Disney-Owned National Geographic Lays Off All Of Its Staff Writers, Will Turn To Freelancers

National Geographic has laid off each of its remaining staff writers.

Individuals announced their departures on social media Wednesday.

“Today is my last day at National Geographic,” tweeted former science writer Michael Greshko.“The magazine is parting ways with its staff writers, including me.”

The Washington Post reports the following:

"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."

Adding:

"The magazine’s current trajectory has been years in the making, set in motion primarily by the epochal decline of print and ascent of digital news and information. In the light-speed world of digital media, National Geographic has remained an almost artisanal product — a monthly magazine whose photos, graphics and articles were sometimes the result of months of research and reporting."

National Geographic had more than 1.7 million subscribers at the end of 2022. At its peak,  in the late 1980s, the magazine recorded as many as 12 million subscribers.

There are a slew of reasons for the fall, though none bigger than the declining use of paper magazines.

Challenging it has been for magazines to replace the lost revenue with the advent of free online articles.

National Geographic homepage.

Still, National Geographic will continue to publish monthly magazines. Specifically, the company will turn to lowly-paid freelancer writers to fill the content void.

The move comes as parent company Walt Disney Co. continues to slash jobs across its various entities.

Elsewhere at Disney, its sports network ESPN prepares for a round of talent layoffs to the tune of $30 million. ESPN employees expect the cuts to begin in the next few weeks.

To be honest, National Geographic was one of the last Disney properties worth consuming.