Magazine What has happened to Geographical magazine? It was a great publication about 2-3 years ago, but lately is really poor. Only about 80 pages, hardly any ads, bad layout, etc. Does the management know it's going down the pan?
GEOGRAPHICAL MAGAZINE Dear Iain,
I could not agree with you more. You are definately not the first person to complain to me about the standard of the Magazine dropping through the floor. As a fellow of the RGS, I despair when I read it. I don't enjoy it all all.I don't enjoy the layout, the content or the editorial opinion. I am also not taken by the de-saturated bland looking production of the photo essays. As a photographer I like to appreciate fellow photographers' work. In the case of Geographical I am unable to do so.
The sea change came about, I suspect after the sacking of the last editor a few years back. I am reliably informed that Nick Smith was summarily dismissed by the magazine, and while he and I rarely saw eye to eye, he was a superb editor. As he said to me after the event "the RGS magazine was the love of my life".
Nick's deputy editor Geordie Torr took over and has understandably placed his own style on the magazine. Like you though, I don't enjoy what he has done with the publication. In an effort to make a positive contribution to the magazine I have submit articles to the editor, but these have all been rejected. Having said that, Geordie has been assiduously polite in his rejections, giving swift responses and clear reasons why he will not publish the articles. As a writer; you could not ask for a more polite or better organised editor. As a reader though, I don't enjoy it.
The editor told me that he wants hard hitting, ground breaking articles. Photos of expeditions that have never been conducted before. Solo journeys down parts of the amazon etc. But when I open the magazine it's often about school kids collecting rock samples in lulworth cove. I would have thought that the school kids would prefer to be inspired by larger expeditions?
Which is all well and good, but that bring us back to the RGS being split between two groups. Those that want to get out there and find out something, and those who do not have the courage to go further afield, and therefore wish to keep everyone at home.
You may accuse me of falling into the former, but I cannot say that this is the case. I consider myself an independant observer of both groups. While I am well travelled, and live in Africa (or Asia depending upon the time of year) I am a coward and do not enjoy being faced with "large waves", or long desert crossings with a single vehicle.
So I think I have taken a rather long whinded route to answering your concise question.
Yours Sincerely
Raf
Iain
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Magazine
What has happened to Geographical magazine? It was a great publication about 2-3 years ago, but lately is really poor. Only about 80 pages, hardly any ads, bad layout, etc. Does the management know it's going down the pan?