Is science journalism dying? Comparing a ‘science crash’ 40 years ago to today

Scientists compare today's wave of science journalism layoffs, including Scientific American's 2026 sale followed by 15 layoffs and pay cuts, plus cuts at The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and CBS News, to a similar 'science crash' in 1986 when two major magazines folded in one year. The authors' data shows only 11 of 29 prominent U.S. popular science magazines founded since the 19th century still exist, with eight of those closures occurring since 2000, including the collapse of Popular Science's print and later digital editions and cutbacks at National Geographic.

The authors argue the broader collapse of print journalism, driven by the internet and shifting advertising markets, explains much of this, noting U.S. newspaper jobs fell roughly 80% from 2000 to 2025 versus about 65% for periodical publishing. They suggest the current alarm may again be partly a moral panic, since science communication has expanded into online and video formats even as legacy print titles vanish.

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