Good Tuesday. Vice Media, the publisher of online websites Vice.com and Motherboard, filed for bankruptcy on Monday, according to ABC News. The organization's financial woes come as no surprise to those of us in the media industry, though. Both traditional and digital media companies continue to struggle as economic growth in the U.S. and around the world slows and advertising sales continue to fall.
Here are some other stories I've been reading, listening to and watching today. Take a look at this:
- COVID Relief: At the end of the most recent legislative session, West Virginia lawmakers passed House Bill 2883, a piece of legislation that allocated $678 million to the West Virginia Economic Development Authority. The money accounted for the remainder of the $1.3 billion American Rescue Plan Act monies the federal government gave West Virginia in 2021. Passage of HB 2883, which provides unspecified economic development, came at the behest of W.Va. Governor Jim Justice. But the unspent federal COVID relief dollars could have benefited the state’s most vulnerable communities, as Mountain State Spotlight correspondent P.R. Lockhart reports. (P.R. Lockhart, Mountain State Spotlight)
- Students' Mental Health: The first round of federal funding for a nationwide school mental health initiative is coming to the state, West Virginia Public Broadcasting's Chris Schulz reports. Funds from the initiative will place more counselors in schools across West Virginia. The West Virginia Department of Education estimates more than 150 school-based mental health professionals will be hired as part of the program. (Chris Schulz, WV Public Radio)
- Newspaper Cyberattack: The Philadelphia Inquirer has become the latest victim of a cyber attack, the Associated Press reported in a video posted to their website. The attack disrupted the newspaper's operations and prevented the Philadelphia daily from publishing a Sunday print edition. The attack was detected Saturday, but staff are unable to work in the company's newsroom at least until today (Tuesday) because the internet servers have also been compromised. (The Associated Press)