By
John Prager
After
all, National Geographic has traditionally been one of the most well-known
sources of scientific information, and Fox News is where any semblance of
scientific knowledge goes to be beaten mercilessly with socks full of pennies
before being unceremoniously dumped in a vat full of acid in Bill O’Reilly’s
basement for easy disposal.
While
National Geographic promised that
there would be no editorial “meddling” from 21st Century Fox, Murdoch is
already getting involved in other ways — specifically by laying off hundreds of
the staff that made the company worth acquiring in the first place.
Staff
members — all of them — were ordered into the office on November 3, unless they
were traveling for business, on vacation, or otherwise not there by a
rather horrific-sounding e-mail from CEO Gary Knell:
“To all NGS Staff:
“After very careful and serious consideration, we are ready to communicate how our restructuring and transformation will affect each employee at National Geographic. To that end, please make every effort to be available tomorrow, November 3rd, either in your regular work location, and/or by phone.
“If you are traveling for business, on vacation or plan to be out for any other reason, please notify Tia Freeman-Evans or Yvonne Perry in HR immediately, so we can make alternative plans to get in touch with you. If you know that someone on your staff will be out of the office on November 3rd, please let Tia or Yvonne know by 3 p.m. (Eastern) today, as well.
“Please watch your inbox for important information about your employment status tomorrow.
“I cannot thank you enough for your patience and hard work over the last few months. I am proud of how our teams and our organization have approached and responded to this transitional period. Looking ahead, I am confident National Geographic’s mission will be fulfilled in powerful, new and impactful ways, as we continue to change the world through science, exploration, education and storytelling.
Gary”
Then,
the staff waited, one by one, to be called into Human Resources to learn their
fates. “No one knows how many will be axed today,” an unnamed source
inside National Geographic told News Photographer magazine Tuesday.
“The staff is sitting by their phones, waiting to be called down to HR.”
Politico reports
that, ultimately, about 180 employees — about 9 percent of the workforce —
were subject to “involuntary separation,” while an undetermined number of
employees were offered “voluntary separation agreements.”
In
a statement, National Geographic shared its side of the story:
The National Geographic Society and the National Geographic Channels are in the process of reorganizing in order to move forward strategically following the closing the NG Partners deal, which is expected to occur in mid-November.
The entities combined have about 2,000 employees, and all staff have been advised as to their status as of closing. Involuntary separations will represent about 9% of the overall workforce reduction, many in shared services and a voluntary separation offer has also been made to eligible employees.
Sherry
Brukbacher, a photo editor who had been working in her department since 2008, confirmed she was one of those eliminated by
the merger:
Also
axed were picture editor Kim Hubbard, 28-year veteran picture editor Nancy Lee
Ott, photographer Michael Nichols, and numerous others. “Among those who were
the first to be let go on Tuesday morning, according to our source, was also
one of the magazine’s top picture editors and one of the magazine’s page
designers who – according to several photographers – was ‘the best designer’ on
staff, NPPA
notes.
“The
CEO of National Geographic Society, Greg Knell, tried to claim back in
September that there “there won’t be an [editorial] turn
in a direction that is different form the National Geographic heritage,”
Nathaniel
Downes of Reverb Press wrote of the layoffs Tuesday. “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.”
One
must wonder how National Geographic can maintain editorial control when many of
those who were “separated” from the company were editors and other
decision-makers.
Will
we soon be seeing headlines like “Global Warming: The Great Scam of the
Century” and “Who Needs Polar Bears, Anyway” gracing the once-reputable
publication?
Only
time will tell — but this sudden layoff of a large percentage of the staff does
not bode well for any who were holding out hope that the Fox merger would not
permanently damage the integrity of National Geographic.
Author: John Prager is an unfortunate Liberal soul who lives
uncomfortably in the middle of a Conservative hellscape and likes to refer to
himself as an "island of reason in a sea of insanity." While he is
not a fan of politicians, period, he has developed a deep-seated hatred for the
bigotry, fear mongering, and lies of the Right Wing. John also works as a
counselor at one of Barry Soetoro's FEMA re-education camps and as a HAARP
weather control coordinator. John's life's aspiration is to rule the world with
an iron fist, or find that sock he's been looking for. John can be reached at americanlesionx@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.