Salon Shuts Down After 31 Years Online
Salon.com, one of the web's early independent magazines, is closing after 31 years as its publishing model proves unsustainable.
TL;DR
- Salon.com launched in 1995 and is now shutting down.
- Editors cited unsustainable business realities for independent digital journalism.
- The site’s archive will stay live for now under owner Find.co.
Salon.com, the San Francisco-based site that started in November 1995, is shutting down. It built a name with cultural commentary, progressive political takes and lifestyle pieces when the web was still new.
The editorial team said the move came after careful thought. They noted that the business side of independent digital journalism has shifted a lot and their model is no longer sustainable. The site joins others like BuzzFeed and Gawker that faced similar monetization struggles.
Over the years Salon helped launch many writers and became a regular read before social media took over. Its film critics included Stephanie Zacharek, Andrew O’Hehir and Charles Taylor. On the TV side, readers followed Heather Havrilesky, Hanh Nguyen, Maureen Ryan and Melanie McFarland.
Current owner Find.co bought the site in 2023. The company focuses on performance marketing, including crypto. Salon’s chief content officer Erin Keane said on Bluesky that the editorial archive will stay live for now.
The editors called the 31-year run remarkable and pointed to the journalism, ideas and community it created. They said Salon helped show what digital publishing could become.
The Tea
Another early web voice goes quiet, showing how hard it still is to keep independent cultural coverage alive when ad dollars and audience habits keep changing.