Bill Roberts wrote clear, locally relevant, “evidence-based” editorials for The Durango Herald for 26 years, a phenomenal accomplishment. With support from Morley Ballantine, the chairman and editor of this family-owned newspaper from 1952 to 2009, he created interest and brought wise advice each day (except Saturdays) about issues important to Herald readers.
I emphasize “evidence-based” editorials because as a scientist, and having contributed a monthly column to the Herald for a good chunk of Bill Roberts’ reign, I always admired his dedication to using verifiable and balanced evidence about local conditions and the external factors affecting those conditions in making his arguments and recommendations.
Through his (and Morley’s) efforts, they established the editorial core essence of the Herald for those many years. So what happens now that Roberts has retired? Today, with three editorial writers on the Board, each with some (or more) previous ideological commitments, one wonders who or what will emerge as the paper’s editorial essence – congruent or disjunctive, factually balanced or ideologically biased, ploddingly or dexterously written?
From this perch, Bill Roberts’ coherent, evidence-based, interestingly crafted discourses will be sorely missed.
Garth Buchanan
Durango
