.org prints money - they have almost no overhead, and a basically guaranteed revenue stream. This isn't a public good that has no other options to survive - it's a bunch of shady board members attempting to enrich themselves at the expense of the public good.
I was buying the mag because I was happy that the profits went to the researchers in jungles all over the world etc.
I loved the nature and antiquity and exploring stories that used to dominate.
Steadily through the 2000s I found more and more stories that I skipped because they felt political and us-centric.
And then the sale? That was enough.
It was one of the sub-magazines that proliferated (probably as they were trying to keep the print business alive). Grabbed a couple in an airport, but they seemed more interesting and focused than the main one.
From https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/national-geog...
> On Wednesday, the iconic yellow-bordered magazine, beset by financial issues, entered its own uncharted territory. In an effort to stave off further decline, the magazine was effectively sold by its nonprofit parent organization to a for-profit venture whose principal shareholder is one of Rupert Murdoch’s global media companies.