Vice E.I.C. Rocco Castoro out at Vice
7:53 p.m. | Feb. 11, 2015
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Rocco Castoro is no longer the editor in chief of Vice magazine, he announced during an event at the University of Chicago on Wednesday evening.
Castoro made the announcement during a panel discussion with Buzzfeed executive editor for news Shani Hilton and Gawker.com editor Max Read hosted by the university's Institute of Politics.
"Actually, I have to say something here. As of last night, I'm no longer with Vice," Castoro said during the discussion. "In order to come to this event, I felt that, given some circumstances I won't get into and we shouldn't detract from this—I was there for a decade and love so many people there and they did great work—but in order to be here and talk to you guys, some stuff happened, let's say."
POLITICO's Dylan Byers reports that Vice Media has named Ellis Jones the new editor in chief of Vice magazine. Jones, Byers writes, has been acting E.I.C. of the magazine for the last six months. In addition, Vice U.K. editor in chief Alex Miller has been named Vice Media's new global head of content.
Vice Media has released an official announcement about Jones and Miller's promotions, which makes no mention of Castoro. Read it below:
NEW YORK, NY (February 11, 2015) – VICE, the global youth media company, today announces that Ellis Jones has been named VICE Magazine’s editor in chief, and Alex Miller has been named VICE’s global head of content. Jones will be the first female editor in chief in VICE’s 20-year history.
Jones started at VICE Magazine in early 2009 as an intern and quickly rose through the ranks to become managing editor in 2012. During her tenure as managing editor, VICE Magazine was nominated for its first ever ASME in General Excellence.
Since September 2014, Jones has led the magazine team as its pursued in-depth reporting examining organized crime, the for-profit addiction treatment industry, and Wall Street corruption, among other issues. She’s also brought in some of today’s most prestigious literary names as contributors including Clancy Martin, Adam Thirlwell, Christopher Ketcham, Gemma Sieff.
Under her direction, the Magazine will continue to shed light on the underreported stories important to the VICE audience.
Since October, Miller has overseen VICE’s content across VICE.com and the youth brand’s network of digital channels, transitioning from his previous role as VICE’s UK editor in chief.
Over the past six years, Miller managed VICE UK's award-winning content, which last year won Media Company of the Year at the British Media Awards. Miller has also regularly hosted VICE news documentaries, reporting from Venezuela, Greece, London, and Kenya.
Miller said of his appointment to global head of content, “Over my time here VICE has grown dramatically, but our ambition remains thrillingly unhinged. I’m very proud of what I achieved with the UK team but I’m excited to move to the center of the perpetual motion machine that is VICE.”
Upon being named VICE Magazine editor in chief, Jones said, “I feel lucky to be able to say that I love my job. Our editorial team is made up of some of the most creative and intelligent—and fun—people I know. As VICE Media has matured, so has the magazine, and I'd like to capture the attention of readers who may have a preconceived notion of what a 'VICE story' is and surprise them by our candid stories.
Under my leadership, the magazine will continue to do what it's always done best—publish cutting-edge cultural coverage, sharp humor, and hard-hitting news investigations—and also increase its seriousness and ambition by enlisting the best writers, photographers, and artists in the industry and sending them across the globe. Expect writing by even more female correspondents; expect new fiction and photojournalism and columns by big-name writers; and expect even more in-depth reports from global hot spots.”
CORRECTION: Due to a typo, an earlier version of this article mistakenly referred to Ellie Jones. The new editor of Vice is called Ellis Jones. We regret the error.
