Welcome to the first edition of VICE News Issues, our semi-regular look at some of the biggest and most important topics in the world. Think of this as an antidote to the craziest news cycle in history — a mini digital magazine, with dispatches from across the globe. VICE News Issues are multi-format, meant to tackle the kinds of stories that can’t be summed up in a standard news story.
Our first topic is populism, which, depending on who you ask, is either a dangerous, anti-democratic movement sweeping the globe or the force that’s going to reclaim power for millions of citizens. To find out, we sent a novelist to the Philippines to investigate why the country supports an admitted murderer; spent time with Polish skinheads in Europe’s most homogenous country; talked with minorities in France after its historic election; figured out how populists talk; and created our own fake but arguably politically viable American Populist Party.
Photo editing by Cassie Giraldo.
Video editing by Michael Shade and Zeke Spector.