Salon.com: Difference between revisions

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*Scott Rosenberg
*Scott Rosenberg
*Laura Miller}}
*Laura Miller}}
| editor = Erin Keane (Editor in Chief)
| editor = Joseph Neese ([[Editor in Chief]])
| key_people = Drew Schoentrup ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]])
| key_people = Mendel Benoit ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]] of Find.co) <br /> Amanda Wolfe ([[General Manager]]) <br />  Erin Keane ([[Chief Content Officer]])
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1995|4|18}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whois.domaintools.com/salon.com|title=Salon.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info – DomainTools|work=[[WHOIS]]|access-date=October 14, 2016}}</ref>
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1995|4|18}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://whois.domaintools.com/salon.com|title=Salon.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info – DomainTools|work=[[WHOIS]]|access-date=October 14, 2016}}</ref>
| current_status = Online
| current_status = Online
| footnotes = {{OCLC|43916723}}
| footnotes = {{OCLC|43916723}}
}}
}}
'''''Salon''''' is an American [[Progressivism in the United States|politically progressive]] and [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on [[U.S. politics]], culture, and current events.<ref name="politico20160527">{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/05/the-fall-of-saloncom-004551/ |title=The fall of Salon.com |first1=Kelsey |last1=Sutton |first2=Peter |last2=Sterne |website=[[Politico]]|date=March 27, 2016 |access-date=April 1, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first=Kelsey|last=Sutton|url=https://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/08/new-salon-very-different-from-the-old-salon-004705/|title=The new Salon – very different from the old Salon|website=[[Politico]]|date=August 10, 2016|access-date=March 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Callum|last= Borchers|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/11/20/note-to-liberal-media-outlets-opposition-to-syrian-refugees-is-not-a-fringe-position/|title=Note to liberal media outlets: Opposition to Syrian refugees is not a fringe position|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|publisher=Nash Holdings LLC|location=Washington DC|date=November 20, 2015|access-date=March 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first=Howard|last=Kurtz|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/salons-clickbait-strategy-the-phantom-fight-against-fox-news|title=Salon's clickbait strategy: The phantom fight against Fox News|website=[[Fox News]]|publisher=[[News Corp (2013–present)|News Corp.]]|date=May 11, 2015|access-date=March 29, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>
'''''Salon''''' is an American [[Progressivism in the United States|politically progressive]] and [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]] news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on [[U.S. politics]], culture, and current events.<ref name="politico20160527">{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/05/the-fall-of-saloncom-004551/ |title=The fall of Salon.com |first1=Kelsey |last1=Sutton |first2=Peter |last2=Sterne |website=[[Politico]] |date=March 27, 2016 |access-date=April 1, 2020 |archive-date=May 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521060110/https://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/05/the-fall-of-saloncom-004551 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first=Kelsey|last=Sutton|url=https://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/08/new-salon-very-different-from-the-old-salon-004705/|title=The new Salon – very different from the old Salon|website=[[Politico]]|date=August 10, 2016|access-date=March 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Callum|last= Borchers|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/11/20/note-to-liberal-media-outlets-opposition-to-syrian-refugees-is-not-a-fringe-position/|title=Note to liberal media outlets: Opposition to Syrian refugees is not a fringe position|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|publisher=Nash Holdings LLC|location=Washington DC|date=November 20, 2015|access-date=March 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first=Howard|last=Kurtz|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/salons-clickbait-strategy-the-phantom-fight-against-fox-news|title=Salon's clickbait strategy: The phantom fight against Fox News|website=[[Fox News]]|publisher=[[News Corp (2013–present)|News Corp.]]|date=May 11, 2015|access-date=March 29, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>


== Content and coverage ==
== Content and coverage ==
{{Liberalism US}}
{{Liberalism US}}
''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including reviews and articles about books, films, and music;<ref name=about>{{cite web|work=Salon|url=http://www.salon.com/about/|title=About Salon}}</ref> articles about "modern life", including friendships, human sexual behavior, and relationships; and reviews and articles about technology, with a particular focus on the [[free and open-source software]] (FOSS) movement.
''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including entertainment and culture, and food, with a particular focus on U.S. politics from a liberal and progressive point of view. Salon's web presence includes a YouTube channel, where it produces the show and podcast Standing Room Only with Amanda Marcotte, among other content.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Salon |url=https://www.salon.com/about |website=Salon.com}}</ref>


According to the senior contributing writer for the ''[[American Journalism Review]]'', Paul Farhi, ''Salon'' offers "provocative (if predictably liberal) political commentary and lots of sex."<ref>{{cite journal |first=Paul|last=Farhi|url=http://ajrarchive.org/article.asp?id=314 |title=Can Salon Make It?|journal=[[American Journalism Review]]|publisher=[[University of Maryland, College Park]]|location=[[College Park, Maryland]]|date=March 2001 |access-date=May 24, 2015 }}</ref>
According to the senior contributing writer for the ''[[American Journalism Review]]'', Paul Farhi, ''Salon'' offers "provocative (if predictably liberal) political commentary and lots of sex."<ref>{{cite journal |first=Paul|last=Farhi|url=http://ajrarchive.org/article.asp?id=314 |title=Can Salon Make It?|journal=[[American Journalism Review]]|publisher=[[University of Maryland, College Park]]|location=[[College Park, Maryland]]|date=March 2001 |access-date=May 24, 2015 }}</ref>
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Jordan Hoffner took over as CEO in May 2016, also serving as editor-in-chief.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/05/incoming-salon-ceo-signals-big-changes-ahead-004557/|publisher=[[Politico]]|title=Incoming ''Salon'' CEO signals big changes ahead|author=Sutton, Kelsey|date=May 31, 2016}}</ref> He resigned in May 2019, and was succeeded as editor-in-chief by Erin Keane.
Jordan Hoffner took over as CEO in May 2016, also serving as editor-in-chief.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/05/incoming-salon-ceo-signals-big-changes-ahead-004557/|publisher=[[Politico]]|title=Incoming ''Salon'' CEO signals big changes ahead|author=Sutton, Kelsey|date=May 31, 2016}}</ref> He resigned in May 2019, and was succeeded as editor-in-chief by Erin Keane.


{{As of|September 2021|post=,}} ''Salon''{{'}}s CEO was [[Chris Richmond (entrepreneur)|Chris Richmond]], and its editor-in-chief was Erin Keane.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Staff {{!}} ''Salon.com''|url=https://www.salon.com/about/staff|access-date=2021-09-01|website=Salon}}</ref>
{{As of|September 2024|post=,}} Amanda Wolfe is General Manager of Salon, Erin Keane is Chief Content Officer, and Joseph Neese is Editor In Chief.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Staff {{!}} ''Salon.com''|url=https://www.salon.com/about/staff|access-date=2021-09-01|website=Salon}}</ref>


== History ==
== History ==
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| caption3          = 2017-2019
| caption3          = 2017-2019
}}
}}
''Salon'' was created in the wake of the [[San Francisco newspaper strike of 1994]], by former ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'' arts and features editor [[David Talbot]] who wished to explore the potential of [[World Wide Web|Web]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pogash |first=Carol |title=Cyberspace Journalism |journal=American Journalism Review |access-date=July 8, 2011 |date=June 1, 1996 |url=http://www.enews.com/magazines/ajr/archive/960601-001.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961228232313/http://www.enews.com/magazines/ajr/archive/960601-001.html |archive-date=December 28, 1996 }}</ref><ref name=herhold>{{cite web|last=Herhold |first=Scott |title=Net magazine Salon epitomizes fate of mind over matter |work=San Jose Mercury News |access-date=July 7, 2011 |date=December 28, 1997 |url=http://www5.mercurycenter.com/business/center/salon122997.htm# |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990221024841/http://www5.mercurycenter.com/business/center/salon122997.htm%23 |archive-date=February 21, 1999 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It launched as salonmag.com<ref>Vaughn, Seven L. ''Encyclopedia of American Journalism'' (2008). Routledge. {{ISBN|978-0-415-96950-5}}.</ref> in November 1995. In its early days, readers noticed a specifically Northern California flavor. In 1996, Talbot agreed: "We swim in the soup of San Francisco. There are a lot of odd fish we've plucked out of the bay here and it gives us some of that Left Coast, Weird Coast style."<ref>Adam Begley, "Reading Bytes", San Francisco magazine [formerly San Francisco Focus], October 1997, p. 128.</ref> ''Time'' magazine named it one of the Best Web Sites of 1996.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,135245,00.html|title=The Best Web Sites of 1996 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |magazine=Time |access-date=July 29, 2015}}</ref>
''Salon'' was created in the wake of the [[San Francisco newspaper strike of 1994]], by former ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'' arts and features editor [[David Talbot]] who wished to explore the potential of [[World Wide Web|Web]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pogash |first=Carol |title=Cyberspace Journalism |journal=American Journalism Review |access-date=July 8, 2011 |date=June 1, 1996 |url=http://www.enews.com/magazines/ajr/archive/960601-001.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961228232313/http://www.enews.com/magazines/ajr/archive/960601-001.html |archive-date=December 28, 1996 }}</ref><ref name=herhold>{{cite web|last=Herhold |first=Scott |title=Net magazine Salon epitomizes fate of mind over matter |work=San Jose Mercury News |access-date=July 7, 2011 |date=December 28, 1997 |url=http://www5.mercurycenter.com/business/center/salon122997.htm# |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990221024841/http://www5.mercurycenter.com/business/center/salon122997.htm%23 |archive-date=February 21, 1999 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It launched as salon1999.com and salonmag.com<ref>Vaughn, Seven L. ''Encyclopedia of American Journalism'' (2008). Routledge. {{ISBN|978-0-415-96950-5}}.</ref> in November 1995. In its early days, readers noticed a specifically Northern California flavor. In 1996, Talbot agreed: "We swim in the soup of San Francisco. There are a lot of odd fish we've plucked out of the bay here and it gives us some of that Left Coast, Weird Coast style."<ref>Adam Begley, "Reading Bytes", San Francisco magazine [formerly San Francisco Focus], October 1997, p. 128.</ref> ''Time'' magazine named it one of the Best Web Sites of 1996.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,135245,00.html|title=The Best Web Sites of 1996 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |magazine=Time |access-date=July 29, 2015}}</ref>


''Salon'' purchased the [[virtual community]] [[The WELL]] in April 1999 (switching to its current URL, salon.com, at roughly that time), and made its [[initial public offering]] (IPO) of Salon.com on the [[NASDAQ]] stock exchange on June 22 of that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/ipos/filing.ashx?filingid=940074|title=SALON INTERNET INC|website=www.nasdaq.com|access-date=April 28, 2017}}</ref> Subsequently, for the month of October 1999, [[Nielsen NetRatings|Nielsen/NetRatings]] reported that ''Salon'' had over two million users.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-dec-11-fi-64019-story.html|title=Salon.com Wins Credibility Online With Intelligent and Stylish Content|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=April 28, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref>
''Salon'' purchased the [[virtual community]] [[The WELL]] in April 1999 (switching to its current URL, salon.com, at roughly that time), and made its [[initial public offering]] (IPO) of Salon.com on the [[NASDAQ]] stock exchange on June 22 of that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/ipos/filing.ashx?filingid=940074|title=SALON INTERNET INC|website=www.nasdaq.com|access-date=April 28, 2017}}</ref> Subsequently, for the month of October 1999, [[Nielsen NetRatings|Nielsen/NetRatings]] reported that ''Salon'' had over two million users.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-dec-11-fi-64019-story.html|title=Salon.com Wins Credibility Online With Intelligent and Stylish Content|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=April 28, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref>
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=== Business model and operations ===
=== Business model and operations ===
''Salon'' has been unprofitable through its entire history.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} Since 2007, the company has been dependent upon repeated cash injections from board Chairman [[John Warnock]] and [[William Hambrecht]], father of former ''Salon'' CEO Elizabeth Hambrecht.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wrhambrecht.com/about/|title=About WR Hambrecht + Co|website=wrhambrecht.com|access-date=October 3, 2018|archive-date=October 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003220907/https://wrhambrecht.com/about/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://insiders.morningstar.com/trading/board-of-directors.action?t=0P000004T4&culture=en-US|title=Salon Media Group Inc Board of Directors|website=insiders.morningstar.com|access-date=October 3, 2018|archive-date=October 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003221007/http://insiders.morningstar.com/trading/board-of-directors.action?t=0P000004T4&culture=en-US|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/about/staff|title=Salon.com – News, Politics, Business, Technology & Culture|website=Salon.com |access-date=October 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Salon-com-beats-the-odds-S-F-online-magazine-2558829.php|title=Salon.com beats the odds / S.F. online magazine courses into its second decade|date=December 1, 2005|website=sfgate.com|access-date=October 3, 2018}}</ref> During the nine months ending on December 31, 2012, these cash contributions amounted to $3.4 million, compared to revenue in the same period of $2.7 million.<ref name="Form 10-Q, Salon Media Group, Inc">{{cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1084332/000143774913001586/smg_10q-123112.htm|title=Form 10-Q, Salon Media Group, Inc.|date=February 14, 2013|publisher=[[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]]|access-date=July 26, 2013}}</ref> In December 2016 and January 2017, the company was evicted from its New York offices at 132 West 31st Street, a block from [[Madison Square Garden]], for non-payment of $90,000 in back rent.<ref name="NYPost-Eviction">{{cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2017/08/03/salon-struggling-to-pay-its-rent/|title=Salon struggling to pay its rent|last1=Kelly|first1=Keith J.|date=August 3, 2017|access-date=September 5, 2018|newspaper=New York Post}}</ref><ref name="10-K 2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1084332/000143774917011772/slnm20170331_10k.htm|title=Form 10-Q, Salon Media Group, Inc. |date=June 23, 2017 |publisher=[[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]] |access-date=September 5, 2018}}</ref> In February 2017, Spear Point Capital invested $1 million into Salon, taking a 29% equity stake and three seats on the company's board.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foliomag.com/spear-point-invests-1-million-salon-media-group/|title=Spear Point Invests $1 Million into Salon Media Group|date=February 2, 2017|website=Folio|language=en-US|access-date=April 9, 2019}}</ref> On August 30, 2019, Salon.com was sold for $5 million by Salon Media Group ({{OTC Expert|SLNM}}) to privately held Salon.com, LLC, which is owned by [[Chris Richmond (entrepreneur)|Chris Richmond]] and Drew Schoentrup.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2019/09/03/techies-wrap-up-5m-acquisition-of-salon-media/|title=Techies wrap up $5M acquisition of Salon Media|last=Kelly|first=Keith J.|date=September 4, 2019|website=New York Post|language=en|access-date=November 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1084332/000143774919017945/slnm20190905_8k.htm|title=slnm20190905_8k.htm|publisher=SEC|access-date=November 14, 2019}}</ref>
Since 2007, the company has been dependent upon repeated cash injections from board Chairman [[John Warnock]] and [[William Hambrecht]], father of former ''Salon'' CEO Elizabeth Hambrecht.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wrhambrecht.com/about/|title=About WR Hambrecht + Co|website=wrhambrecht.com|access-date=October 3, 2018|archive-date=October 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003220907/https://wrhambrecht.com/about/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://insiders.morningstar.com/trading/board-of-directors.action?t=0P000004T4&culture=en-US|title=Salon Media Group Inc Board of Directors|website=insiders.morningstar.com|access-date=October 3, 2018|archive-date=October 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003221007/http://insiders.morningstar.com/trading/board-of-directors.action?t=0P000004T4&culture=en-US|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/about/staff|title=Salon.com – News, Politics, Business, Technology & Culture|website=Salon.com |access-date=October 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Salon-com-beats-the-odds-S-F-online-magazine-2558829.php|title=Salon.com beats the odds / S.F. online magazine courses into its second decade|date=December 1, 2005|website=sfgate.com|access-date=October 3, 2018}}</ref> During the nine months ending on December 31, 2012, these cash contributions amounted to $3.4 million, compared to revenue in the same period of $2.7 million.<ref name="Form 10-Q, Salon Media Group, Inc">{{cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1084332/000143774913001586/smg_10q-123112.htm|title=Form 10-Q, Salon Media Group, Inc.|date=February 14, 2013|publisher=[[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]]|access-date=July 26, 2013}}</ref> In December 2016 and January 2017, the company was evicted from its New York offices at 132 West 31st Street, a block from [[Madison Square Garden]], for non-payment of $90,000 in back rent.<ref name="NYPost-Eviction">{{cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2017/08/03/salon-struggling-to-pay-its-rent/|title=Salon struggling to pay its rent|last1=Kelly|first1=Keith J.|date=August 3, 2017|access-date=September 5, 2018|newspaper=New York Post}}</ref><ref name="10-K 2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1084332/000143774917011772/slnm20170331_10k.htm|title=Form 10-Q, Salon Media Group, Inc. |date=June 23, 2017 |publisher=[[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]] |access-date=September 5, 2018}}</ref> In February 2017, Spear Point Capital invested $1 million into Salon, taking a 29% equity stake and three seats on the company's board.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foliomag.com/spear-point-invests-1-million-salon-media-group/|title=Spear Point Invests $1 Million into Salon Media Group|date=February 2, 2017|website=Folio|language=en-US|access-date=April 9, 2019}}</ref> On August 30, 2019, Salon.com was sold for $5 million by Salon Media Group ({{OTC Expert|SLNM}}) to privately held Salon.com, LLC, which is owned by [[Chris Richmond (entrepreneur)|Chris Richmond]] and Drew Schoentrup.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2019/09/03/techies-wrap-up-5m-acquisition-of-salon-media/|title=Techies wrap up $5M acquisition of Salon Media|last=Kelly|first=Keith J.|date=September 4, 2019|website=New York Post|language=en|access-date=November 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1084332/000143774919017945/slnm20190905_8k.htm|title=slnm20190905_8k.htm|publisher=SEC|access-date=November 14, 2019}}</ref>


Aspects of the Salon.com site offerings, ordered by advancing date:
Aspects of the Salon.com site offerings, ordered by advancing date:
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[[Category:Online magazines published in the United States]]
[[Category:Online magazines published in the United States]]
[[Category:American political websites]]
[[Category:American political websites]]
[[Category:Webby Award winners]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Liberalism in the United States]]
[[Category:Liberalism in the United States]]
[[Category:Progressivism in the United States]]
[[Category:Progressivism in the United States]]

Latest revision as of 19:37, 22 November 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "other uses". Template:Italic title Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "check for clobbered parameters". Salon is an American politically progressive and liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events.[1][2][3][4]

Content and coverage

Template:Liberalism US Salon covers a variety of topics, including entertainment and culture, and food, with a particular focus on U.S. politics from a liberal and progressive point of view. Salon's web presence includes a YouTube channel, where it produces the show and podcast Standing Room Only with Amanda Marcotte, among other content.[5]

According to the senior contributing writer for the American Journalism Review, Paul Farhi, Salon offers "provocative (if predictably liberal) political commentary and lots of sex."[6]

In 2008, Salon launched the interactive initiative Open Salon, a social content site/blog network for its readers. Originally a curated site with some of its content being featured on Salon, it fell into editorial neglect and was closed in March 2015.[7]

Responding to the question, "How far do you go with the tabloid sensibility to get readers?," former Salon.com editor-in-chief David Talbot said:

<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

Is Salon more tabloid-like? Yeah, we've made no secret of that. I've said all along that our formula here is that we're a smart tabloid. If by tabloid what you mean is you're trying to reach a popular audience, trying to write topics that are viscerally important to a readership, whether it's the story about the mother in Houston who drowned her five children or the story on the missing intern in Washington, Chandra Levy.[8]

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Staff and contributors

File:Alex Pareene 2012 Shankbone 2.JPG
Alex Pareene, who wrote about politics for Salon, in New York in 2012

Salon.com, originally salon1999.com, was founded in 1995 by David Talbot, Gary Kamiya, Andrew Ross, Mignon Khargie, Scott Rosenberg, and Laura Miller.[9]

Regular contributors have included the political-opinion writers Amanda Marcotte, Scott Eric Kaufman, Heather Digby Parton and Sean Illing, critic Andrew O'Hehir and pop-culture columnist Mary Elizabeth Williams.

David Talbot, founder and original editor-in-chief, also served several stints as CEO,[10] most recently replacing Richard Gingras, who left to join Google as head of news products in July 2011.[11] Joan Walsh was the second editor-in-chief, serving in that role starting in 2005.[12] She stepped down as editor-in-chief in November 2010 and was replaced by Kerry Lauerman.[13] David Daley took over the editor-in-chief position in June 2013.[14][15]

Jordan Hoffner took over as CEO in May 2016, also serving as editor-in-chief.[16] He resigned in May 2019, and was succeeded as editor-in-chief by Erin Keane.

since September 2024,Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Amanda Wolfe is General Manager of Salon, Erin Keane is Chief Content Officer, and Joseph Neese is Editor In Chief.[17]

History

Template:Mulitple images Salon was created in the wake of the San Francisco newspaper strike of 1994, by former San Francisco Examiner arts and features editor David Talbot who wished to explore the potential of Web.[18][19] It launched as salon1999.com and salonmag.com[20] in November 1995. In its early days, readers noticed a specifically Northern California flavor. In 1996, Talbot agreed: "We swim in the soup of San Francisco. There are a lot of odd fish we've plucked out of the bay here and it gives us some of that Left Coast, Weird Coast style."[21] Time magazine named it one of the Best Web Sites of 1996.[22]

Salon purchased the virtual community The WELL in April 1999 (switching to its current URL, salon.com, at roughly that time), and made its initial public offering (IPO) of Salon.com on the NASDAQ stock exchange on June 22 of that year.[23] Subsequently, for the month of October 1999, Nielsen/NetRatings reported that Salon had over two million users.[24]

Salon Premium, a pay-to-view (online) content subscription was introduced on April 25, 2001. The service signed up 130,000 subscribers and staved off discontinuation of services. However, in November 2002, the company announced it had accumulated cash and non-cash losses of $80 million, and by February 2003 it was having difficulty paying its rent and made an appeal for donations to keep the company running.

File:Salon.com screenshot.png
Front-page design in 2006

On October 9, 2003, Michael O'Donnell, the chief executive and president of Salon Media Group, said he was leaving the company after seven years because it was "time for a change." When he left, Salon.com had accrued $83.6 million in losses since its inception, and its stock traded for 5¢ on the OTC Bulletin Board. David Talbot, Salon's chairman and editor-in-chief at the time, became the new chief executive. Elizabeth "Betsy" Hambrecht, then Salon's chief financial officer, became the president.[25]

In July 2008, Salon launched Open Salon, a "social content site" and "curated blog network".[26] It was nominated for a 2009 National Magazine Award[27] in the category "best interactive feature." On March 9, 2015, Salon announced it would be closing Open Salon after six years of hosting a community of writers and bloggers.[7]

Salon closed its online chat board "Table Talk" on June 10, 2011, without stating an official reason for ending that section of the site.[28]

On July 16, 2012, Salon announced that it would be featuring content from Mondoweiss.[29]

Salon Media Group sold The WELL to the group of members in September 2012.[30]

Business model and operations

Since 2007, the company has been dependent upon repeated cash injections from board Chairman John Warnock and William Hambrecht, father of former Salon CEO Elizabeth Hambrecht.[31][32][33][34] During the nine months ending on December 31, 2012, these cash contributions amounted to $3.4 million, compared to revenue in the same period of $2.7 million.[35] In December 2016 and January 2017, the company was evicted from its New York offices at 132 West 31st Street, a block from Madison Square Garden, for non-payment of $90,000 in back rent.[36][37] In February 2017, Spear Point Capital invested $1 million into Salon, taking a 29% equity stake and three seats on the company's board.[38] On August 30, 2019, Salon.com was sold for $5 million by Salon Media Group (Template:OTC Expert) to privately held Salon.com, LLC, which is owned by Chris Richmond and Drew Schoentrup.[39][40]

Aspects of the Salon.com site offerings, ordered by advancing date:

  • Free content: around 15 new articles posted per-day, revenues wholly derived from in-page advertisements.
    • Per-day new content was reduced for a time.
  • Salon Premium subscription: Approximately 20 percent of new content was made available to subscribers only. Other subscription benefits included free magazines and ad-free viewing. Larger, more conspicuous ad units were introduced for non-subscribers.
  • A hybrid subscription model: Readers can now read content by viewing a 15-second full screen advertisement to earn a "day pass" or gain access by subscribing to Salon Premium.
  • Salon Core: After Salon Premium subscriptions declined from about 100,000 to 10,000, it was rebranded in 2011 as Salon Core subscriptions featuring a different mix of benefits.[10]
  • In 2018, Salon launched a beta program allowing customers to opt out of advertising in exchange for mining cryptocurrency.[41]

Controversies

Retracted article on vaccine conference

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". An article called "Deadly Immunity" written by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared in Salon and simultaneously in the July 14, 2005 issue of Rolling Stone.[42] The article focused on the 2000 Simpsonwood CDC conference and claimed that thimerosal-containing vaccines caused autism,[43][44] The article was retracted by Salon on January 16, 2011, in response to criticism.[45]

Otto Warmbier

In March 2016, while American tourist Otto Warmbier was imprisoned in North Korea for allegedly trying to steal a propaganda poster there, the site posted an article about him headed: "This might be America's biggest idiot frat boy: Meet the UVa student who thought he could pull a prank in North Korea."[46] After Warmbier's death, the article was removed.[47][48]

Todd Nickerson

In September 2015, Salon published an article written by Todd Nickerson, moderator of Virtuous Pedophiles, about his experiences with being a non-offending pedophile, titled: "I'm a pedophile, but not a monster."[49] This caused controversy at the time, with some commentators accusing it of being "pro-pedophile" (in the sense of being pro-child sexual abuse).[50][51] This article and a follow-up[52] were deleted in early 2017. Some saw a connection between their removal and the controversy surrounding Milo Yiannopoulos's remarks on child sexual abuse that emerged in February 2017,[50] although Salon Media Group CEO and Salon acting editor-in-chief Jordan Hoffner told New York magazine that they had been removed in January 2017 due to "new editorial policies."[50] A third article by sex researcher Debra Soh defending Nickerson's side is still published as of May 2025.[53]

Cryptocurrency mining

In February 2018, it was noted that Salon was preventing readers using ad blockers from seeing its content. Such users are offered a choice of disabling their blocker, or allowing Salon to run an in-browser script, using the user's resources, to mine Monero, a form of cryptocurrency.[54][55]

Ron DeSantis headline

On June 23, 2021, Salon published an article with a headline falsely claiming that a bill signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis would force Florida students and professors to register their political views with the state of Florida. The article went viral on Twitter and its false claim was promoted by various Democratic commentators, including Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried. In 2022, Salon executive editor Andrew O'Hehir said that Salon had recently concluded that the headline "conveyed a misleading impression of what the Florida law actually said, and did not live up to our editorial standards", and the headline was changed. DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw said that her colleagues had tried unsuccessfully to get Salon to change the headline in 2021, adding: "It's good to see that Salon finally changed its false headline after the pushback they received yesterday. It should have happened much sooner. Better yet, the Salon reporter and editors should have read the legislation before writing an article about it (a good practice for journalism, in general!)."[56][57]

References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Vaughn, Seven L. Encyclopedia of American Journalism (2008). Routledge. Template:ISBN.
  21. ↑ Adam Begley, "Reading Bytes", San Francisco magazine [formerly San Francisco Focus], October 1997, p. 128.
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". (Also available here on AlterNet. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1"..)
  50. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  52. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  53. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  54. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  55. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  56. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  57. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

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