On the recordMay 22, 2015
I rise today to honor a great Montana journalist. I got to know Chuck Johnson some 16 years ago when I was running for the State senate, but his distinguished career started long before that. While attending the University of Montana School of Journalism, Mr. Johnson was accepted to be a congressional intern here with the journalists in Washington, DC. That gave him a taste of political reporting. In 1972, Chuck Johnson was assigned to cover Montana's Constitutional Convention for the Associated Press. Little did he know at that time that this assignment would launch his professional career covering Montana politics, and little did he know that he would be writing history as he watched Montanans draft one of the most progressive State constitutions in the country. In his long career, Chuck Johnson covered 9 Governors, 9 U.S. Senators, 10 Congressmen, and more legislative sessions than I can count, including the years I had the honor of serving the great State of Montana in Helena. He pushed for increased media access and stood up for more transparency and for a reporter's right to be in the room. Thanks to Chuck, Montana now has a requirement that political caucuses are open to the press. Mr. Johnson and his colleague Mike Dennison worked hand in hand for years at the Lee State Bureau and wrote powerful stories that had sweeping impacts across our great State. So when news broke yesterday that Lee Enterprises was closing its State Bureau and Mr.…
