Salon's 31-Year Digital Legacy Ends as Independent Publishing Model Fails
The online magazine will shut down weeks before its November 20 anniversary.
By Samuel Hayes ·
Salon is closing its doors. The digital magazine announced the shutdown on Thursday, ending a run that spanned more than three decades.
The site was founded in San Francisco in 1995. It built a reputation for covering politics, arts, and culture. In the 2000s, the company moved most of its editorial staff to New York City. A 2011 piece by the Columbia Journalism Review identified Salon as the oldest general interest publication on the internet.
Salon won multiple awards during the 1990s. Time magazine named it the website of the year in 1996. BusinessWeek gave it the best website award in 1997.
The outlet cited changing business realities for independent digital journalism. A statement from the company said its publishing model is no longer sustainable. The announcement comes just weeks before the site’s anniversary on November 20.
“The business realities of independent digital journalism have changed profoundly over the years,” the statement read. “After careful consideration, we have reached the difficult decision that our publishing model is no longer sustainable.”
Salon expressed gratitude to its staff and community. “Thirty-one years is a remarkable run,” the statement said. “What matters most is what happened during those years: the journalism, the ideas, the voices, the conversations and the community that grew around them.”
