Salon, the left-leaning digital publication founded in 1995, is closing after 31 years. In an unsigned farewell announcement Thursday, the site cited unsustainable economics in independent digital journalism as the reason for the shutdown.
David Talbot, then-editor of the San Francisco Examiner, launched Salon in November 1995 as an early experiment in digital publishing without a print edition. It went public four years later and built a sizable readership over three decades.
The closure reflects broader upheaval in digital media. Search and social platforms have drastically changed how outlets attract readers. In 2016, Facebook's algorithm shift to prioritize family and friend posts over publisher content caused Salon to see massive traffic declines. More recently, AI search overviews that let audiences skip clicking through to articles have created additional headwinds.
Several prominent journalists built careers through Salon, including CNN anchor Jake Tapper, NBC News' Steve Kornacki, The Intercept founder Glenn Greenwald, and Joan Walsh, who served as Salon's editor-in-chief for five years and now works at The Nation.
Salon appeared as the home blog of Amy Adams' character in Nora Ephron's 2009 film Julie & Julia. Find.co acquired the website from previous owners Drew Schoentrup and Chris Richmond in 2023. The privately held company, which describes itself as a marketing operation focused on crypto brands, also owns CCN, Webopedia and CryptoManiaks.
In a Bluesky post, Salon chief content officer Erin Keane said the site's archive will "stay live for now."