'I Am Genuinely Devastated': Fans, Former Employees Mourn As National Geographic Lays Off All Staff Writers in 'Sad Day for Journalism'

It's the end of an era as the long-beloved magazine National Geographic has officially laid off the remainder of its staffed writers, marking a final cut to print editorial.

In a final round of layoffs, 19 staffers were let go this week. The employees had been notified that the cuts were coming in April as the company (owned by Walt Disney Co.) prepares to pull its iconic print magazine from newsstands next year.

Staffers were told that remaining assignments will be issued to freelancers, and features already in progress will be completed by editors.

Laid-off staffers lamented on social media and reflected on their time with the publication.

Other fans of the magazine and the brand also took to Twitter to mourn the "sad day in journalism" and questioned what was next for the company and industry.

National Geographic first hit stands in 1888 as a full-text magazine that contained no photos and cost just $0.50.

In December 2017, Walt Disney Co. struck a deal to acquire 21st Century Fox, which included National Geographic Partners (which operated National Geographic magazine in partnership with the National Geographic Society and 21st Century Fox).

The acquisition was finalized in 2019.

Most recently, NGP has tried to roll with times and make forays into new areas of digital space, including an NFT collection and four-part podcast series.

As for the future, National Geographic spokesperson Chris Albert told The Washington Post that NGP will still publish a magazine monthly and that layoffs and a new shift in focus will give the company "more flexibility to tell different stories and meet our audiences where they are across our many platforms."