Fans of National Geographic are very angry that Rupert Murdoch and 21st Century Fox are set to purchase the magazine. They are making that anger known by vowing to boycott the the magazine, and the cable channels associated with it, if the deal goes through.
Across Twitter calls to boycott rang out.
“Cancel your subscriptions people!” said one Twitter user. “Boycott National Geographic. Shame on them for selling out.”
“I give National Geographic 18 months before publishing its first piece of climate change denial,” said Greg Stolze.
“National Geographic readers care about the planet,” said another Twitter user. “People who care about the planet, boycott #Murdoch.”
But the allure of Murdoch’s cash has proven too attractive for National Geographic to pass. On Wednesday, the National Geographic Society announced their deal with Murdoch.
“The value generated by this transaction, including the consistent and attractive revenue streams that National Geographic Partners will deliver, ensures that we will have greater resources for this work, which includes our grant programs that support scientists and explorers around the world,” Gary Knell, the Society’s president, said. “We now will have the scale and reach to continue to fulfill our mission long into the future.”
Murdoch is a well-known climate change denier though and it’s unlikely that, with Murdoch having 73 percent of the company’s control, the ideals of conservation and environmentalism will last long.
Read Ring of Fire’s related story: Fox Buys National Geographic: New Programming to Include Climate Change Denial and Hunting Big Game.
