Straight Arrow News has ceased operations, ending a five-year run for the independent digital publisher based in Omaha, Nebraska. Founder and chief executive Joe Ricketts announced the decision Friday, November 6.
In a letter to readers, Ricketts said the business was not sustainable despite substantial investment. The publisher says it will contact paying subscribers about refunds and keep its content accessible for a limited time. It did not specify a refund timetable or how long the archive would remain online.
The shutdown came less than three months after Straight Arrow launched a paid membership that included exclusive newsletters and extra episodes of its Unbiased Updates podcast. TheWrap reported that employees learned of the decision Friday and that publishing stopped immediately. The company did not say how many jobs were affected.
In a separate closure, Salon said this week that it had ceased publication after 31 years.