A closure weeks before its 31st anniversary

Salon shuts down after more than three decades, the outlet announced on Thursday, just weeks before its anniversary on 20 November. In its statement, Salon said its publishing model is no longer sustainable.

From San Francisco startup to New York newsroom

Founded in San Francisco in 1995, Salon built its reputation on politics, arts and culture coverage. During the 2000s it moved most editorial staff to New York City. Along the way it picked up early industry recognition:

• •Time magazine named it website of the year in 1996
• •BusinessWeek named it best website in 1997

A 2011 Columbia Journalism Review piece went further, describing Salon as the oldest general interest publication on the internet.

What the outlet said about its own legacy

Salon framed its role in journalism in sweeping terms. "Salon was never just a website," the outlet said in a statement, describing itself as an idea about what journalism could be. It said its output helped pioneer a form of journalism that would come to define an entirely new era of publishing.

"Thirty-one years is a remarkable run," Salon said, stressing the journalism and the community that grew around it. The statement also expressed gratitude to the journalists, editors, photographers, producers, designers and business teams behind the outlet.

Independent digital journalism under pressure

As for the reason for the salon website closure, the statement pointed to the economics. "The business realities of independent digital journalism have changed profoundly," Salon said.