More to the point, Salon is one of those outlets that sprang up just in time for the Clinton Impeachment (along with Talk Magazine and Brill's Content), which offered a source for convenient "breaking reports," insider information, and a handy outlet for puff-piece publishing.
The other two died as soon as impeachment was over, and Salon crashed at about the same time. IMHO, all three were primarily fronts for the Clinton spin team, and once their usefulness was done, the capital dried up.
With that in mind, I expect Salon to make a healthy and surprising recovery in the run-up to the 2004 elections.