From her college days working on layouts for The Catalyst, Ellen Stein ’87 has felt a draw towards writing. She has had a varied career, serving in a variety of communications and development roles with nonprofits, but eventually found her way back to journalism. She is now serving as The Durango Herald’s and The Journal’s Opinion Contributor for the November 2024 election.
“I credit CC with learning to write and think critically,” says Stein. “Doing that in my career is what I’ve worked towards ever since.”
Stein was the Opinion Page Writer and Editor for both the Herald and the Journal between 2016 and 2018. She signed on to her new role in September of this year and is interviewing candidates and providing opinions for Southwest Colorado on the multiple races and initiatives on November’s ballot.
“Even though my politics lean left, I’m very much interested in different points of view,” says Stein. “It’s so important to have that balance that truly reflects your community.”
In 2016, when she saw the role advertised for the Herald, Stein initially questioned her work history, but the liberal arts mentality soon took over any doubts. “I don’t have a journalism degree,” she says. “But I have all this experience. I have a public policy degree, interest in politics, and lots of engagement in my local community. Plus, lots of positive working relationships I can draw upon.”
Stein has grown those strong relationships ever since moving back to Colorado in 1998. She spent ten years away from the state after leaving CC, but finally found a reason to return.
“Having traveled and lived in so many different places, I really wanted to find home. And Colorado is the most home I’ve known since CC,” says Stein. “I went to the Peace Corps. I came home. I went back east. I went to grad school for public policy with an environmental policy concentration. I worked at the Ford Foundation in New York City. I got fantastic experience. But I really, I just wanted to be back in Colorado, in the mountains, as with Peace Corps working in and serving local communities.”
Stein is eager to use her position as Opinion Contributor to help strengthen the quality of local journalism in Colorado.
“The state of journalism in our country is dire,” she says. “It’s really unfortunate obviously, because it is a disservice to our citizenry. Social media changed everything where everybody expects everything for free. A lot of people don’t understand the distinction between news and opinion. And opinion journalism is still fact-based journalism.”
As Opinion Contributor, Stein is participating with the two newspapers’ Editorial Board Chair in conversations with candidates and issues’ representatives, helping determine the papers’ recommendations. Her editorials explain issues and candidate platforms to readers, presenting the pros and cons of ballot measures and make recommendations.
“We’re hustling, trying to have conversations to get background on issues and be subject matter experts in a couple hours and get up to speed,” Stein says. “And trying to say everything you need to say in 500 words. That that’s the stressful part of the job. But you’re pushing it out there to 30,000 readers. Journalism is a public service, and especially during elections with 14 ballot measures this year in Colorado, our readers rely on our analysis.”
Stein loves what she does, and also sees it as a learning process. She readily admits that there are several issues she has approached with a certain opinion, only to be swayed by her research.
“It’s really important to have the background that we’re providing through news and opinion,” says Stein. “I want people to be informed, to really feel like they’ve done their homework and understand the issues. And I want them to vote.”