- A spokeswoman for National Geographic said the decision to undertake the layoffs was not part of the September deal with Murdoch. “We wanted to take care of our long-serving employees,” M.J. Jacobsen said.
In addition to the layoffs and buyouts, the National Geographic Society said it would freeze its pension plan for eligible employees, eliminate medical coverage for future retirees and change its contributions to an employee 401(k) plan so that all employees receive the same percentage contribution.
Yeah. That's why I edited the title. I'm just feeling more than a bit salty about all of this. National Geographic holds a really special place in my heart and while they probably have their flaws over the years, they're probably one of the last, good resources for easily accessible scientific journalism. I'm nervous to see what will happen.
It's already happening. I don't give a fuck about Dick, Johnny, OR Dave. Edit: More importantly, I think we're seeing the legitimizing of grassroots journalism. YouTubers like Vsauce, TED talks, and relatively independent magazines/journals fulfill the "in-depth/well-researched reporting" niche, while reddit live threads and twitter (though clumsy) may serve as an insight into the next generation of instantaneous mass media. Obviously, change is slow, and Fox, CNN, MSNBC, and co. will continue to dominate for at least another decade or two. As for accessible science reporting significantly better than physorg.com? Well, if anyone has any content, I'm all ears too. Oh, and rd95, if you are lamenting the loss of a previously well-established scientific literacy distribution medium, at least National Geographic was one of the last big names that fell to big money.
All of cable TV sucks now. You wanna see good documentaries? PBS is awesome. I agree for the most part. It'll be interesting to see what mechanisms will be put in place to encourage thoughtful, accurate, and productive material. Naturally, I think the open and accessible dialogue and the participation of people active in their fields is a huge plus. If somehow PBS falls into the hands of Rupert Murdoch, I'll have an existential crisis on my hands.It's already happening.
More importantly, I think we're seeing the legitimizing of grassroots journalism. YouTubers like Vsauce, TED talks, and relatively independent magazines/journals fulfill the "in-depth/well-researched reporting" niche, while reddit live threads and twitter (though clumsy) may serve as an insight into the next generation of instantaneous mass media. Obviously, change is slow, and Fox, CNN, MSNBC, and co. will continue to dominate for at least another decade or two.
at least National Geographic was one of the last big names that fell to big money.