Perspectives Editor

ABOUT BALLANTINE COMMUNICATIONS

Ballantine Communications, Inc. (BCI) is a family-owned regional media company founded in 1952 and based in Durango, Colorado. BCI publishes in print and digital The Durango Herald, The Journal in Cortez, and the Tri-City Record in Farmington, New Mexico, serving readers across La Plata and Montezuma counties in Colorado and San Juan County in New Mexico. BCI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, dedicated to building an inclusive environment for all employees and contributors.

Job Overview

BCI is hiring a Perspectives Editor to lead community commentary and opinion journalism across all three publications. The position serves as custodian of the region’s public square, which includes initiating, curating, writing, editing, and scheduling guest columns, syndicated commentary, editorial cartoons, and letters to the editor. The Editor also recruits and facilitates a newly structured BCI Editorial Board.

The center of gravity for this role is to catalyze, curate, outreach, and debate facilitation rather than personal column writing. Original writing by the Editor will primarily focus on pieces laying out complex community issues neutrally. When the Editor does express opinion columns or editorial positions, these will typically be paired with an opposing perspective—frequently developed and written by a community member whom the Editor recruits and edits. BCI is generally moving away from political endorsements, but may comment on various election issues.

EDITORIAL APPROACH

• Inform First: Most writing in this role is explanatory. The Editor’s job is to set out what is at stake on major regional topics (water rights, land management, budgets, among others) fairly so that readers on any side recognize their position.
• Paired Perspectives & Balanced Debate: Rather than publishing isolated personal opinions, the Editor's commentary will generally run alongside a contrasting viewpoint, perhaps written by a community member or other contributor (with knowledge and expertise on the topic). The Editor is responsible for seeking out, developing, and editing these paired opposing views to foster constructive public dialogue.
• Take Institutional Stands Consciously & Thoughtfully: While BCI maintains a distinct institutional voice, editorial positions are taken thoughtfully, deliberately, and with careful purpose. Institutional advocacy is anchored in civic duty (e.g., government transparency, public safety, fiscal stewardship) and grounded in rigorous fact-finding. Positions are expressed constructively without becoming unnecessarily partisan or polarizing, ensuring the paper leads community conversation without unduly alienating readers. There will be disagreements, which are a welcome and necessary part of any discussion or informed debate.
• Build Bridges: The page must reflect the full breadth and depth of voices across the region—representing ranchers, energy workers, conservationists, tribal communities, small business owners, local leaders, elected officials, and others across all three sub-regions. The Editor actively seeks out a wide spectrum of viewpoints and ensures all contributors are edited and treated with respect.

Editorial Board Leadership

• Recruit, convene, and facilitate a BCI Editorial Board representing contrasting political viewpoint, key local industries, tribal communities, and diverse backgrounds from southwest Colorado and Northwest New Mexico.
• Lead regular board sessions on critical Four Corners issues, develop institutional positions for Publisher approval, and maintain board charters and conflict-of-interest standards.

Content Curation, Debate Framing & Paired Commentary

• Develop and maintain a recurring Point/Counterpoint and paired-opinion structure for major regional topics.
• Recruit, edit, and pair community contributors holding opposing views to ensure debates are constructive, factual, and presented at their strongest.
• Manage the opinion content calendar across print and digital platforms for all three newspaper markets.
• Edit guest columns, syndicated pieces, and letters to the editor using AP style and BCI journalistic and ethical standards, preserving contributor voice and ensuring strict factual accuracy.

Editorial Writing

• Write editorials on complex regional issues as the primary form of original writing.
• Coordinate paired opinion columns alongside recruited community counter-perspectives.
• Draft thoughtful institutional editorials on civic-duty matters in consultation with the Editorial Board and Publisher.
• Write section framing material, including Point/Counterpoint setups, contributor notes, and headlines.

Community Outreach & Operations

• Cultivate a deep, rotating roster of guest columnists across Southwest Colorado and Northwest New Mexico, with an emphasis on highlighting the full breadth and depth of regional perspectives.
• Track digital readership, engagement, and submission metrics to inform outreach strategies.
• Maintain strict standards separating opinion content from advertising influence and newsroom reporting.

QUALIFICATIONS & CORE COMPETENCIES

• Required: Strong editorial, line-editing, and AP style skills; demonstrated ability to write fair, explanatory prose on complex topics; proven experience in group facilitation or convening diverse community stakeholders; commitment to presenting opposing viewpoints objectively without personal bias; ability to build networks across agriculture, energy, civic, tribal, and other communities in the Four Corners.
• Preferred: Professional journalism experience; familiarity with Southwest Colorado and Northwest New Mexico; working knowledge of Spanish; experience with audience analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics).

WORKING CONDITIONS

Based in Durango, CO with regular travel across all three coverage areas. Requires a valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and schedule flexibility for evening/weekend public meetings, board sessions, and election cycles.

HOW TO APPLY

Submit a résumé, cover letter outlining your strategy to recruit a diverse Editorial Board and capture the breadth of community perspectives, and 3–5 work samples (including structural editing and explanatory writing) to BCI Human Resources at [email protected].

Pay: $57,000.00 - $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person