Salon, a Pioneer of Online Journalism, Shuts Down After 31 Years
WHO:
NY Post - Salon.com, a digital news site known for political and cultural commentary, announced its closure.
ABC News - Salon described itself as an early internet publication with sharp voices, political and cultural journalism, and a liberal sensibility.
ABC News - Salon’s farewell note was unsigned; the article said some employees reported losing their jobs, while the outlet had not said what would happen to its employees.
ABC News - Founder David Talbot said Salon’s timing was right because readers were tired of “bland, market-tested media products,” and the internet made it possible to launch “something original, something with a strong voice.”
ABC News - Salon featured writers including Jake Tapper and Glenn Greenwald. Former editors-in-chief David Talbot and Joan Walsh became prominent progressive political voices.
WHAT:
ABC News - Salon said it began in the mid-1990s, when the “World Wide Web” was still commonly written out in full.
NY Post - Salon said it was closing after 31 years.
ABC News - Salon announced it would shut down after 31 years of publication and issued a farewell note: “It has been an extraordinary privilege.”
ABC News - Salon said its journalism covered politics, culture, criticism and ideas; examined power and politics; questioned assumptions; surfaced stories; and made room for overlooked perspectives.
ABC News - Salon did not say what would happen to its online archives, which contain three decades of stories spanning topics, genres and locations around the world.
WHERE:
ABC News - The article was datelined Washington; Salon’s journalism and archives covered stories from across the world.
WHEN:
Variety - Salon said it launched in November 1995.
WHY:
Kottke - Salon said, “We have reached the difficult decision that our publishing model is no longer sustainable.”
ABC News - Salon cited “the business realities of independent digital journalism” having “changed profoundly over the years.”
HOW:
ABC News - Salon launched a decade before newspaper and print-magazine markets imploded and a decade before social media fragmented the journalism world.
ABC News - Initially styled as an online magazine and meeting place, Salon published provocative opinions and stories that might not fit in daily newspapers or newsweeklies such as Time and Newsweek.
ABC News - Salon expanded from culture and criticism into breaking-news coverage during its reporting on Princess Diana’s death.
ABC News - Salon’s competition grew as Slate emerged the following year, online magazines proliferated, and print publications such as The Atlantic put more content online.
ABC News - Salon thanked readers for reading, sharing, challenging, subscribing, writing to the publication and returning; it said their engagement made it a publication and a community.
(UPDATED November 6, 2026 04:58 UTC)
Salon.com, a pioneering voice in online journalism, is shutting down after 31 years. The publication cited an unsustainable business model and profound changes in digital journalism. Its archives’ future remains unclear, while employees face uncertainty over their jobs.
--
(UPDATED November 6, 2026 01:08 UTC)
Salon.com is shutting down after 31 years, ending a pioneering voice in digital journalism. The publication cited profound changes in the business realities of independent online journalism. Salon covered politics and culture, while the future of its extensive archives remains unclear.
--
(UPDATED November 6, 2026 00:03 UTC)
Salon.com is shutting down after 31 years, ending a pioneering voice in online journalism. The publication cited profound changes in the business realities of independent digital journalism. Salon’s archives and employees face uncertain futures, while its farewell thanked readers for building a community.