Duane brought to the Aurora the ingenuity of an editor who had lived in a British settlement that suffered some of the same problems faced by editors and printers in the new Republic. Like his American friends, Duane had suffered in India from a paucity of printing types and quality paper (largely imported from Europe) as well as employees who were not as well trained or experienced as their British or European counterparts. India had trained him up for what he would face in America. Duane held an advantage over many American newspaper editors because he had risen through the printing ranks and knew how to set type and operate a printing press. He did not have to rely on an artisan middleman for support. If he went through a financial crisis Duane could return to his printing craft. This advantage proved incalculable when faced with disputes with his printers over money. His experience was coupled with a well-known industriousness and the ability to recover from fairly hard financial losses and setbacks, for example in 1791, 1794 and 1797–8. Measured against the average lifespan of a newspaper in America, Duane's Aurora editorship displays remarkable stamina and an unusual amount of artisanal skill. His record is astounding when measured against the evidence that ‘most of the newspapers established before 1821 only lasted for three weeks or less’. Duane edited the Aurora for over twenty years. John Nicholas, a Virginian Federalist, thought the Republicans had succeeded in the 1800 election only because of ‘their incessant industry and application … and our supineness and want of exertion’. Duane played a key role in this Republican drive.

The newspaper's longevity was important to an emerging Republican party. It was a well-argued and articulate Republican voice which not only failed to collapse, even when facing financial difficulty or attempts to close it down by intimidation and beatings, but was also located at the heart of the ensuing political struggle. It was a crucial part of the Republican system of newspaper exchanges.