DURANGO, Colo.—The Ballantine family, publishers and editors of The Durango Herald since 1952, will receive the Colorado Freedom of Information Council’s Jean Otto Friend of Freedom Award Monday.
Council President Tom Kelley said the Ballantines are being honored for their dedication to defending and preserving freedom of information for Colorado citizens.
The award is named for Jean Otto, former editorial page editor of the Rocky Mountain News.
Previous winners include Gazette Vice President and Editor Jeff Thomas and reporter Pam Zubeck; U.S. District Court clerk James Manspeaker; Tattered Cover bookstore owner Joyce Meskis; and Haxtun-Fleming Herald editor and publisher Jean Gray.
Morley Cowles Ballantine and her husband, Arthur Ballantine Jr., formed the Herald after buying and merging two smaller newspapers. The family owned company grew to include the Cortez Journal and two weeklies.
Morley Cowles Ballantine, longtime editor and chairwoman of the Herald, passed away in 2009. A son, Richard Ballantine, is currently publisher of The Durango Herald.
