In an unsigned statement on its website, the magazine said the “business realities of independent digital journalism” had changed fundamentally and that “our publishing model is no longer sustainable.”
Erin Keane, Salon’s chief content officer, confirmed the shutdown in a social media post, announcing that the “publication was closed, effective immediately.”
Journalist David Talbot founded Salon in San Francisco, and It officially launched on November 20, 1995, before blogs, social media, and online news outlets became widespread.
Rather than adapting an existing print publication for the internet, its founders created a magazine exclusively for digital readers, covering politics, literature, culture and intellectual debate.
Apple, Adobe, and Borders, the now-defunct bookstore chain, provided financial backing during the publication’s early years.
Salon subsequently developed a reputation for progressive political commentary and cultural coverage, attracting prominent journalists and commentators who later became established figures in American media.
Its contributors included Glenn Greenwald, Joan Walsh, and Michelle Goldberg. Steve Kornacki, now at NBC News, previously served as Salon’s politics editor, while CNN anchor Jake Tapper worked as its Washington correspondent.
The publication changed ownership several times during its final years. In August 2019, entrepreneurs Chris Richmond and Drew Schoentrup acquired Salon for $5 million.
Another sale followed in November 2023, when Find.co, a Malta-based company describing itself as a “performance marketing ecosystem” for cryptocurrency brands, purchased the magazine for an undisclosed amount.
In its farewell announcement, Salon reflected on its origins in the internet’s early days, before digital publishing became an established part of the news industry.
“Salon was never just a website,” the announcement said. “It was an idea about what journalism could be, born at a moment when the internet was still a largely unexplored frontier.”
Source: Iwpost.com
