Salon, pioneering internet publication, to shut down after 3 decades
What's the story
Salon.com, one of the first publications to hit the internet, is shutting down after over three decades. The announcement was made on Thursday by the outlet itself. "It's difficult to find the right words for the end of something that has meant so much to so many people. Salon was never just a website," it said in a statement.
Legacy
Known for politics, arts, and culture coverage
Founded in San Francisco in 1995, Salon quickly became known for its coverage of politics, arts, and culture.
The outlet said its work "helped pioneer a form of journalism that would come to define an entirely new era of publishing."
It was even dubbed the oldest general interest publication on the internet by Columbia Journalism Review in 2011.
Closure announcement
Business realities of independent digital journalism
Salon announced its closure just weeks ahead of its anniversary on November 20.
The publication cited the changing business realities of independent digital journalism as a major reason for its decision.
"After careful consideration, we have reached the difficult decision that our publishing model is no longer sustainable," it said in the statement.
Acknowledgment
Website won several awards in late '90s
In its farewell message, Salon expressed immense gratitude to all the journalists, editors, photographers, producers, designers, business teams, and other colleagues who contributed to the publication over the years.
The outlet has won several awards for its work in the 1990s, including Time magazine's website of the year in 1996 and BusinessWeek's best website award in 1997.