Salon, an early-internet online magazine, shuts down after 31 years

As of 7:43 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

Salon, the online magazine that launched in November 1995 when the web was still new, is ceasing publication after 31 years. The site announced the closure Thursday in an unsigned post titled "Goodbye from Salon."

"The business realities of independent digital journalism have changed profoundly over the years," the post said. "After careful consideration, we have reached the difficult decision that our publishing model is no longer sustainable."

Staff and archives

The farewell post did not say what would happen to employees, though some said they had lost their jobs, the Associated Press reported. A Salon spokesperson told AP that 19 full-time employees had been affected, as well as a handful of contractors. According to AP, Salon said it had no immediate plans to take down its online archives, which hold three decades of stories.

An early-web pioneer

AP described Salon as one of the early internet's most influential websites, known for sharp voices and political and cultural journalism with a liberal sensibility. In its farewell, Salon said a small group of journalists founded it to bring "journalism and readers together in new ways." The post said the site mixed politics, culture, criticism and ideas over three decades.

"Salon was never just a website," the post said. "It was an idea about what journalism could be." It thanked staff, contributors, alumni and readers and closed: "It has been an extraordinary privilege."