After 31 years, Salon announces online magazine is shutting down amid changing business realities
Salon announces its closure
The announcement came Thursday in a farewell note, which described the outlet’s publication history as an extraordinary privilege. Salon did not immediately say what would happen to its employees, though some reported losing their jobs.
A spokesperson said 19 full-time employees and a handful of private contractors were affected. The outlet attributed its decision to changes in the business realities facing independent digital journalism.
An early voice online
Salon began in the mid-1990s, when the internet had only recently entered the mainstream. It presented itself as an online magazine and meeting place for provocative opinions and stories that might not find space in daily newspapers or newsweeklies.
Founder David Talbot said in 2000 that readers were tired of bland, market-tested media products, and that the internet made it possible to launch something original with a strong voice. Writers including Jake Tapper and Glenn Greenwald appeared in Salon; Talbot and former editor-in-chief Joan Walsh later became prominent progressive political voices.
Competition and lasting archives
Salon faced growing competition as Slate emerged the following year and online magazines spread. Print publications, including The Atlantic, also moved more content online, expanding the marketplace of ideas.
Salon broadened beyond culture and criticism into breaking news after Princess Diana’s death in 1997. The outlet told The Associated Press it has no immediate plans to take down its online archives, which contain three decades of stories across topics and genres.
Key points
- Salon will shut down after 31 years of publication.
- The outlet cited changes in the business realities of independent digital journalism.
- A spokesperson said 19 full-time employees and a handful of contractors were affected.
- Salon has no immediate plans to remove its online archives.