Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff shared the following note with staff today, outlining the company’s updated policies regarding access to abortion and other reproductive health benefits. As always, the company’s editorial organizations operate independently when covering these topics. Hi everyone, Today’s US Supreme Court decision deeply harms the autonomy and health of women and all people who become pregnant. I want you to know that Vox Media will continue to support employees seeking access to critical health care, including abortion. This ruling will have a disproportionate impact on access to care depending on where people live, their financial resources, and their race. It puts families, communities, and the economy at risk, threatening the gains that women have made in the workplace over the past 50 years. It may also have a profound impact on the right to privacy, and we will remain committed to supporting our employees’ privacy rights as the law evolves. As a company operating in 37 states and Washington, DC, we know that Vox Media employees are affected by these changes. Below you’ll find an important update from our People team outlining how we will expand our support across the United States. As always, our editorial organizations operate with journalistic integrity and independence when covering these topics. I know this is a difficult day for many across the company. If you have questions or need support, please reach out to your People business partner or manager. Jim A new health care travel reimbursementVox Media will provide financial support to cover eligible expenses related to travel to receive critical health care that is unavailable within 100 miles of an employee’s home, including abortion and gender-affirming care, among other critical health needs. A reimbursement of up to $1,500 can be used to cover travel-related expenses (such as transportation, meals,

From the pandemic to racial reckoning, the events of 2020 forever shaped the way we think about advertising and marketing. Historically, the industry has framed these topics within the context of “multicultural” marketing — but perspectives are still evolving, and right now, modern marketers have an opportunity to help lead the conversation. Here at Vox Media, we’ve internally reframed multicultural marketing as Marketing Equity & Inclusion Partnerships. We believe that change starts from within, and as we continue to grow and reach more consumers than ever before, it’s our goal to be responsible and inclusive as we work to strengthen our company, our partnerships, and our industry. In the past, multicultural marketing has often targeted perceptions of certain groups of people, rather than their actual interests and values. As we move into better understanding consumer sentiment around this topic, it’s an exciting time to come together to find new, more intentional approaches to traditional media buying. Though we don’t have all the answers today, what we do have is clarity and insight into how consumers feel. In order to better understand how they view “culture,” Vox Media and Bastion db5 spoke to 1,000 U.S. adults (18+) with equal representation from four races: Caucasian, Hispanic/Latinx, Black, and AAPI. What we discovered is that most people do not want to be targeted by demographics alone; in 2022, traditional notions of race, nationality, and culture have a chance to move toward visibility, representation, and inclusion.   What we know:  Culture is much more than nationality, race or ethnicity; age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, politics, and geographical region now play a much greater role in how we define ourselves. True representation in marketing means working with publishers that reflect our identity, both individually and collectively. Vox Media consumers offer a rich and diverse target audience.

Six-Part Documentary Series Mind Over Murder Premiered on June 20 on HBO  The Future Of from The Verge and 21 Laps Entertainment Premieres Today on Netflix  This week, Vox Media Studios premiered two brand new series from its growing slate focused on premium nonfiction storytelling. Last night, HBO premiered the first episode of Mind Over Murder, a six-part documentary series that chronicles the bizarre and psychologically complex story of six individuals who were convicted for the 1985 murder of a beloved 68- year-old grandmother, Helen Wilson, in Beatrice, Nebraska. Despite five of the individuals originally confessing to the crime, the “Beatrice Six” as they became known, were exonerated by DNA evidence in 2009, a turn of events which divided the rural town and incensed the family of Helen Wilson. As the filmmakers track the case from the murder, through investigation, trial, exoneration and two civil suits, shifting perspectives cloud the truth; a stranger-than-fiction tale emerges that raises salient questions about the reliability of confessions and memory in criminal cases. New episodes premiere every Monday at 10:00pm ET/PT. The series is directed by Nanfu Wang and executive produced by Marc Smerling, Nanfu Wang, Max Heckman, Chad Mumm, Mark W. Olsen for Vox Media Studios and Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez for HBO.  Mind Over Murder is the second series from Vox Media Studios for HBO. The Emmy-nominated sports documentary Level Playing Field’ premiered last year. In addition, The Future Of from Vox Media Studios, The Verge, and 21 Laps Entertainment (Stranger Things) premiered the first six episodes today on Netflix. The Future Of asks – What if we could look into the future to see how every aspect of our daily lives – from raising pets and house plants to what we eat and how we date – will

Pet parents will have access to licensed veterinary health professionals for 24/7 support

The powerful documentary created in partnership with Sephora, Digitas and Ventureland, won in the Feature Film category

With Group Nine audiences and data now integrated into Forte, brands get single view of audience insights and behavior across the expanded portfolio

The company announces an expanded video slate of 125+ franchises including new series from The Dodo, Vox, SB Nation, Eater, and The Cut; expanded partnership with Kara Swisher and the Vox Media Podcast Network; and new ways for brands to develop social-driven campaigns with Vox Creative Social Club and VM Connect

The offering connects brands with a team of short-form video specialists that create campaigns reaching Vox Media’s 350 million social followers and beyond, as the #1 publisher in social video and time spent on video

Marking the gaming and entertainment brand’s second-ever Polygonathon, the 24-hour stream will feature Polygon video talent, as well as influential voices from across the gaming community.

The new twice-weekly show will feature agenda setting conversations, led by one of the most iconic journalists of our time, and be a sibling to New York Magazine’s Pivot franchise.

The Concert SSP will deliver more scale, performance, and efficiency for brands looking to advertise across premium publishers, while integrating with Unified ID 2.0 for sustainable addressability

VM Connect allows brands to deploy direct-response campaigns across social media platforms, utilizing data from Vox Media’s first-party data solution, Forte, to drive outcomes

As the most-nominated company, Vox Media is recognized for its chief development & strategy officer Shyra Smart as well as podcasts, events, social, content studio, and video

Wu will lead a team of over 75 staffers, including writers, editors, video creators, and audience team members across 25 cities in North America and the UK.

Today, NowThis released an exclusive interview with President Barack Obama and Airbnb CEO Bryan Chesky where they discussed the Voyage Scholarship, a $100 million scholarship fund established by Chesky and in partnership with the Obama Foundation to support students pursuing careers in public service. The Voyage Scholarship is a two year program awarded to students in their junior and senior year of college providing them with $50,000 in financial aid, access to an annual summit with President Obama, and a 10 year travel stipend. You can view the interview here. NowThis is the #1 most-viewed News & Politics Digital Publisher across FB, YT and Twitter [Tubular Labs, US Based Digital Publishers, September 2021], and a leading news brand and one of the most followed overall publishers on TikTok, with over 7.2M followers [Platform Analytics, April 2022]. Our brand mission is to make news engaging and relevant for young adults by humanizing our complicated world. Launched in 2012, NowThis has revolutionized how news today is consumed. Our entertaining, inspiring and informative videos receive over 1.4B monthly views [platform analytics, January 2021]. NowThis has won an Academy Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and a Cannes Lions Award. In 2022, NowThis joined Vox Media.

Coming on the heels of a year of growth at Vox Media’s industry-leading podcast network, audio talent including Noel King, Preet Bharara, Phoebe Judge, and Sam Sanders offered viewers a preview of what they have coming this year.

In a survey, VMPN found that 97% of their audience trusts Vox Media to create relevant and entertaining podcasts.

Writers Workshop is a free mentorship program pairing aspiring journalists with Vox Media editors

Six Episode Longform Series is the First From Thrillist

Scenes from new PBS documentary “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness” to be featured in NowThis content encouraging young people to share their stories

A case study on “The Science Behind Scams” campaign – which led to high ratings and strong results in Trust, Education, and Safety

Eater receives six nominations, with additional nominations for New York Magazine & The Verge, Punch, and Gastropod

NowThis, Vox, and Cafe took home awards for great storytelling on social and audio

For the first time, this year’s sale will feature flash deals and exclusive picks from Vox Media editors from Eater, the Cut and the Verge