National Geographic management has decided that the magazine will no longer be on newsstands starting next year, with the exception of special editions, which will continue to be available at physical outlets.
The Bet is now online, but subscribers will still receive a monthly copy of the publication. The new strategy adopted foresees that the magazine will only have journalists such as freelancerwho collaborate sporadically, thus reducing the number of professionals on the company’s staff.
In September of last year, six editors were fired, a measure that was extended to the last acting editors. A total of 19 workers will leave, including those from the magazine’s audio department.
Head writer Craig Welch announced that he penned the last article for National Geographic this week. In a post on Twitter, the journalist says it was an “honor” to be part of the magazine, noting that he worked with “incredible professionals and told important and global stories.”
My new National Geographic has just arrived, which includes my latest article, number 16 and my last as a senior writer.
NatGeo is laying off all of its staff writers.
I ‘ve been very lucky. I was able to work with amazing journalists and tell important global stories. It has been an honor. pic.twitter.com/VOt6KydD5Z
-Craig Welch (@CraigAWelch) June 28, 2023
Journalist Nina Stroklick, who has worked at the publication since 2015, also wrote on Twitter that she was “incredibly lucky” to be one of the people who was part of the “last group of editors of the historic magazine.”
It’s been an epic race @natgeo. My colleagues and I were incredibly lucky to be the last class of staff writers, hands down the best job I’ll ever have, and possibly one of the best ever. Now let’s go to the next thing! interesting ideas pic.twitter.com/aFNPRSDyt0
—Nina Strochlic (@NinaStrochlic) June 28, 2023
In 1980, National Geographic had 12 million sales in the US alone. By the end of last year, the publication had 1.8 billion newsstand shoppers. These figures correspond to a small percentage of the company’s accounts, which in 2015 sold the majority of its shares to 21st Century Fox and which, however, was bought by Disney in March 2019.
Source: TSF
