Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Excellent, disturbing news show looks at worldwide violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Vice
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
"News From the Edge" is how HBO aptly bills half-hour VICE, which explores scary and/or wacky news stories from across the world using correspondents largely culled from Vice magazine. Reporters travel to such inhospitable locations as the workspaces for the illegal gun-makers of the Philippines, or to prisons in Afghanistan who hold failed suicide bombers to find out why, and how. The answers may cause you to sleep restlessly at night, though the reporting is unfailingly smart and fascinating.
Is It Any Good?
Vice-the-show nails the same tone as Vice-the-magazine: Smart, aghast, intrigued. It's nice to sit on a comfy couch watching someone else risk his life transporting former prostitute/slaves from North to South Korea crouched in the back of a van, or joining a motorcade with Philippines Governor Mangadadatu, who survived a 2009 attack by a political rival that left his wife, sisters, lawyers, aides, and many journalists dead. We see the wife and sisters dead, by the way, bloody, face down; cut to the face of the man who lost his family.
Yes, this is some disturbing stuff. It's hard not to watch and wince. But you want to watch nonetheless, and after you're done, you'll want to shudder and give thanks for the safety and security you (hopefully) have. If teens watch (and carefully consider if they should), definitely watch with them to gauge how freaked out they are by the stories -- and how much they learn.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the news. Do you think this show is reporting real news? How is it different from a traditional news show? Is it better? More entertaining? More or less valuable?
How do you think the makers of Vice want the viewer to feel when they are done watching the show? Do they want to inspire action or emotion? What brings you to this conclusion?
Does it trouble you that the subjects featured on Vice are often people of color, and the Vice reporters are white guys? Does that dynamic create an "us against them" feeling?
Have you read Vice magazine? Is this the sort of show you would have expected to be connected to that magazine? Why or why not? How is the subject matter on Vice-the-HBO-show different from Vice-the-magazine?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 5, 2013
- Cast : Bill Maher , Ryan Duffy , Shane Smith
- Network : HBO
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : June 11, 2020
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