You may not have bought it, but you should have at least seen it in the library. The classic bright yellow border and laurel pattern pattern on the cover--the American "National Geographic" magazine with a history of 135 years. This old American magazine recently announced that it will fully transform the online subscription system and dismiss the last batch of full-time writers.
The reason for the "National Geographic" magazine's parent company Disney is undergoing large-scale layoffs, and "National Geographic" magazine also had to cut personnel costs. At present, at least 19 full-time editors are facing dismissal, and freelance writers have been fired one after another, and the Podcast department has also been abolished. In the future, the magazine will outsource to freelance writers and the few remaining editors. From next year, "National Geographic" magazine will stop selling paper copies and will no longer appear on newsstands in the United States, and will fully transform to an online subscription system. This is a major shift, however, a spokesman for the magazine emphasized that the decision will not affect the magazine's operations, but instead provides flexibility to report different stories.
While National Geographic's decision to switch has sparked some controversy, others see it as a necessary shift. With the development of digital media, online subscription has become an increasingly popular option, and can better adapt to the reading habits of modern people.
At its peak in the late 1980s , National Geographic had 12 million subscribers in the United States and millions more overseas. Even in today's era, when magazines have lost their popularity, National Geographic remains one of the most read publications in the United States. It still has nearly 1.8 million subscribers by the end of 2022, according to the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM).