Spain's History NatGeo faces subscriber backlash over author

Subscribers threaten to cancel after criticism of Historia National Geographic

What happens when a historical dissemination magazine hires a former ERC councilor to write about bison paintings? Long-time readers consider cancelling their subscriptions. This is the situation reported by a subscriber who has paid for years and expressed discomfort upon discovering that the article's author is not a historian, but a journalist and former Badalona City Council member from ERC.

The trigger is not solely political. According to this reader, the text contains a grammatical error—"how long it takes to paint a bison" using the wrong preposition—and careless editing, with unjustified margins and faulty punctuation. For some, the final straw is that the magazine belongs to National Geographic, a brand associated with scientific rigor rather than political activism.

Author profile and subscriber discontent

The article's author is described in the discussion as a journalist, political activist, and former Badalona City Council member from ERC. Her name is not mentioned in the material, but her political past and education are: a postgraduate degree in editing which, according to one reader, does not reflect the quality of the published text. The magazine, therefore, would have commissioned historical content from someone without specific training in History.

For several subscribers, this is not an isolated case but a sign that the publication has shifted towards what one calls "unbearable sociological nonsense." The complaint is not just about the specific article, but about the editorial line of a masthead that had been on newsstands for decades and, according to another reader, was "excellent" in the early 2000s.

Grammatical error sparks indignation

The most commented detail is the construction "how long it takes to paint a bison." Several readers point out that this is a Catalanism, typical of speakers who confuse the prepositions "to" and "in" in such phrases. For them, it is not just a lack of style, but proof that the text did not undergo careful editing. The magazine, which prides itself on rigor, would have published an elementary error.

The discussion also mentions that the author holds a postgraduate degree in editing, which worsens the perception of negligence. Margins are not justified and punctuation presents errors, according to the same source. These technical details, combined, depict a neglected editorial product.

Reader reaction: from surprise to cancellation

The majority response among participating subscribers is to cancel. Some are considering it, although they acknowledge the subscription price is reasonable and they have collected the magazine for years. One explains that he remains subscribed because he has always enjoyed reading it, but the discomfort is evident.

Some go further, noting that subscription money ends up financing content they consider political activism. The author's link to ERC (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya) and her participation in the "procés"—the term used in the material for the independence process—is interpreted as a sign that the magazine has been captured by a specific agenda. No evidence of this capture is provided, only the coincidence of the author's profile with the article's content.

Debate on magazine quality and journalism

The conversation shifts to broader criticism: the quality of historical dissemination magazines and the role of journalists versus historians. One reader recalls that in the 2000s the magazine was "something else" and now has become a "sociological" product. Another mentions that history podcasts on iVoox, such as those by user VBUIZA, offered more palatable content than what the magazine currently publishes.

The underlying complaint is that historical dissemination has been contaminated by politics and a light style, more concerned with political correctness than rigor. There are no objective data on circulation or cancellations, but the tone suggests widespread disillusionment among long-time readers.

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In the end, the question is whether a history magazine should hire a former ERC councilor to talk about bison. The answer, apparently, is no for everyone. And those who leave, take their collections with them.