The Great Debate: Salon vs. Slate
Dear Marco,
Greece or Rome? Jordin or Blake? Star Wars or Lord of the Rings?
It’s hard to resist comparing two obvious rivals, and Internet-based publications Salon and Slate are no exception. To be fair, these two online magazines are close cousins, both offering a mix of politics, culture, the arts and some blogging. In addition, they both feature lively writing that goes heavy on the irony. But Salon is the better magazine.
Comments
The words ‘freelancer’ and ‘Salon’ in the same sentence still raise suspicion in the minds of those who remember the Thomas White dustup. Slate is more likely to challenge its readers than Salon, which panders to them.
Comment by Mark Richard from Columbus, Ohio — May 31, 2007 @ 12:03 pm
I agree with Mark. Slate is a much better magazine, doing a broader range of both writing and thinking. Salon has become too blog-like and US-centric as well.
Comment by Steve from New York — May 31, 2007 @ 12:32 pm
I’ve read both regularly for years (I subscribe to Premium Salon) and think that Slate is mostly better written and more original (the Explainer is fabulous; wikipedia can’t touch it) but Salon has features that bring me back every day - including Andrew Leonard’s fabulous “How the World Works”; Ask the Pilot; Kauffman’s sports stuff; and the comics (although WayLay isn’t what it once was).
Comment by DW Brooks — May 31, 2007 @ 1:29 pm
I think Slate does a much better job of anticipating reader’s questions and then answering them in an original way. I agree, Salon panders—especially politically.
And it’s sort of ancillary to the fundamental differences between the two, but Salon’s music coverage has been beefed up nicely. Slate has great writers (Jody Rosen), but they cover music so sporadically. Overall, edge to Slate.
Comment by Ronald from Boston — May 31, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
Count me in for Slate. Salon’s sense of outrage? Sure, great, fine. I see it as an extension of the breathlessness with which their examine most everything - race, sex, teenagers “hooked” on caffeinated drinks. They’re also aligned with every other upper-middle-class liberal view around, and it gets tiresome (speaking as an upper-middle-class liberal). “Pandering” is exactly the word. Despite having some great writers (King Kaufman is the only sportswriter I’m inclined to read), I don’t feel any draw. The advertising is much more tolerable than it used to be, but it was so intolerable two years back I ended my habit of checking the site.
Slate may not have that wide a range of writers or subjects either, but at least they’ve got some reliable gadflies (Kaus, Hitchens) to at least make me examine my views. Their generally more temperate style is more readable. And I wouldn’t trade Dahlia Lithwick and Emily Bazelon for any legal writers. I do really miss Tim Noah and William Saletan, the reasons I originally started reading Slate, who have mostly disappeared into minor features - not to mention Mike Kinsley. All in all, though, Slate is the better of the two.
Comment by J from Michigan — May 31, 2007 @ 4:01 pm
Why at this late date even compare the two, especially in this kind of lazy impressionistic way? It is great that both have survived and given employment to many, many good writers, a lot of whom are now at high paying print magazines. I read them both, love some writers, hate others, are eh about many… Both have good critics. I hate Slate’s too-cool attitude but sometimes Salon’s knee jerks too much in the other direction…
Comment by Steve Din — May 31, 2007 @ 6:32 pm
When I thought about the question, I immediately thought about the sponsored ad. So I like Slate better, no matter which has the better content.
Comment by Eddie from Leimert Park — June 1, 2007 @ 12:24 pm
I prefer Salon because of its original reporting. I hate Slate’s navigation and wonder why a website that was begun by Microsoft is so buggy and slow to load at times. When you want to comment, you have to go back and try again more often than not because of multiple redirects.
The main reason though is the snarkiness and overly ironic tone at Slate. They seem to think they are too cool to be serious about very serious topics such as the Padillapalooza. Moreover, when they discuss policy, they focus more on the politics not the policy. You won’t be that well-informed if Slate is your main source of info.
Comment by Kija — June 1, 2007 @ 9:17 pm
If you read Salon you will be told exactly what you want to hear. I suppose that’s comforting to some.
Comment by Esther — June 2, 2007 @ 8:35 am