Founded 135 years ago by such luminaries as Alexander Graham Bell, National Geographic magazine laid off all its staff writers Wednesday in a planned reorganization by its latest owner, the Walt Disney Co., according to the Washington Post. The magazine with the iconic yellow-bordered cover will continue on using contractors and freelancers.
With 1.8 million subscribers at the end of 2022, the magazine is still very popular with readers, but its content will now come from independent writers and photographers instead of its traditional stable of writers. The last 17 left their jobs Wednesday in the latest round of layoffs, which also eliminated National Geographic’s audio division.