28 Comments

This should be an open letter to Disney that everyone can sign.

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I have been reading National Geographic for more than 50 years since our American uncle gave us a subscription every year for Xmas. Now, I only read two a year simply because I find it boring. Too often there are no human stories in it. Learning about people and their lives throughout the world was what made it interesting. The in depth stories along with the photographs made me want to learn more. Now there are few of these articles. People damage the world and people will silve the problems but only if we know about them no matter how unpalatable they might be.

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Perhaps this is the time to remember we have a massive impact on the species that we share the world with. I"m all in for a non-human centered magazine that is not ego-centric. It reminds us to be humble and respect the incredible sentience of all wild species, human included.

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In the 1970s I expected to world to get better....

I have unilaterally declared the NO ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION called The 2025 2026 2027 INTERNATIONAL ARTIST'S CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES THRU ART FRAGRANT FLOWERS MILKWEED AND YOUR IDEA HERE. NO SIGN UP. NO DUES.NO EMAILS

If you can please plant milkweed.

Dodobbird.pixels.com

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Charlie - this story sadly confirms what we knew, and is still shocking and heartbreaking. Interested to hear how we can help get the word out and support your work.

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Hey Charlie. Hello from Rio de Janeiro! I'm also a former Nat Geo reader. It's the magazine that turned me into a photographer. And the one that keeps me pushing myself to become a climate storyteller, like yourself, somehow.

Could this be an opportunity for the birth of a new "nat geo society"? As you rightly stated, this coverage is something that humanity needs, and many people agree. Not enough audience for a massive corporation to fund, but maybe there are enough people out there to help fund this crucial work.

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As one of those staffers for nearly 20 yrs this brings tears to my eyes.

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I guess it's why we're all here on Substack.

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Nat Geo = Disney says it all about the decline of the publication and it’s truly heartbreaking. Moreover, there are others like you out there that do crave substance and not 10-second sound bites and dopamine hits from social media. We care and words and images matter. I hold out hope for more to see the light through this information paradigm shift; that is for those of us privileged enough to be in the midst of it.

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the inflation of human importance above that of planetary health will be the downfall of the human race. you might get hissed at, but o agree wholeheartedly. give people what they need, not what they want.

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We need Nat Geo to step up, as in the past, above corp greed. Grateful for you CHJ

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Disney is the problem, when I read that bit my heart sank, they are a corporation with a reverse Midas touch, everything that they touch turns to shit. Just look at their TV/Streaming/Movie output, pure propaganda.

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Yes, it’s so horrible!!!

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Soon enough Disney will sell NatGeo off for nothing, to get rid of it. We just need a wealthy individual to take this on - there will be a market for really important stories, well explained, with great pictures.

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compost is the thing we need most, and cows are the most rapid composting machines on the planet. And the beef liver is the most nutrient dense thing on the planet, ideally organic fed.

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I may not want to hear but I need to know need to be told. Thanks for being an articulate and selfless and vital voice Charlie.

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I sold as space for National Geographic from 2005-2012. I was always SO proud of our magazine and what it represented and how it educated people. I was so depressed when I heard Disney had bought them and expected the worst.

To your point it was a hard job back then to find a way to tell stories without people getting so depressed about the planet. It is even worse now.

I despair at the state of our collective planet and don't have a solution but I really appreciate all your efforts to help.

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What the heck am I going to read when in the dentist waiting room now?

There is no other magazine that encompasses this planet.

The animal kingdom is cheated again.

Dismayed in Australia : (

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Thank you

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