National Geographic magazine has laid off 19 of its editorial staff writers in the latest round of job cuts, reported the Washington Post. It further informed that the yellow-bordered publication will go off newsstands next year.
The magazine, which is known for bringing the best of science and the natural world, was first published in 1888. According to sources, the firm's future editorial work will instead be done by freelance writers and the few editors remaining on staff, added the report.
The move comes as a cost-cutting measure by the parent company, Walt Disney Co. Although the magazine will continue to publish monthly issues.
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, reported the Washington Post.
Taking to Twitter, National Geographic writer Craig Welch said, “My new National Geographic just arrived, which includes my latest feature, my 16th, and my last as a senior writer. … I’ve been so lucky. I got to work w/incredible journalists and tell important, global stories. It’s been an honor.
National Geographic was launched by Washington’s National Geographic Society, a foundation formed by 33 academics, scientists and would-be adventurers, including Alexander Graham Bell. The magazine was initially sold to the public as a perk for joining the society. It grew into a stand-alone publication slowly but steadily, reaching 1 million subscribers by the 1930s.
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