Salon Ceases Publication After 31 Years in Digital Journalism
The digital-native publishing pioneer, founded in November 1995, cited an unsustainable business model for independent web media.
Digital media pioneer Salon is ceasing publication after 31 years, the company announced Thursday in a farewell note published on salon.com (https://www.salon.com/2026/11/05/goodbye-from-salon/).
The shutdown marks the end of one of the longest-running standalone editorial sites on the consumer internet. Founded in November 1995 by a small group of journalists, Salon launched during the early commercial expansion of the World Wide Web to experiment with digital-native reporting, cultural criticism, essays, and political analysis.
In the announcement, the publication attributed the decision to systemic commercial pressures, writing that the business realities confronting independent digital journalism have shifted profoundly and that its operating model is no longer sustainable.
Salon acknowledged its founding team, editorial staff, photographers, designers, commercial personnel, and audience across its three-decade run. The announcement did not detail plans for the long-term archiving of its catalog or specify a schedule for decommissioning its digital infrastructure.
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