Over a century after it was first published in 1888, the National Geographic magazine reportedly laid off the last of its staff writers on Wednesday. The magazine that brought the best of science and the natural world to readers in its iconic yellow-bordered monthly publication will also go off newsstands next year, the Washington Post reported.
A total of 19 writers were let go by the publication as per reports and tweets by several editorial members.
"My new National Geographic just arrived, which includes my latest feature—my 16th, and my last as a senior writer. NatGeo is laying off all of its staff writers. I've been so lucky. I got to work w/incredible journalists and tell important, global stories. It's been an honor," Craig A Welch, senior writer at National Geographic wrote on Twitter.
Nina Strochlic, writer and editor at the magazine also took to Twitter to break the news about the job cuts. "It's been an epic run, @NatGeo. My colleagues and I were unbelievably lucky to be the last-ever class of staff writers," she wrote.
These layoffs are the second round of job cuts -- part of cost-cutting measures adopted by the magazine's parent company Disney. The publication has seen a slew of editorial changes brought about by several ownership changes since 2015 including the removal of six top editors in September, The Guardian said.
The job cuts also affected the magazine's contracts with several photographers that contributed to its stunning visual story-telling endeavours. As per the Washington Post, the magazine will now employ freelance writers to piece together its issues with the help of its remaining editors.
However, in a statement to CNN, it assured that the editorial shake-up will not affect the quality of its monthly publications. "Staffing changes will not change our ability to do this work, but rather give us more flexibility to tell different stories and meet our audiences where they are across our many platforms. Any insinuation that the recent changes will negatively impact the magazine, or the quality of our storytelling, is simply incorrect," it said.
