Rupert Murdoch Took Over at National Geographic Today, Immediately Laid Off Award Winning Staff

[Photographer]

This is truly sad.

It's as bad as many of us feared. In spite of the "happy talk" of "oh, his son will be running it and he's different," "Rupert wouldn't destroy an asset like Nat Geo," etc., today the axe fell.

The memo went out, and November 3rd 2015 came to the National Geographic office. This was the day in which Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox took over National Geographic. The management of National Geographic sent out an email telling its staff, all of its staff, all to report to their headquarters, and wait by their phones. This pulled back every person who was in the field, every photographer, every reporter, even those on vacation had to show up on this fateful day.

As these phones rang, one by one National Geographic let go the award-winning staff, and the venerable institution was no more.

The name now belongs to Rupert Murdoch, and he has plans for it. The CEO of National Geographic Society, Greg Knell, tried to claim back in September that “there won’t be an [editorial] turn in a direction that is different from the National Geographic heritage.” Murdoch’s move today only served to prove Knell’s words hollow, with hundreds of talented people now served their pink slips. And with the recognition that Murdoch’s other enterprises do not reflect the standards held by National Geographic, and with Murdoch’s history of changing the editorial direction of purchased properties, today’s move indicates that we can expect a similar shift for National Geographic.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/11/04/1444157/-Rupert-Murdoch-Took-Over-at-National-Geographic-Today-Immediately-Laid-Off-Award-Winning-Staff?detail=facebook

[randys1]

1. Just the begnning, what we saw in KY yesterday, this, and the increasingly successful

destruction of the Democratic presidential candidates by rightwing operatives, will result in a teaparty WH, Senate and House.

The propaganda machine is the key proponent to taking over the country.

[tabasco]

64. Exactly right.

Propaganda works.

[olddots]

2. Darth Murdoch has pretty much owned National Geographic for years

he sneaks into purchases like a slum lord before his name is mentioned .The world gets entertained to death by parasites like Murdoch but refuses to stand up to them .

[Bubzer]

27. I only hope another company stands up to fill the void.

[Sunlei]

3. How sad. Now all the thousands of old NG shows will be on his pay to view empire.

[Rex]

4. Next months title ; NATGEO - Bears Freeload Off Of National Forest. Rangers Plan Investigation.

Going to call it BooBoogazi.

[Matariki]

19. roflmao!

[Rex]

40. Ranger Gowdy, "Who was responsible for those opened pickanickabaskets Mr. Bear?"

"I will remind you that this is a serious question."

[Octafish]

49. ''Thanks, Dan!'' (DRAMATIZATION)

[Rex]

56. Sounds like a Sebben and Sebben kind of fella.

[Octafish]

57. Peter Pottamus is my new mentor.

The Jury Rewards Department sounds like a great place to start a rewarding career. Thank you, Rex, I mean, "Mr. Sebben." Wow!

[Rex]

59. Excellent to have you on board, now go and start some Shock and Awe!

These corner offices don't pay for themselves!

Follow these simple steps for victory;

[gregcrawford]

30. Followed by an article...

... alleging that "Some people say" the Earth IS flat after all, and gravity is a myth.

I got a bad feeling about this, Yogi...

[1939]

35. Gravity is a myth!!

The world just sucks.

[Rex]

39. Tides come in and tides go out...you can't explain that!

Magnets and shit! Magic all around us...and shit!

[catbyte]

31. DUzy!

[Botany]

5. From the Washington Post.

Several people in the channel’s fact-checking department, for example, were
terminated on Tuesday, employees said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/national-geographic-society-sets-biggest-layoff-in-its-history/2015/11/03/2966e1b4-8252-11e5-a7ca-6ab6ec20f839_story.html

[Photographer]

10. I read that... Big sigh.

[Human101948]

13. Facts? What facts? We don' need no stinkin' facts!

Photoshop can erase any inconvenient truths.

[underpants]

32. It was then that the daring and capitalist Captain Columbus...

came to a mutual agreement with those native to the land concerning the gold in the mountains. The local participants gave so fully to the Captain's visionary plans that many suffered great injury and many even gave their lives to the cause. It was a great undertaking and success but unbeknownst to Captain Columbus a vileness fueled by jealousy awaited his return to Spain.....

[Octafish]

6. Rupert Murdoch doesn't like smart people.

Must make him nervous.

[Orrex]

7. Well I for one am pleased to learn that global warming was a hoax all along.

What a relief!

[HughBeaumont]

8. "China's Environmental Cataclysms and How They'll Enhance Your Profits"

"15 Sexy Deforestations Across the Globe"

"You Wouldn't Believe the Economic Viability of Indigenous Tribes"

"Fracking is The New Solar"

[Shandris]

9. He really can't make it much worse.

If you want to see just how far the NG has fallen, pick up an old copy at an Antique shop. Compare a copy from, say, 1928 to one from 2013. It's like a picture book compared to dense literature. Yes, glossy pictures are pretty. Yes, too many of them are a bad thing.

I don't relish seeing it in his filthy hands one bit, but once I saw how much it had changed, it was very...depressing. I don't know if he can do too much more is all I'm saying.

((Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying NG was worthless. Even picture books can be useful, and it was a better example of that. I'm just sad that what used to be almost a novel's worth of print has been reduced to more like a coloring book (yay hyperbole!).))

[Photographer]

15. You are pretty much right. The volume has been reduced significantly

but what content they had was usually pretty good in my opinion.

[riderinthestorm]

11. Tremendously sad. I've been a faithful subscriber for 25 years

I'm just heartsick about it.

[Botany]

20. I used to love to get a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and read the N.G..

Well, that is over now.

[ashling]

42. My aunt used to have a collection of old Nat Geos.

I don't know what happened to them. The last time I remember seeing them was the early 60s.

[Ned Flanders]

47. NG taught me how to read

The pictures were so amazing, I wanted to read the captions to understand them fully.

My great aunt's name is probably on the inside cover of that 1915 copy, as she was GG's executive secretary.

Bummer.

[mike_c]

52. it used to be the journal of a learned society...

...that took physical and cultural geography, and anthropology seriously. Its readership wanted much more than pretty photographs.

Sadly, those days were over long before Murdoch got his claws on NG. These days, NG is fine for looking at nice pictures while waiting in the dentist's outer office. That's about the extent of it though.

[Botany]

53. This month's N.G. has good coverage on climate change

In 7th grade I read or looked over all the N.G.s from 1939 to 1946 and really
got to understand WW II on both the battle and home fronts ...... the October 1945
one has lots of ads for washing machines, cars, typewriters, and other things that
were not made during the war.

N.G.'s use of maps on every story has always been handy.

Oh well Fact Checkers were the first to lose their jobs @ N.G. today.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=7315451

mike_c

[AlinPA]

12. I assume there will be no articles on things that happened more than 6,000 years ago.

[KamaAina]

14. Maybe I should get a cat.

I'll get a fresh supply of cat box liner every month. (Republican Stepdad gave me the subscription.)

[Takket]

16. get ready for articles about how scientists are finding...

that all that evidence in the Earth really just was a test of our faith, and the earth really is 6000 years old.

[yuiyoshida]

17. Rupert Murdoch

Has the opposite of what ever was the Midas touch.

[Bubzer]

23. Yes, Rupert Murdoch corrupts everything he touches.

So sad.

[Blue_Tires]

18. kick

[NCjack]

21. I suggest that we in unison stop buying National Geographic and

increase our support of Scientific American (published by Nature Publishing Group, the publisher of Nature magazine). Perhaps we can grow SciAm into a replacement of NG.

[Bubzer]

22. I got sad when I read that this morning.

I grew up with Nat Geo. I learned a lot through that show. I will miss it truly.

[EndElectoral]

24. Would love to see that staff start a new magizaine called - International Geographic

[annabanana]

46. ^^ What YOU said^^ (I'd subscribe) . . . . . . n/t

[lonestarnot]

25. Nat'l Geo dead the day he bought it. Idjits only know how to drive shit into the ground and break it

off with their ignorance.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. I'll be cancelling my subscription.

Bummer. I've enjoyed the NG for years. Everything Murdoch touches turns to shit.

[DFW]

29. I already let mine expire in anticipation

There was always the slim chance that Murdoch would leave things alone, but it turned out to be too good to be true.

As you said, whatever he touches turns to shit.

What a national scandal that such a venerable institution as the National Geographic should join those unenviable ranks.

[riderinthestorm]

48. Mine expires in January. I'll let it lapse then

my dad gets Scientific American and gives me his issues when he's done. I do highly recommend that as another excellent, informative mag.

[valerief]

28. The slow death of history and knowledge, one Murdoch acquisition at a time. nt

[Photographer]

61. What you said.

[GliderGuider]

33. Fuck.

[Kali]

34. OFFS!!!

I just recently renewed. I grew up with it and my parents always sent it for my squids, but they have both been gone for a while. I didn't renew at xmas per usual last year and finally found a renewal in the desk pile. damn!

well, I am curious so will keep it for a while to see what happens but probably won't renew again and may drop it early. it has kind of gone to shit with no text anymore as mentioned by someone above, but it was still nice to look at when it came. and I always tried to leave used copies at the post office when we were finished.

[catbyte]

36. I didn't renew my subscription for the first time in 38 yrs when I heard that horror show bought it.

It's another sad day in America.

[Ford_Prefect]

37. It's a Murdoch World! (to the tune of a Hard Knock Life)

[leftyladyfrommo]

38. How sad.

When I was little we used to look for the naked people.

Then we began to enjoy the wonderful pictures and articles.

[Jack Rabbit]

41. RIP, National G

[SpankMe]

43. This is absolutely tragic.

I almost came to tears when this happened - really. I have Nat Geo's that I bought at estate sales form the early 1900's. I have a friend in Arizona who has a few from the late 1800's, even.

Even though these antique issues are from a time when Nat Geo was true to science and inquiry, I'll never look at them with the same fondness. The stink of Murdoch is now on them. It's like having a once prized and rare coin - only to have it lose all it's value when someone found a locker with a million of them and is now selling them on ebay in bags of 100.

This is completely infuriating.

[SpankMe]

44. I hope there are some laid off Nat Geo employees here on DU.

I'd like to hear of some inside info on the reductions.

[annabanana]

45. How long until the new archeologists FIND THE ARK?

or bigfoot?
or the aliens at area 51?

[spanone]

50. already cancelled.

[hifiguy]

51. What a surprise!

[CanonRay]

54. Republicans are systemically destroying this county's

Educational and scientific institutions in favor of ignorance and hate.

[WinkyDink]

55. Money, money, money, MO-NEY!

[ChisolmTrailDem]

58. ISIS destroys national treasures, too. SMH. nt

[MrMickeysMom]

60. This Monday evening I saw the best shows on Nat Geo... Swan Song?

You decide after uncle ratfuck takes over...

A repeat of series "Cosmos" by Neil Degrasse Tyson, followed by one of the more clever series to cal attention to climate change, hosted by Bill Nye (science guy). I thought... "Gee - wonder if Murdock will not care if science continues, as long as it sells..."

We'll see the fascists take over until we can't take anymore...

[polly7]

62. I loveD National Geographic.

How sad for all those staff.

What a *'ing maniac, imo.

[progressoid]

63. FUUUUCK!

Well that ruined my day. Week. Month.