With a goal to update Kashmiris, news stories were carefully picked from an archive of thousands. English-speaking individuals who relied heavily on the internet for their news between the ages of 18-35 were targeted. Each SMS encouraged readers to subscribe to the service. Further they were also asked to forward these messages to their friends and family.

Each article was then redesigned in pixel art using an open-source tool. Every article started with a custom artwork and headline to give readers an immersive experience. Rigorously testing the articles on 8 of the most popular devices in Kashmir, the articles were perfected. Due to the 160 pixel limitation per line, the words in the headlines were carefully chosen. The articles were edited to fit the 10 SMS limit, making for an immersive and swift experience. That’s how VICE broke the news to Kashmiris, without breaking the law.

On the 142nd day of the communications blackout, the government eased restrictions on SMS. With a goal to update Kashmiris, news stories were carefully picked from an archive of thousands. Each article was then redesigned in pixel art using an open-source tool. Every article started with a custom artwork and headline to give readers an immersive experience. Rigorously testing the articles on 8 of the most popular devices in Kashmir, the articles were perfected. Due to the 160 pixel limitation per line, the words in the headlines were carefully chosen. The articles were edited to fit the 10 SMS limit, making for an immersive and swift experience.

These articles were sent to Kashmiris reading English news between the ages of 18-35. For each day of news they had missed, VICE sent them six news articles. Kashmiris who subscribed to the first message were then sent the rest of the pixel-art articles, encouraging them to forward it to their friends and family. That’s how VICE broke the news to Kashmiris, without breaking the law.