Salon.com Founder David Talbot Returns as CEO with Call for "American Spring"

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- David Talbot, award-winning journalist, best-selling author and founder of Salon.com announced that his return as Salon's CEO will coincide with a relaunch of the site under the banner of "American Spring."

"Salon is dedicating itself to an American revival," Talbot said, taking inspiration from the social upheavals in the Arab world and the protests in Europe against financial elites. "Our editorial mission will become more explicitly and aggressively populist. We will be pushing more investigative pieces and both Democratic and Republican targets will be fair game, since both parties are increasingly under the control of the same corporate forces."

Salon will be announcing a series of new partnerships, hires and features in the coming weeks including:

• Recruiting top talent such as Jefferson Morley, formerly of The Washington Post, and Irin Carmon of Jezebel
• Joining forces with media partners such as Alternet, GlobalPost, Grist and Robert Greenwald's Brave New Films;
• Launching a video talk show series with hosts David Talbot and editor in chief Kerry Lauerman, who will interview leading political, business, and cultural personalities and other movers and shakers, about the future of the country.
• Expanding Salon's cultural selection to showcase illustrated graphic stories and music specials spotlighting the best new and legendary musicians;
• Creating a Salon Studio that will produce unique video programming by artists such as Jennifer Crandall, the Emmy-nominated videographer behind the "onBeing" series
• Holding "Salon To Go" events, beginning with a series of gatherings in barber shops and salons across the country, to discuss what's wrong in America and how to fix it.

Salon's membership program is also being revamped to foster deeper engagement and improved features and special offers for supporters who sustain Salon financially by joining Salon Core. "Nowadays the Web is dominated by the robotic news recycling of big aggregation sites," Talbot said. "But these news recyclers will never create the courageous and original journalism that the country desperately needs. By joining Salon Core, supporters can help ensure that Salon remains independent, free of the corporate forces that dominate the rest of the media."

About Salon Media Group

Salon Media Group (Ticker Symbol: SLNM.OB) is the home of Salon.com, the country's largest independent news site, with a monthly audience of more than 6 million unique visitors. Salon.com covers politics and culture through award-winning investigative reporting, ground-breaking commentary and criticism, and provocative personal essays. A thoroughly reader-supported medium, Salon readers help fund the site through its Core membership program, and write for it through its Open Salon blog network. Salon.com has bureaus in New York, Washington D.C. and San Francisco.

Media Contact: Liam O'Donoghue
415-901-0111, [email protected]

SOURCE Salon Media Group