More than a century after it was first published, National Geographic magazine has reportedly laid off its last remaining staff writers after a decade-long struggle to keep up with the challenges of digital publishing. The beloved yellow-bordered magazine that was renowned for its detailed content on nature and science, photography and panoramic layouts will also be taken off the racks in the United States next year, the Washington Post reported.
According to the report, this was the second string of layoffs in the last nine months and the fourth since a series of ownership changes began in 2015. Notably, Walt Disney currently owns 73 per cent of the shares of the company. In September, Disney reportedly removed six top editors in a major reorganisation of the magazine’s editorial operations.
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Staffers told the Post that the magazine had started taking various cost-cutting decisions and even curtailed photo contracts that enabled photographers to spend months in the field producing the publication’s widely-recognised images.
The latest cutback involved 19 editorial staffers, all of whom were notified in April about their upcoming terminations. The layoffs also included the magazine’s small audio department.
Departing writers at Nat Geo took to Twitter to recount their journeys at the iconic magazine. ”I’ve been so lucky. I got to work w/incredible journalists and tell important, global stories. It’s been an honor,” wrote senior writer Craig Welch whose tweet went viral with the news of the shutdown.
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Meanwhile, another writer said it was the coolest job she has ever had. “It’s been an epic run, @NatGeo. My colleagues and I were unbelievably lucky to be the last-ever class of staff writers—certainly the coolest job I’ll ever have, and possibly among the coolest to ever exist,” tweeted Nina Strochlic.
National Geographic’s trajectory reflects on many other publications that have witnessed a similar downfall or restructuring due to the lightning speed of digital media, restricting months of research and reporting required to produce the artisanal level of product that the magazine is valued as.
Moving forward, the report said, the magazine will rely on freelancers, guest writers and assignments pieced together by editors.
