9 January 2023 — 0947 mst

Covering a state legislative session is the hardest job in
political journalism – and harder in Montana than California

By James Conner

Montana’s 2023 legislative session convened last week, but shifts into high gear today as the state’s 150 legislators have just 85 legislative days left to dispose of a blizzard of bill requests — 4,425 as of this morning.

Unlike Congress, city councils, county commissions, school boards, and various other local decision making bodies, most state legislatures — California’s is an exception — do not meet year around. Instead, they meet for a few short months, most annually, but a few, like Montana, every other year.

Do not expect intensive news coverage of everything important that occurs. Unlike California, Montana has neither enough political journalists for reasonably comprehensive legislative coverage nor big enough news holes for all the stories that should be written.

Much that the public should know about will slip through the cracks or receive only perfunctory coverage. Which is just how special interest lobbyists like it.

This is a holdover from colonial days, agrarian horse and buggy days, when farmers controlled colonial legislative assemblies that met during the winter, then adjourned so that legislators could return to their farms.

California has major news media — print, broadcast, internet — in huge cities, many like Los Angeles bigger than Montana. Montana’s major news operations are an order of magnitude or two smaller, and exist in only six counties: Cascade, Flathead, Gallatin, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, and Yellowstone. In addition, there are two excellent statewide, online only operations, the Montana Free Press and the Daily Montanan, and the equally excellent Flathead print and internet weekly, the Flathead Beacon.

Montana’s political journalists are very good at what they do. But there are not enough of them. And there never will be enough of them as long as Montana’s legislative sessions last only 90 days and there are so many legislators representing so few people.

Keeping a proper eye on Montana’ legislature will happen only if the legislature’s size is reduced by half; if the sessions last pretty much all year, so that business is conducted at a responsible pace; and legislators have enough staff that they are much less dependent upon lobbyists and bureaucrats for expertise on issues and policy.

Do not expect that to happen anytime soon, if ever. In the meantime, please cut Montana’s politica journalists some slack. They’re running themselves ragged to shine a strong light on the legislature’s adventures. If they miss something, it’s usually because they couldn’t be ten places at the same time.

And in the case of the Montana Free Press, consider cutting it a check if you can. Reporter for reporter, it’s the best news operation in Montana, and it’s making its competitors much better.

Later this week, I’ll explain how Flathead Memo will cover the legislative session.