Wow…huge loss for Lee Newspapers. The DC bureaus were already wiped out by several outlets, looks like Helena capital bureaus are going in same direction.
Posted by Aaron Flint on Thursday, May 21, 2015
@aaronflint I bet you can cross off the Lee question here http://t.co/4O2ENNSkaJ #mtpol #mtleg #mtnews pic.twitter.com/cp7mywvXty
— Kyle Schmauch (@KyleSchmauch) May 22, 2015
Here’s a Storify compilation of reactions from various pols and commentators put together by Michael J. Wright:
Comments
Dave Skinner
Friday, May 22, 2015 8:19 PM
This is, on balance, a disaster.
I never held much love for either reporter, as they let several important stories, for which they had all the parts, not happen.
But for all their real shortcomings, the fact they put out any product at all gave readers on either side enough information to fill in the gaps themselves at some point.
Biased or not, slanted or straight — beats the esss out of no reporting at all.
So — what’s gonna replace the legacy media, dysfunctional as it was?
Al Smith
Friday, May 22, 2015 9:00 PM
First John Adams,now Dennison and Johnson. What gives anyway? Is print news struggling more than we know to stay afloat as relevant media? Dismissing reporters like these guys will not help matters. They were the eyes and ears we depended on in Helena!
Andy Johnson
Friday, May 22, 2015 10:53 PM
Not much lost with Chuck, but hate to see Mike go. Depended on him for honest and insightful analysis.
Andy J.
Butte
J. C. Kantorowicz – Great Falls
Saturday, May 23, 2015 8:22 AM
Vee Vill tell you how to think….. Vee Vill tell you what to believe…. Ver Vill disseminate the information Vee Vant you to hear.
Vee Vill maintain total control.
No von veel tell us… how to sell our newspapers!
Saturday, May 23, 2015 9:38 AM
Johnson had a blockbuster corruption story – the ruthless destruction of governor candidate Ken Miller by the COPP – handed to him on a silver platter, and wouldn’t even listen, let alone report. The bureau and other reporters made their own conclusions in 30 seconds, dismissing without a glance the rock solid proof of corruption by the state. They showed their true colors and I could never trust their reporting (or lack of) again after that. Are we better off with no reporters than bad reporters? Probably. Journalism is dead anyway and has been for a long time. Aaron, you are the last soldier standing.
Dave Skinner
Sunday, May 24, 2015 2:49 PM
Funny you should mention COPP, Tom. That was part of ANOTHER story related to Schweitzer’s political gift-giving via the DGA. Johnson had all the parts, in fact reported the entire story in chunks, but when the ssss was about to hit the ffff, was nowhere to be found.
And R Man Flint was the guy left to break the story, for all of two minutes, on Fox. Where it died dead.