Digital journalism pioneer Salon shuts down after nearly 31 years

Online publishing pioneer Salon announced it is shutting down after nearly 31 years of operations, citing an unsustainable publishing model.

FTMQ Creators, written by our newsroom6 November 2026 at 00:030 views

Digital news publication Salon is shutting down nearly 31 years after its launch, Deadline and The New York Times reported on November 5, 2026. The outlet announced in a farewell post on Thursday that it would go dark later that day. According to Deadline, the site stated that its publishing model was no longer sustainable. [1][2]

The publication was founded following a strike at the San Francisco Examiner, Deadline reported. Editor David Talbot started exploring the internet's publishing potential and launched the site alongside Gary Kamiya, Andrew Ross, Mignon Khargie, Scott Rosenberg, and Laura Miller. [1]

Proper Media co-founder Chris Richmond later acquired Salon.com alongside other media properties, including TV Tropes and Snopes. [3]

Salon announced it would go dark on November 5, 2026, after nearly 31 years in operation.
The publication stated that its publishing model was no longer sustainable.
David Talbot co-founded Salon with former San Francisco Examiner colleagues following a newspaper strike.
Entrepreneur Chris Richmond previously acquired Salon.com.

Sources

Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.

[1]Online Media Pioneer Salon To Shutter: “Our Publishing Model Is No Longer Sustainable”Deadline, 2h ago (the report this story comes from)
[2]Salon, a Pioneer of Digital Journalism, Shuts DownThe New York Times, 3h ago

Background

[3]Chris Richmond (entrepreneur) on Wikipedia
[4]STRIDE model on Wikipedia
[5]Sustainability on Wikipedia

Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 5 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.

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