After a ten-year battle to stay up with the demands of digital publication, National Geographic magazine, which was initially published more than a century ago, has reportedly let go of its final staff writers. According to the Washington Post, the cherished yellow-bordered magazine that was famed for its in-depth articles on nature and science, photography, and panoramic layouts will likewise be removed off the shelves in the United States the next year.
This article states that there have been four rounds of layoffs since a series of ownership changes started in 2015. This was the second round of layoffs in the past nine months. Notably, Walt Disney currently owns 73% of the company’s stock. Six senior editors were reportedly fired by Disney in September as part of a significant restructuring of the magazine’s editorial staff.
Employees at the magazine informed The Washington Post that the company had begun making different cost-cutting measures and had even limited picture contracts that allowed photographers to spend months in the field creating the photographs that were so well-known.
The most recent layoffs affected 19 editorial employees, who were all informed of their impending terminations in April. The magazine’s tiny audio department was also eliminated during the layoffs.
Nat Geo’s departing writers shared their experiences working at the venerable publication on Twitter. “I’ve been very fortunate. I got to collaborate with amazing journalists and cover significant, international issues.” Senior writer Craig Welch, whose tweet on the closure went viral, said, “It’s been an honour.”
Another author claimed it was her coolest job ever at the time. “You’ve had a great run, @NatGeo. Nina Strochlic tweeted, “My colleagues and I were incredibly fortunate to be the last-ever cohort of staff writers—certainly the coolest job I’ll ever have and perhaps among the coolest to ever exist.”
As a result of the lightning-fast pace of digital media, many other journals have seen a similar demise or restructure, limiting the months of research and reporting needed to generate the artisanal quality of product that the magazine is recognised for.
According to the report, the magazine would moving forward rely on freelancers, guest writers, and tasks put together by editors.