"I think there is a difference between Slate and Salon. I think we both serve important functions on the Internet. As more and more Websites disappear, I'm thankful Slate is still around because it makes things less lonely"
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Talbot’s compliment lands with a faintly backhanded grace: he draws a line between Slate and Salon, then immediately insists both matter, as if preempting the tribal knife-fight that media people (and their comment sections) love to stage. The real subject isn’t brand differentiation; it’s institutional survival. “As more and more Websites disappear” is the tell. This is less a toast than an obituary-in-progress for the early-web dream where small, sharp publications could live on voice and velocity.
The subtext is a kind of peer-to-peer solidarity that only makes sense in a collapsing ecosystem. Talbot founded Salon, long a scrappier, more contrarian sibling to Slate’s cleaner magazine-of-record vibe. By naming Slate specifically, he’s acknowledging a rival as a fellow species: the legacy of web-native editorial ambition, the idea that you could build a public square out of essays, arguments, and a distinctive sensibility. That’s why he frames them as “functions,” not just outlets: each site does cultural work, shaping what feels discussable, what counts as smart, what tone is permitted.
Then he slips in the emotional payload: “it makes things less lonely.” For a journalist, loneliness isn’t just personal; it’s professional. It’s the fear that the conversation has been swallowed by platforms that don’t care who writes, only what performs. Slate’s persistence becomes a small bulwark against that algorithmic emptiness. Talbot isn’t merely praising competition; he’s admitting that without recognizable editorial peers, even winning feels like shouting into the void.
The subtext is a kind of peer-to-peer solidarity that only makes sense in a collapsing ecosystem. Talbot founded Salon, long a scrappier, more contrarian sibling to Slate’s cleaner magazine-of-record vibe. By naming Slate specifically, he’s acknowledging a rival as a fellow species: the legacy of web-native editorial ambition, the idea that you could build a public square out of essays, arguments, and a distinctive sensibility. That’s why he frames them as “functions,” not just outlets: each site does cultural work, shaping what feels discussable, what counts as smart, what tone is permitted.
Then he slips in the emotional payload: “it makes things less lonely.” For a journalist, loneliness isn’t just personal; it’s professional. It’s the fear that the conversation has been swallowed by platforms that don’t care who writes, only what performs. Slate’s persistence becomes a small bulwark against that algorithmic emptiness. Talbot isn’t merely praising competition; he’s admitting that without recognizable editorial peers, even winning feels like shouting into the void.
Quote Details
| Topic | Internet |
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