On September 26, 1888, the National Geographic Society published the very first issue of what would become one of the most iconic magazines on the planet. That first issue contained no pictures and cost 50 cents. The society said that its aim was to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge.” The magazine was mainly an academic one, with the articles in that first issue focusing on scientific papers that were submitted to the Society. However, the Society realized that if they wanted everyday people to learn more, they had to change their tactics.
135 years later, National Geographic magazine covers everything from small tribes in foreign countries, to what effects COVID-19 has on the body, why people doubt scientists, and fascinating facts about all kinds of animals. National Geographic became so popular that, in 2015, the National Geographic Society was reorganized, and controlling interest was purchased by Fox. Just four years later, The Walt Disney Company would purchase 21st Century Fox, and National Geographic would become a part of the House of Mouse.
Disney has worked with National Geographic — now referred to as NatGeo — on a number of projects that air on Disney+. Sadly, it does not look like Disney has that same interest in keeping the magazine afloat. Disney CEO Bob Iger has been laying off thousands of employees since late March. Now, those layoffs have hit National Geographic.
On June 28, The Washington Post reported that all 19 staff writers at National Geographic had been let go.
The cutback — the latest in a series under owner Walt Disney Co. — involves some 19 editorial staffers in all, who were notified in April that these terminations were coming. Article assignments will henceforth be contracted out to freelancers or pieced together by editors. The cuts also eliminated the magazine’s small audio department.
The layoffs were the second over the past nine months, and the fourth since a series of ownership changes began in 2015. In September, Disney removed six top editors in an extraordinary reorganization of the magazine’s editorial operations.
In a further cost-cutting move, copies of the famous bright-yellow-bordered print publication will no longer be sold on newsstands in the United States starting next year, the company said in an internal announcement last month.
Thankfully, Disney is still hiring freelance writers to fill the yellow-bordered magazine’s pages, but this could just be one more step in the drawn-out closure of the beloved magazine. With the rise of the internet and social media, many printed publications are finding themselves losing money.
Disney has not yet said what its ultimate plans are for NatGeo. However, if they do decide to stop printing publications, or even stop the digital magazine as well, they will most likely continue creating video content for Disney+.
