Claire Ballentine elected Chronicle V. 112 editor-in-chief

The Chronicle staff elected sophomore Claire Ballentine to serve as editor-in-chief of the newspaper’s 112th volume.

In a staff-wide election Friday evening, Ballentine, currently department head of the University news section, was appointed editor of The Chronicle and president of the Duke Student Publishing Company, Inc., which publishes the independent student-run daily newspaper.

Ballentine—a sociology major with the policy journalism and media studies certificate—will succeed junior Amrith Ramkumar and begin her one-year term April 27.

“I felt so lucky and blessed that everyone had chosen me to be the leader for next year,” Ballentine said. “I’m looking forward to expanding my journalistic experience and working across departments.”

As editor, Ballentine hopes to vary the format of content published in order to increase reader engagement and interest with features and listicles.

“I want to continue to expand our online presence, mostly by incorporating video across departments,” Ballentine said.

Ballentine also aims to cultivate better source relations with both student groups and administrators and to continue to cover breaking news events in a timely manner.

The Gatlinburg, Tenn., native said that she hopes to pursue a career as a journalist and will use her experiences as editor as preparation.

“People ask me what kind of journalism I want to do, and I always say that if I could do something like what I do for The Chronicle right now, I’d be happy,” Ballentine said.

News Editor Rachel Chason, a junior, noted that Ballentine has an in-depth knowledge of a variety of issues on campus—including sexual assault policy, mental health and diversity.

“Her knowledge about the University and passion for journalism are remarkable,” Chason said. “I know she’ll do a great job.”

Senior Emma Baccellieri—news editor for The Chronicle’s 110th volume and current editor of Towerview Magazine—noted that Ballentine’s passion for the organization will make her a strong editor.

“Right from the beginning, it was clear that she really cared and was really interested in contributing any way she could,” Baccellieri said. “It has been great to watch her grow as a reporter and a leader over the last year and a half.”

Ramkumar echoed Baccellieri’s comments about Ballentine’s dedication to The Chronicle.

“Her enthusiasm has been contagious this year, and I hope to see that continue in the future,” Ramkumar said.

Ramkumar also expressed optimism about the future of The Chronicle following Friday’s election.

“This election was a really good representation of all of the progress we made this year,” Ramkumar said. “I was happy to see so many people vote and take initiative in talking about what they like and what they want to see improve in the future.”