# NatGeo lays off the last of its writing staff: End of an Era **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 29, 2023, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natgeo-lays-off-the-last-of-its-writing-staff-end-of-an-era/986308 "2023-06-29T19:34:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2023, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natgeo-lays-off-the-last-of-its-writing-staff-end-of-an-era/986308/1 "2023-06-29T19:34:39Z")
National Geographic, along with many other magazines and newspapers, has suffered in lack of sales due to, mainly, the internet. > **[National Geographic reportedly lays off its last staff writers](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/jun/28/national-geographic-staff-layoffs-report)** > > Nineteen staffers affected, according to Washington Post, with celebrated magazine to end newsstand sales I think it has always been a class act, and I’m sorry to hear about this, even though it’s been years since I’ve picked up an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natgeo-lays-off-the-last-of-its-writing-staff-end-of-an-era/986308/2 "2023-06-29T19:41:08Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > I think it has always been a class act, and I’m sorry to hear about this, even though it’s been years since I’ve picked up an issue. I think this sums it up beautifully. “I’ll really miss you even though I haven’t dropped by in many years.” LOL ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2023, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natgeo-lays-off-the-last-of-its-writing-staff-end-of-an-era/986308/3 "2023-06-29T19:49:13Z")
I don’t recall ever reading an article in NatGeo, just looking at all the pictures. The photography was what carried that magazine. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2023, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natgeo-lays-off-the-last-of-its-writing-staff-end-of-an-era/986308/4 "2023-06-29T19:53:42Z")
Sad, but at least the continent will be safe. > **[National Geographic: the Doomsday Machine](https://xray-delta.com/2011/05/10/national-geographic-the-doomsday-machine/)** > > From The Journal of Irreproducible Results ( According to current subscription figures, more than 6,869,797 issues of the National Geographic magazine are sent to subscribers monthly throughout the… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natgeo-lays-off-the-last-of-its-writing-staff-end-of-an-era/986308/5 "2023-06-29T19:59:07Z")
Their quality declined a lot, in terms of what I wanted. The balance of articles shifted (at least in my perception) from a magazine about the world and its cultures to a magazine about American geography and popular science. They had always had all three of these, but the cultural anthropology aspect went down, probably because US-based stories were much cheaper to produce, but I just wasn’t interested in the feature on Zip Code Whatever. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natgeo-lays-off-the-last-of-its-writing-staff-end-of-an-era/986308/6 "2023-06-29T19:59:45Z")
I have seen issues in doctor’s offices in recent years. I saw it every month growing up. My father took me and my brother to a presentation by an oceanographer at the Society headquarters in DC. I have many National Geographic memories but I think my favorite was a story told by a photographer would had been in the bush for a long stint in Africa. After a long hard day of travel the crew stopped in a remote village in time to join in a communal meal at a large outdoor table. The locals brought out large bowls of cold limp white grubs for the dinner. The photographer tells how another visitor to the village for dinner there at the table must have seen his spirits sag at the sight of the food and leaned over to him and whispered “I know how you feel. The grubs are much better back home in my village too”.