Frequently Asked Questions



Q: Why is a for-profit news company asking for donations?

A: The traditional business model for local newspapers has changed significantly. Advertising and subscriptions alone no longer generate enough revenue to support all the in-depth journalism our community needs – especially as print revenues decline and online media has become largely free. Rather than cutting back coverage or compromising quality, we’re turning to the community for help. Think of it as investing in a public service. Many family-owned newspapers ( such as in New Orleans, Charleston, Little Rock, Seattle) have successfully launched similar community-funded journalism initiatives. It’s a way to treat local news as critical civic infrastructure – much like public libraries or museums which rely on community support. Our owners (the Ballantine family) have kept our papers locally owned and invested in journalism for years, but relying on one family or company to sustain robust reporting forever isn’t realistic. By inviting donations, we diversify our revenue and ensure accountability journalism can thrive long-term.

Importantly, we are not replacing our subscription or advertising efforts – we’re augmenting them. Philanthropy is the third pillar of a stable local news model alongside reader and advertiser support, so that we can continue serving the public without making painful cuts.



Q: Why donate to a company owned by a wealthy family (the Ballantines)? Why don’t they just fund it themselves?

A: They already do—heavily. The Ballantine family’s long-term investment keeps our newsrooms alive and local. But no single family can sustainably underwrite all the in-depth, public-service reporting our region deserves. Philanthropy is the “third leg of the stool” (alongside ads and subscriptions) that lets communities expand watchdog journalism without cutting core operations—exactly how peer newsrooms like Georges Media in Louisiana explain it to their donors. Their publisher publicly addressed this same question: the owners had invested millions, and community philanthropy was still essential to add coverage and make it durable.

Reasons your gift matters in addition to the Ballantine family support:

1. Independent, additive funding. Gifts flow through the SouthwestColorado Community Foundation into the Four Corners Journalism Fund and are restricted to journalism (reporters salaries and their benefits). They do not go to shareholders; funds are stewarded and disbursed solely for newsroom use.

2. More reporters, more beats. Your support lets us hire additional journalists for under-reported areas (education, energy, Indigenous affairs, rural/agriculture, technology, etc that our current model doesn't fully cover.

3. Stability through multi-year pledges. Three-year commitments (≈$70k/yr per reporter) create the runway required for deep, sustained reporting—mirroring successful models at The Seattle Times and The Times-Picayune/Advocate.

4. Community ownership of local news. Philanthropy diversifies revenue so vital coverage doesn’t rise or fall with ad markets or one family’s capacity. You’re joining the Ballantines, not replacing them—standing shoulder-to shoulder to strengthen civic life.

Q: Why not just cut costs or use existing profits to fund these reporters?

A: Over the past few years, we’ve already reduced or optimized costs wherever possible without sacrificing editorial quality. There comes a point where further cuts would mean fewer reporters and less news for the community – a road we’re unwilling to go down. As a family-owned business, our priority is serving the community, not maximizing profit at the cost of coverage. We operate efficiently, but certain types of journalism (like investigations that take months) simply aren’t “cost-effective” commercially. Rather than eliminate those important stories, we seek philanthropic support to finance them. Any modest profits the company does make go back into improving the newspapers, but they are not sufficient to cover the kind of expansion in reporting we’re talking about. Community support can fill that gap and elevate our journalism from “surviving” to “thriving.”



Q: Are you turning into a nonprofit newsroom?

A: No, we have no plans to convert our newspapers into a nonprofit. We believe our for-profit structure (remaining family-owned) actually gives us agility and independence – we don’t have to answer to a separate board or chase restricted grants. We are hybridizing our funding model. The news content funded by donors is treated as a charitable program (housed in a nonprofit fund), but our newspapers will still operate under Ballantine Communications as for-profit entities. This model lets us have the best of both: we maintain control and swift decision-making in our business, while also enabling tax-deductible support for public-interest journalism. Many innovative newspapers are using this approach – it doesn’t change who we are or our core mission, just how we finance that mission. By not becoming a nonprofit, we also avoid dependence on a few big grants that might dry up; instead, we can build a broad base of community donors. Further, the concept of community support for journalism isn’t entirely new, we’re applying it in a local newspaper context.



Q: How can my donation be tax-deductible if you’re a for-profit business? A: Donations go to the Community Foundation Serving Southwest Colorado, a 501(c)(3) charitable entity, into the designated Four Corners Journalism Fund. From there, the foundation grants the money to our newsroom specifically for the purposes of local journalism. Because you’re giving to a nonprofit foundation (which in turn supports our work), your gift is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law (you will receive an acknowledgment from the foundation for tax purposes). This setup – a partnership between a newspaper and a community foundation – has been used effectively elsewhere. It ensures transparency and that your donation truly functions as a charitable gift supporting a public service. In short: you’re donating through a nonprofit intermediary to support a civic cause (quality news), even though the work is done at a for-profit newsroom. We think it’s a win-win model.



Q: What exactly will my donation fund? Where does the money go? A: Every dollar you donate goes toward producing local journalism – nothing else. Broadly, your contribution helps pay for reporters’ and editors' salaries and benefits, and the direct costs of their reporting work. The funds are restricted – they cannot be used for general business operations, marketing, or non-news expenses. We also do not use donations for wire service content or syndicated material; the purpose is to generate original local reporting. We will publish annual financial reports showing how donated funds were spent (e.g. X% on salaries for new reporters, Y% on reporting projects costs, etc.). That way you can see the stewardship of your donation in action.



Q: Do donors get to decide what stories are covered, or influence the content? A: No. Donors do not have editorial control or influence. Period. You may express a preference, for instance, “I’d like my gift to support education reporting” – and we’ll allocate it to that beat or hire a reporter in that area. But what that reporter investigates, and what angle they take, is entirely up to the professional editors and journalists. Our newsroom maintains full independence in all coverage decisions. We will not show stories to donors before publication, nor will we soften or change coverage to please a donor. In fact, a funded reporter might end up investigating an issue involving one of our donors – and if so, that’s how it must be. (Our donors understand that a free press sometimes means coverage that may make even supporters uncomfortable.) This independence is critical to maintaining credibility. Other newspapers with donor-funded journalism have been very clear and successful on this front: the funding enables the work, but does not direct it. As one example, The Seattle Times’ donor-funded investigations have exposed wrongdoing and driven reforms, and those donors support it because they believe in the process, not because they control the outcome. We are adopting similar ethical policies. So, rest assured: funding journalism is not like commissioning a custom report – you’re empowering our newsroom broadly, not giving assignments. If maintaining editorial firewalls means occasionally turning down a gift with strings attached, we will – but we find most donors truly want an independent, vigorous press.



Q: How will I know my donation is making a difference?

A: We will keep you informed through regular updates (quarterly reports and an annual impact report) detailing the stories and accomplishments your donation supported. You’ll see things like: number of stories published, summary of major findings, community responses, and audience reach metrics. We’ll highlight real-world results. Additionally, you can simply read the stories on our websites or in the newspaper – we’ll tag or credit them as funded by the Four Corners Journalism Fund. In short, we pledge to provide full transparency and storytelling around the outcomes of your investment. This isn’t a black box; you’ll see the community benefits unfold in real time.



Q: How do I donate or get involved?

A: Donating is straightforward. You can contribute online via the Southwest Colorado Community Foundation’s portal for the Four Corners Journalism Fund (see the 'Donate' button at the top of our website). We can accept various forms of gifts– credit card, ACH, or even gifts of stock or via a Donor-Advised Fund (the community foundation can accommodate those). If you prefer to donate by check, we will provide instructions (e.g., checks can be mailed to the SW Colorado Community Foundation at P.O. Box 1673 Durango, CO 81302 , with “Four Corners Journalism Fund” in the memo. All donations will be acknowledged with a receipt for tax purposes from the foundation. You may also contact us directly (or the foundation) if you have questions about making a gift.

Additionally, if you’re considering a major multi-year pledge, we’d be happy to meet with you one-on-one to discuss the impact and details. Even if you’re not able to give financially, you can support us by spreading the word to others who care about local news, or by subscribing to our publications. Every bit helps strengthen local journalism. For more information or to discuss giving, you can reach out to John Blais (jblais@bcimedia.com). We truly appreciate your support.



Q: Who will oversee the Fund and decide how money is spent? A: Editorially, our newsroom leadership (executive editor, managing editors) will decide what positions to hire or projects to pursue with the Fund, guided by our mission of public-service journalism and informed by community input. Strategically, we have an advisory committee to provide oversight and ensure the Fund’s goals remain aligned with public needs. However, this committee will not interfere in specific editorial choices; its role is more to advise on priorities (for example, validating that an educational reporter is a good choice if donors fund it, reviewing impact reports, etc.). Financially, the community foundation will handle the funds and requires that grants are used for their intended purpose. Internally, our finance department will track Fund expenditures to report back to the foundation and donors. Ultimately, Ballantine Communications’ leadership is accountable for making sure the money is used correctly – and our partnership with the foundation, plus public reporting, provides checks and balances. We take that responsibility seriously.

Q: Can a donor sponsor a specific type of reporter or coverage area? A: Yes, to a degree. Our model is to allow donors to express a preference for a broad beat or topic they are passionate about – such as education, energy, or coverage of Indigenous communities. If a donor (or a group of donors) provides funding intended to hire a journalist in a certain field, we will honor that intention by using the funds to create that reporting position (assuming it aligns with community needs, which in our case it does because all the beats we seek are important). For instance, if you fund a “Spanish-language community reporter, we will go out and hire a qualified bilingual journalist for that role. What donors cannot do is micromanage the coverage or demand a particular story be written in that beat. So, you can endow the position, but not dictate the positions of the reporting, so to speak. This approach is common: donors fund “an education lab” or “an investigative team” at newspapers, but the journalists still decide how to cover education or what to investigate.

We also welcome unrestricted donations that can be applied wherever the need is greatest. If multiple donors earmark contributions for different beats, we will allocate hires accordingly over time. The bottom line: you can choose an area close to your heart to support (and we’ll keep you posted on what that reporter is doing), but you can’t order up specific articles. All coverage must adhere to our editorial standards and judgment.



Q: Will the funded content favor any political or business interests of donors? A: No. Our only “agenda” is to produce factual, impactful journalism for the public. We will publicly list donors and be transparent, precisely to avoid any perception of hidden bias. If we report on an issue related to a donor’s sphere, we will disclose the donor’s support in the story to be above-board. However, as mentioned, donors do not get to review or edit any content. We have reporters with high ethical standards – they often report on powerful local figures and institutions without fear or favor. That won’t change just because some funding comes from donors. The strength of a community fund is that it dilutes individual influence by pooling support for the greater good. In short, funding will not buy favorable coverage, nor will criticism be muted to keep a donor happy. If a donor were unhappy with our independent coverage, that donor might not continue, but we would rather lose a donation than our integrity.



Q: How do you ensure the long-term sustainability of this effort? A: We view the Four Corners Journalism Fund as a long-term initiative– not a short flash in the pan. The first three years (2025–2028) will be critical to prove the concept. Our plan is to demonstrate success and impact in that period, which will help us retain initial donors and attract new ones. By expanding our high-quality content, we hope to gain more subscribers and readers, which bolsters our overall business health – making it easier to sustain operations without cutting news. In parallel, we continue to innovate on our traditional revenue streams (better digital ads, premium content, events, etc.), so philanthropy is one part of a balanced strategy.

Each year, we’ll assess our progress: Are we hitting fundraising targets? Are donors renewing? Is the community responding positively? That will inform adjustments. Our hope is that community-funded journalism becomes a norm here – an expected civic activity – much like people donate to local hospitals, arts, or education. With careful stewardship, relationship-building, and demonstrable impact, we believe this Fund will only grow stronger with time.