Wealth & Money Quote by David Talbot

Talbot is selling a myth that every scrappy newsroom loves: growth without the grubby business of selling. By stressing "that one year" and "very cautious", he frames any past extravagance as an aberration, then pivots to an almost ascetic virtue: "virtually no marketing budget". The subtext is moral as much as financial. Marketing becomes a kind of impurity; journalism, a self-propelling engine of credibility.

"Word of mouth" does double duty here. It flatters readers as evangelists and implies an earned audience rather than a bought one. In the late-90s/early-2000s digital context, that’s also a quiet flex: Salon as an early web native that can outmaneuver legacy outlets by being faster, sharper, and more willing to publish what others won’t. The line "by breaking news stories" is the real pitch. It’s not just that journalism is the product; journalism is the distribution strategy. Scoop as marketing. Editorial as growth hack.

There’s a defensive edge, too. Digital media has always been haunted by the suspicion that traffic is either purchased, gamed, or inflated. Talbot answers that preemptively: our numbers are clean, our reach is organic, our success is deserved. It’s also a subtle warning to investors and staff: resources are tight, but the mission is intact. The implied bargain is classic: accept austerity now because legitimacy - and audience - will compound later.