Category: Good Work Wednesday

By Sage Sutcliffe

Top Montana News Stories

1. ‘Fight Back’ bill advances in Montana Legislature (Caven Wade / UM Legislative News Network)

J-School students are working hard on the downward slope of the semester, churning out stories and other assignments for classes, internships or freelance work. This story is written by J-School junior Caven Wade, reporting for the UM Legislative News Service (published by the Missoula Current). Wade is in Helena reporting on the Capitol as part of the UM Legislative News Service, which provides daily audio and weekly written coverage of the Montana Legislature to 120-plus news organizations in the state.

The second and third must reads, in the Montana Free Press, are written by current environmental journalism master’s students Ella Hall and Hailey Smalley (’24). The stories began as reporting assignments, but Hall and Smalley workshopped them into important stories about abandoned mines and meat packing issues for a Montana-wide audience:

2. Program helps Montana landowners abate abandoned mines (Ella Hall / Montana Free Press)

3. Missoula food group, area ranchers look to alleviate beef-processing bottleneck (Hailey Smalley / Montana Free Press)

4. After 16 Years Printing a Weekly Newspaper, Flathead Beacon to Switch to Online-Only Format (Tristan Scott ’13 / Flathead Beacon)

Scott reports that the Flathead Beacon will no longer print a weekly newspaper and will become an online-only news service, a trend among many smaller publications across the states. Scott’s sentimental lede honors the publication’s history and optimistic outlook:

“On May 23, 2007, with the newspaper industry in steep decline, the Flathead Valley awoke to an unlikely new resident: a 24-page tabloid called the Flathead Beacon.

Eight-hundred-and-twenty-three issues later, produced and distributed over a period spanning nearly 16 years, the Beacon is preparing to publish its final weekly print edition before switching to an online-only format. Even as the Beacon pioneers a new path forward into the digital age that is more timely, innovative and economically sustainable, it will continue to produce a suite of print products, including its flagship quarterly lifestyle magazine, Flathead Living.”

Top Environment and Science News Stories

1. Supreme Court Case Could Reshape Indigenous Water Rights in the Southwest (Virginia Gewin / Civil Eats)

Gewin’s story intersects with some hot topics in U.S. politics: Indigenous rights, climate change and environmental justice. Gewin’s subtitle summarizes the issue well: “After 50 years, the government hasn’t developed water infrastructure owed to a Navajo Nation farm. Now the Supreme Court is set to weigh in on the government’s water obligations to tribes.”

Previous Good Work Wednesdays featured stories about the disastrous train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio (from Grist and Living on Earth) and the Willow project in Alaska (from the NYT). Here are two follow-up stories from other publications (so you can continue following important environmental news as it develops!).

2. How to ‘Make Some Good’ Out of East Palestine, Ohio, Rail Disaster? Ban Vinyl Chloride, Former EPA Official Says (James Bruggers / Inside Climate News)

3. Willow development expected to be a money-loser for the Alaska treasury in early years (Yereth Rosen / Alaska Beacon)

Top Student/Alumni Story

1. The EV mining rush could come to Montana’s mountains (Kylie Mohr / High Country News)

Last week’s Good Work Wednesday post shared a story about rare-earth minerals found in the Bitterroot National Forest. Kylie Mohr, a ’21 graduate of UM’s environmental journalism master’s program now reporting for High Country News, wrote about the phenomenon and how the demand for electric vehicles plays into the potential mining project.

By Sage Sutcliffe

Top Montana News Stories

1. Hydrologists Expect Average Streamflows in Northwest Montana (Maggie Dresser / Flathead Beacon)

Dresser’s short, scientific article is filled with numbers, but Dresser effectively translates the data for readers and shares important news about the projected spring runoff from Northwest Montana mountains. The story also features a photo of Big Mountain in Whitefish from J-School alum Hunter D’Antuono (’14) (Shared with permission).

2. 111 days of snow cover: Long winter ranks third in history (Joshua Murdock / Missoulian)

While the past few days have been teasing spring in Missoula, it has been a wet, cold and longgg winter. Murdock reports that, in fact, “By one metric — the number of consecutive days with 1 inch or more of snow on the ground in Missoula — it’s the third-longest winter on record. And records for that measurement go back to 1893.”

3. Company claims US’s richest rare-earth deposit in Bitterroot (Joshua Murdock / Missoulian)

Again, Murdock writes for the Missoulian about rare-earth minerals that were discovered in the Bitterroot National Forest. He speaks with the president of a mining company and the director of U.S. Critical Materials Corp., who plan on mining the area despite the toxic waste the process will create.

4. Montana’s housing puzzle at the legislative halftime (Eric Dietrich / Montana Free Press)

Dietrich’s subtitle clearly states what the piece is about: “Lawmakers have advanced several bills aimed at making at least a dent in the challenges facing renters and aspiring homebuyers. Here’s where things stand as of early March.”

Unique for print stories, Dietrich condenses the bills into organized, bulleted lists with brief explanations and emojis letting readers know if the bill passed ✅ , failed ❌ or is still pending ✴️. It’s clever, and helpful for readers who find political news hard to follow.

Top Environment and Science News Stories

1. How Biden Got From ‘No More Drilling’ to Backing a Huge Project in Alaska (Lisa Friedman / New York Times)

Have you heard about the controversial Willow project? President Biden’s decision to allow drilling for oil on federal land in Alaska made front page news all over the country on Monday. This piece by Friedman in the NYT explains the situation well.

2. Revealing Your Unconscious: Part 1 (Shankar Vedantam / National Public Radio – Hidden Brain)

We do a lot of reading as journalists. Sometimes, it’s nice to sit back, relax, and enjoy a podcast. The latest Hidden Brain episode from NPR is a good one—it discusses hidden biases we all harbor in our subconscious. And, it promises a Part 2!

Top Student/Alumni Story

1. Lawmakers consider the financial impact of defining ‘male’ and ‘female’ (Elinor Smith / UM News)

J-School senior Elinor Smith (’23) is reporting for the UM Legislative News Service this semester. Her short piece that aired on Montana Public Radio brings attention to Senate Bill 458, which “…would define the terms male and female in Montana code.” Smith writes about some potential implications for Montanans if the bill passes. The piece is short (a one and a half minute listen), but it gives all the details readers need to know.

By Sage Sutcliffe

Top Montana News Stories

1. ‘Dean’ of Montana Journalism Charles S. Johnson Dies

The Montana journalism community is mourning the loss of its “dean,” longtime political journalist and mentor to so many, Charles S. Johnson, known as Chuck. Phil Drake and Tom Kuglin’s piece about Chuck in the Helena Independent Record and Corin Cates-Carney’s rememberance on Montana Public Radio are two of the best stories to help understand just how much Chuck meant to journalism in Montana and the state as a whole.

2. Glacier Park’s Advanced Reservations Continue to Sell Out Fast Ahead of Summer (Tristan Scott / Flathead Beacon)

J-School grad Tristan Scott (’13) reports on Glacier National Park’s reservation system that is meant to “manage high traffic volumes and protect natural resources.” Scott gets to the who, what, when, where, and why of the controversial system, which some locals, tourists and politicians believe is too difficult to navigate and reserve time in the park.

3. Budget bills await governor’s signature; Lawmakers look to weaken the judiciary (Sally Mauk, Holly Michels and Rob Saldin / Montana Public Radio)

Montana legislators are also midway through the legislative session. Sally Mauk, J-School grad Holly Michels (’08), and Rob Saldin host ‘Capitol Talk’ on Montana Public Radio, a news podcast that provides all the necessary recent political news.

4. TWQ Mini with Kathryn Aalto: The lives, literature, and landscapes of twenty-five female nature writers (Lauren Korn / Montana Public Radio)

If you’re already up to date on Montana politics, MTPR also offers podcasts and news clips on arts, culture, nature…you name it. Lauren Korn hosts ‘The Write Question,’ a podcast where she speaks with authors about their recent works. This week, Korn interviews Katheryn Aalto, author of Writing Wild: Women Poets, Ramblers, and Mavericks Who Shape How We See the Natural World. The two discuss what “wild” really means.

5. Bison resolution stirs debate about Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (Brett French / Billings Gazette)

J-School grad Brett French (’88) shares news about Senate Joint Resolution 14, introduced by Republican Sen. Mike Lang. French writes (and quotes the lawmaker): “The resolution argues reintroducing bison to the 1.1 million acres in Eastern Montana would ‘jeopardize critical grazing land for livestock, greatly increase the threat of disease transmission between livestock and wildlife, threaten the livelihoods of ranching families, and impair the State of Montana’s management of state trust land.'”

6. The 90-food sentinel of Butte, Montana (Leah Sottile / High Country News)

Have you ever noticed the glowing statute that rises above Butte, Montana? Named ‘Our Lady of the Rockies,’ Sottile, a former T. Anthony Pollner Professor at the J-School, writes about its history and what it stands for.

Top Environment and Science News Stories

1. The odd phenomenon of moth-eating bears—and the dangers they face (Story by Douglas Main, Pictures by Steven Gnam / National Geographic)

Main and Gnam journeyed into peak bear territory in Glacier National Park to share the curious connection between grizzlies and cutworm moths. Up-close photos of both creatures accompany the story.

2. Environmental Auditors Approve Green Labels for Products Linked to Deforestation and Authoritarian Regimes (Scilla Alecci / Inside Climate News)

“A new ICIJ-led cross-border investigation exposes how a lightly regulated sustainability industry overlooks forest destruction and human rights violations when granting environmental certifications,” writes Alecci.

ICIJ stands for The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Inc., a group of hundreds of investigative journalists and media organizations who seek to expose crime and corruption internationally. Alecci’s story for Inside Climate News summarizes the ICIJ investigation and shows what investigative journalism can uncover.

3. Nature, as captured by some of the world’s best photographers (Washington Post Staff / The Washington Post)

Need a midterms de-stressor? Take a look at the stunning nature photos from the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards finalists.

Top Student/Alumni Story

1. Schools Struggle With Lead in Water While Awaiting Federal Relief (Katheryn Houghton / Kaiser Health News)

UM J-School grad (’15) Katheryn Houghton reports from Philipsburg, Montana, where many public schools found lead in drinking water at unsafe levels. A result of old lead pipe infrastructure, similar issues across the U.S. are being targeted in new infrastructure budgeting under the Biden administration. Beginning in the small Montana town, Houghton expands the scope of her story outwards to all of Montana and then nationwide before rounding back to the same opening storyline.