Rupert Murdoch’s Corporation Is Buying National Geographic

cover image National Geographic THE COVERS
Image via Washington Post


National Geographic is undertaking a large shift in the way the company will operate from here on out.

21st Century Fox, a corporation Rupert Murdoch founded, is paying $725 million to a new joint-venture entitled National Geographic Partners, which will give them control of 73% of the newly founded company. National Geographic will be handing over a bulk of its assets to the joint-venture.

According to a statement, those assets include:

“National Geographic magazines; National Geographic Studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities, including travel, location-based entertainment, archival sales, catalog, licensing and eCommerce businesses.”

Indeed, this purchase by the 21st Century Fox corporation will have great ramifications for the public at large. The idea of a science organization being purchased, by what is essentially Fox News, is most troubling. Especially considering Fox News has openly said despicable things like women’s healthcare should cost more because “they have breasts.” The possibility of a comprehensive discussion on how to fix climate change will be a seriously more difficult one to have now that the leaders in being bought by oil corporations now own what is supposed to be an informing real-science company. Furthermore the implications of this purchase could include a wide variety of corporations being able to have a say in what many Americans readily accept from the National Geographic’s many media outlets as verified science.

With the purchase being a reality, we can only hope that National Geographic will fight any proposed attempts at denying real science. This looks to be a possible reality, due to the fact that National Geographic Society and 21st Century Fox will each have equal representation on the National Geographic Partners board. Because we are not entirely certain that appropriate self governing will take place, we must sadly remain very vigilant in fact checking the people we have relied on for 127 years to give us legitimate and informing looks into the infinite realm that is the sciences.

Featured Image via Perú

Brett Banks is a native Texan majoring in Political Science. His interest in politics started when he was very young and has no end in sight. Brett is a fire breathing Progressive. As an advocate and member of the LGBTQ+ community he has aspirations to one day see equality for all. Follow him @brettbanks81 on twitter or find him on other social media.