closed off America’s borders, thousands of them are stranded in Mexico, straining the country’s resources. VICE News went to Tijuana to see how the city is adjusting and how the Haitians are adjusting. - Photographing America's Next Pipeline Fight in the Swamps of LouisianaA4
Photographing America's Next Pipeline Fight in the Swamps of Louisiana On a hot day in the middle of March, photojournalist Emily Kask, 23, found herself on a tiny metal crawfishing boat, deep in the swamps of southern Louisiana. The humid bayou was a long way from Standing Rock, North Dakota, where she had traveled just a few months earlier to cover the massive protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, but her goal was the same. Kask had already spent weeks in Louisiana documenting the people and places caught up in another anti-pipeline fight. In this case, her work meant tagging along on a day’s worth of crawfishing. VICE News went along for the ride. - What The Survivors Of The Pulse Nightclub Massacre WitnessedA5
What The Survivors Of The Pulse Nightclub Massacre Witnessed June 12, 2016, started like any other Saturday night at Pulse, the beating heart of Orlando’s LGBTQ community. It was Latin Night at the popular club. People were dancing, drinking, and having a good time. That was until about 2 a.m., when Omar Mateen stormed in and opened fire with an assault rifle, leaving 49 dead and another 53 injured. It was the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in U.S. history. VICE News spoke with four survivors, who talked about what the past year has been like and how the tragedy has stayed with them: two DJs who were playing when the first shots rang out, a Latin nightclub promoter, and a clubgoer who lost his best friend in the attack. We met at the Oasis Community Outreach Center, an LGBTQ-affirming church catering to Orlando’s black and brown community that has provided a sanctuary and a source of emotional support for some of the survivors. - Weed Fraud: Are you Getting Cheated?A7
Weed Fraud: Are you Getting Cheated? Many of the states that have legalized marijuana now require tests for potency and purity to ensure that consumers know exactly what they’re buying when they visit a dispensary. But the labs that conduct these tests are governed by rules that vary widely from state to state, and there are concerns within the industry that unscrupulous labs are operating without adequate oversight and colluding with growers to falsify results. VICE News visited a testing lab in Washington state, where we uncovered inaccurate labeling on a package of legal marijuana and met a grower who says some labs have offered to inflate his marijuana’s THC content in order to make it more valuable — a practice he believes jeopardizes the future of the industry. - Is Microdosing The Future of Marijuana?A8
Is Microdosing The Future of Marijuana? The creator of LSD, Dr. Albert Hofmann, believed that ingesting tiny amounts of the drug could have therapeutic value, and so-called “microdoses” have since been proposed as a substitute for everything from Adderall to marriage counseling. Now, as more states legalize marijuana, the trend that began with hallucinogens has grown to include microdoses of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in weed. VICE News traveled to Portland, Oregon, to meet Ethan Ernest, creator of marijuana microdose pills called Mirth Control, which contain a fraction of the THC found in a typical joint or batch of edibles. Earnest compares Mirth Control to “open-source Xanax. Other products in the new weed microdosing category push the envelope even further with suggestions about purported medical uses. - Suicide Memes May Be A Form of TherapyA9
Suicide Memes May Be A Form of Therapy The makers of memes have found new material to joke about: suicide and clinical depression. These kinds of self-loathing memes have skyrocketed in popularity in the last year. Today they can be found across most social media platforms — even websites like BuzzFeed and College Humor have posted compilations of the jokes. Suicide memes toe the line between irony and insensitivity and make light of everything from minor anxiety to school shootings. Still, fans of the memes argue that they could actually be therapeutic to those suffering from depression. - Being LGBT in the Islamic Republic of PakistanA10
Being LGBT in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Pakistan is one of the world's least tolerant countries when it comes to homosexuality. Being gay is illegal in the Islamic republic and carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Gay men are often accused of bringing shame to their families and commonly face violence — sometimes even murder. Gay-focused apps like Grindr, Scruff, and ManJam offer a discreet way for Pakistan's LGBT community to connect and socialize, but they're also risky: A man was recently arrested for allegedly using the apps to lure gay men and kill them. VICE News went to Pakistan to unravel the country's underground gay scene and examine the ways that technology is being used to achieve sexual freedom. - Venezuela's Activist JournalistsA11
Venezuela's Activist Journalists In most democratic countries, a free press plays a critical role in restraining government power and blowing the whistle on abuses of authority. In Venezuela, however, members of the media have long been subject to censorship and threats. The Venezuelan government has recently cracked down on independent newspapers and radio networks in an effort to silence any voices critical of the ruling left-wing party. In the lead-up to last year's elections, VICE News was on the ground in Venezuela with the activist journalists who are fighting against the censorship of the country's dwindling free press. - Inside Belarus, Europe's Last Dictatorship: BLACKOUTA12
Inside Belarus, Europe's Last Dictatorship: BLACKOUTIn October of last year, Alexander Lukashenko swept to his fifth term as the Belarusian president, marking 22 years in power. Despite the elections being marred by allegations of fraud, the EU has this month lifted travel sanctions against Lukashenko's government, as a reward for good behavior — the elections passed without a repeat of 2010’s violent crackdown against opposition parties. But critics argue that the EU is making a dangerous endorsement of an autocratic regime that still employs the use of internet surveillance, censorship, and intimidation to exert control over its people and press. VICE News meets the Belarusian journalists and bloggers struggling to tell the truth about Belarus in this post-soviet dictatorship. - Leaks from Eritrea, Africa's North KoreaA13
Leaks from Eritrea, Africa's North Korea Eritrea is the most censored country in the world, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Sans Frontières. Often referred to as Africa's North Korea, the Eritrean government controls the flow of information with vigilance, restricting any dissenting voices from reaching the people. As a result, Eritrean activists are forced to get creative. Through pirate radio, cold calls, messages on banknotes and posters put up in the dead of night, dissidents find ways to generate the only resistance they can. VICE News follows members of the Eritrean diaspora community in Europe as they run radio stations, maintain online opposition sites and help to organize those still in Eritrea. - Thailand's Cyber Wars: BLACKOUTA14
Thailand's Cyber Wars: BLACKOUTIn May 2014, Thailand’s royal army staged a coup and seized control of the country. Declaring a state of emergency, the ruling Junta began to crack down on civil liberties and silence dissent. A series of cyber laws have since been proposed that would increase the state’s power to control and monitor the internet. In response, activists have declared a cyber war on the Thai Junta, attacking government websites and urging tourists to boycott Thailand. VICE News meets the hackers determined to cyber-bully the government into submission. - Ransomware: How Hackers Make You PayA15
Ransomware: How Hackers Make You Pay For many hackers, the most difficult step isn’t stealing the data but rather finding someone to sell it to. They may be able to take legal documents and family photos off your desktop easily enough, but who’s going to buy those files? Well, you are. With ransomware, a form of malware that holds your computer data hostage, hackers are making you the customer. - When Rehab Fails | The Opioid CrisisA16
When Rehab Fails | The Opioid Crisis Most people who want to get help with opioid use disorder don’t get advice from their doctors. So when they want to get clean they’re left trying to navigate a complicated and loosely regulated network of possibilities. In the absence of any real structure for finding treatment options, people are left to their own devices to make what can possibly be a life-or-death decision. Jean Holbrook is a psychiatric nurse who who has been trying to help her 31-year-old daughter Jennifer fight an opioid addiction for more than a decade. Jennifer has been through treatment dozens of times, but has always relapsed afterward. So for now, living at home is the best option-- especially because of her three-year-old daughter. - What It Costs To Live in LondonA17
What It Costs To Live in London London consistently nabs a top spot on lists ranking the world’s most expensive cities. Along with rent, home prices are also on the rise and Londoners are feeling the pinch. So what does it take to get by in London? We stepped into the daily life of Aaron Christian, a freelance commercial director born and raised in the city. “The idea of attempting to own a house has become very unrealistic and I don’t think that’s really going to change so I’m definitely more open to living in another part of Europe.” - What It Costs To Live in TorontoA18
What It Costs To Live in Toronto Canada is often lauded for its healthcare system but if you’re trying to buy a place in Toronto, the housing market can be daunting. Home prices jumped by 33.2% in March 2017 from March 2016. Beyond real estate costs, how are Torontonians keeping up? We spent a day with Toronto native, Jalisa Luces-Mendes, a part-time researcher and fashion line owner. Coming from a family involved in real estate, Jalisa dreamt of owning a home by the age of 26 which she says is now not attainable. She added, “I still can’t afford to live in my own family’s property.” According to the Economist's latest Cost of Living Index, Toronto ranks 86th out of 133 major cities surveyed however the index doesn’t account for housing costs. - We Rode Shotgun In An F-16 With The Air Force’s Elite Stunt PilotsA19
We Rode Shotgun In An F-16 With The Air Force’s Elite Stunt Pilots VICE News met up with the Thunderbirds in Atlantic City, New Jersey to take a ride in an F-16, and see first hand how these pilots manage to push their planes though insane stunts. - Survivors Tell Us What Should Be Done About Mass ShootingsA20
Survivors Tell Us What Should Be Done About Mass Shootings The mass shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday has again led to renewed calls for stricter gun regulations and better enforcement of existing laws, including from some members of Congress. With 58 dead and about 500 injured, it’s the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history and the seventh mass shooting already this year, according to a Mother Jones database. Mass shootings have become a familiar and uniquely American phenomenon, which can lead to higher gun sales and fuel efforts to loosen gun laws. VICE News asked survivors of mass shootings over the past two decades — from Columbine in 1999 to the Pulse nightclub shooting last year — what kind of action would help stem the violence. - Have You Ever Wanted To Drop Out Of Capitalism? | Outliers Ep. 1A21
Have You Ever Wanted To Drop Out Of Capitalism? | Outliers Ep. 1 In our new series, Outliers, VICE explores worlds beyond the economic mainstream, meeting people who’ve chosen unusual and sometimes radical relationships to money, commerce and capitalism. For our first episode we headed to Virginia, where a cluster of communes thrives in rural, conservative Louisa County. In exchange for working around 40 hours a week, Twin Oaks’ roughly 100 residents get everything taken care of, free of charge, from food to housing to health insurance. But the community is able to provide so generously because of their successful businesses; for over thirty years, they produced every hammock sold at Pier One and today, they sell tofu to Whole Foods. We traveled to Twin Oaks to learn what life is like at the communal fringes of capitalism. - Living, Breathing, & Betting on Bitcoin | Outliers Ep. 2A22
Living, Breathing, & Betting on Bitcoin | Outliers Ep. 2 Odds are that you’ve been hearing more and more about cryptocurrency as digital tokens like bitcoin and ethereum have become valuable commodities. Converts (and investors) say that cryptocurrencies built on blockchain technology represent the future of money, finance, and commerce. But skeptics say that digital currencies represent crowd-sourced pyramid schemes or are fuel for another tech bubble. We met with Olaf Carlson-Wee, who was the first employee at the cryptocurrency broker Coinbase, where he famously took his entire salary in bitcoin. Now, Carlson-Wee runs a hedge fund that deals exclusively in crypto-assets. We talked with Carlson-Wee in San Francisco about money, trust, and how he made his friends rich. - How A Hippie-Inspired Lifestyle Gets Monetized For Social Media | Outliers Ep. 3A23
How A Hippie-Inspired Lifestyle Gets Monetized For Social Media | Outliers Ep. 3 VICE drove up to Vermont’s Green Mountains to meet with the couple behind one up-and-coming #vanlife account to see what it takes to turn an off-the-grid life into an online brand. - Meet The Man Selling Influence Over His Personal Life Decisions | Outliers Ep. 4A24
Meet The Man Selling Influence Over His Personal Life Decisions | Outliers Ep. 4 In an age of constant connectivity, it’s not uncommon to crowdsource a decision, asking friends, family and strangers on the internet for advice on mundane choices. But Mike Merrill has taken this idea to its logical extreme. In 2008, Merrill launched KMikeyM, a corporate-alter-ego-slash-trading-platform, where investors can purchase stock that gives them voting power over Merrill’s life choices. Anyone can buy or sell their shares in KMikeyM, and the more shares you own, the more votes you get in deciding what Merrill does with his time. The votes themselves range from whether Merrill should grow a beard, to whether he should get a vasectomy. Merrill’s project occupies a strange space between art, self-promotion and self-improvement. But the application of stock market logic to one’s own life raises interesting questions about power and money in a capitalist society. VICE visited Merrill in Los Angeles to see how this experiment actually works and why he wants to keep it going. - 7 Public Speaking Tips We Can Learn From Donald TrumpA25
7 Public Speaking Tips We Can Learn From Donald Trump Politics aside, Donald Trump’s ability to hold the attention of an audience and indeed a nation is undeniable. It’s a quality that anyone who has done public speaking, be it to a stadium or to a boardroom, would be envious of. To figure out what makes Trump so hard to ignore, VICE News spoke to Dr. Jennifer Mercieca, a professor and historian of political rhetoric, and Mark Liberman, a professor of linguistics and computer science. Both have studied Trump’s speech extensively and together they provided us seven signatures moves Trump uses to engage an audience. - How Wedding Cakes Could Redefine Americans' Free SpeechA26
How Wedding Cakes Could Redefine Americans' Free Speech The Supreme Court is about to decide if cakes are art. In the most-watched case of the term, the justices will consider if bakers can say no to making cakes they don’t agree with. Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission pits a cake-maker’s First Amendment rights against a gay couple’s right not to be discriminated against. A win for the cake shop could let other kinds of business owners turn people away because of who they are. We asked other Denver bakers how they handle cakes they don’t believe in — and where they draw the line. - Inmates Are Using VR For A Chance To Get Out Of PrisonA27
Inmates Are Using VR For A Chance To Get Out Of Prison This year, Colorado started an early-release program for people convicted as juveniles who have already served 20 years of their sentences. To get ready for life on the outside, inmates in the three-year program use virtual reality to prepare for stressful situations and practice skills they never learned as teens, like doing laundry and grocery shopping. VICE News visited the medium-security Fremont Correctional Facility as they used VR for the first time.