There was a big makeover in the top ranks at Salon.com, as editor-in-chief Joan Walsh is stepping aside into an editor-at-large role so she can write a book, with Kerry Lauerman taking the reins at the online community.
Lauerman has been with Salon since 2000, starting off as its Washington bureau chief and eventually becoming the founder of blog network Open Salon. Prior to Salon, he served as investigative editor at Mother Jones, managing editor at Forbes ASAP, and story editor at The New York Times Magazine.
Walsh had been editor-in-chief at Salon.com since February 2005. her book, Invisible, is “an indictment of the fear-based politics that splits Americans and holds the country back, illustrated by her own Irish Catholic family’s political and economic odyssey,” and it is due to be released by John Wiley and Sons in early 2012.
Although Open Salon has been beta testing its site for several months now, with around 1,500 selected beta testers, it is only now the the blogging site is opening its door to the public. What makes Open Salon different from all the other free-hosted blogging services is the fact that it’s site features blog posts or content on a magazine-like front cover. 