Murdoch Got the Ball Rolling on National Geographic’s Demise
Back in 2015, Murdoch purchased a 73% majority stake in the age-old nonprofit nature and science magazine National Geographic. This was through a joint venture with the National Geographic Society and 21st Century Fox, and Fox would increase the magazine company’s endowment by $725 million. It essentially consolidated all of NatGeo into one, easily controllable, easily sellable institution. The nonprofit science magazine would control just 27% of its own organization.
The next, obvious question is… why? The stated purpose was to establish a new kind of media company to focus on nature and science reporting, but at the time Murdoch called himself a “climate change skeptic,” which you can parse as honest-to-god science denialism. The corporate wrangling was only the start, however. In 2017, Disney announced it was buying out 21st Century Fox, which included the controlling stake in National Geographic. In 2019, the NatGeo magazine arm would come under Disney’s own publishing service.
Under the crushing weight of corporate demands, the hollowing out was inevitable. Under Disney’s auspices, the magazine laid off six of the top editors in 2022. Following that, the magazine fired its entire cast of staff writers in June this year. In 2024, National Geographic plans to end all newsstand sales.
After it let go of NatGeo, News Corp would later attempt to spin the other way on climate change by promoting carbon neutrality in Australia, but his vast media empire continued to spew anti-science rhetoric to all parts of the globe. Say, how’s that Fox Weather channel going?
Murdoch isn’t known for his love of science. The Australian-born billionaire turned Fox News into the mainstream home for climate denial, promoting hosts like Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson who repeatedly beamed climate change conspiracies directly into the homes of millions of viewers. Fox News continues to promote anti-climate change books and public figures, even after folks like Carlson were sacked.
