Lee Banville

The Big Give at UM is 3/4 and 3/5 and we are raising money to support student projects and the independence of the @UMJSchool. I hope you will consider helping out. #mtnews umt.scalefunder.com/gday/giving-da…

@Cotton_MT @mtfreepress Nonprofit reporting often hinges on finding grant funding to support aspects of the project (something I also did when I worked for the PBS NewsHour). I feel like it should always carry some disclaimer that outlines its funding source(s). Worth a convo, though.

I've been seeing more disclaimers from MT Media about reporting paid for via outside grants. Examples: @mtfreepress recently published a really interesting series on the "future of coal country". I noticed they disclosed it was funded by a grant: The reporter appears to have received $11,250 via a grant to write the 4 article series. The grants fund reporting focused on "environmental justice and environmental racism": Source: nationalpress.org/awards/environ… Lee Newspapers also disclosed their recent series on tactical civics, which I thought was thought-provoking and well-done, was paid for with a grant: It appears that Lee Newspapers solicited a $10,000 grant to produce the series from the Joyce Foundation. Grants "support reporting about transgender issues and covering political extremism" and investigating "anti-democracy activity": Source: poynter.org/reporting-edit… Asking some honest questions about this in a good faith effort to understand what's happening: - How many articles published by MT media outlets are funded by outside grants from NGO's with special interest in reporting on specific issues or specific framing of issues? Like what % of the reporting we see is the result of grants that fund specific coverage and how much grant $ are we talking about here? - Is it a new practice to solicit grants for reporting, or is this a longstanding practice that I am just now noticing? - I appreciate that the two grant-funded series I listed above were transparently disclosed by their publishers. Is grant-funded reporting in mtnews always disclosed? - What are the standards and procedures in place in MT newsrooms about grant-funded reporting? For instance, I would imagine there are some internal practices in place that ensure editorial decisions about coverage are not influenced by the availability of grant $'s with a special agenda in particular topics and coverage. Can someone walk us through the decision-making process behind soliciting these grants? Forgive me if I'm just missing where all this has already been discussed publicly. I also want to be very clear that this is not meant to be a criticism of the newsrooms and reporters mentioned in the examples above, who I think often do some tremendous journalism. As an avid reader of mtnews, I'm honestly curious and was surprised noticing these "grant-funded" disclaimers in recent articles. If this practice hasn't already been discussed publicly, maybe #mtnews might consider shining a light on grant-funded reporting in MT. #mtpol

Hey, #mtpol and other political reporters. Please consider applying for this award in national and local political reporting that I happen to help judge. #mtnews newhouse.syracuse.edu/centers/robin-…

Throughout the day, reporters in my @UMJSchool election class will be talking with voters across the state as they cast their ballots. Follow their reporting here: wakelet.com/wake/CxFG3i8ka… #mtpol #mtvotes

I’ll be live in the studio @mtpublicradio tonight, talking with @banville about how you voted. Join us on-air or online for live election results and analysis.

Turnout was steady in the first couple hours of voting in Missoula. At 8:30, some 20 people were casting ballots at the Lifelong Learning Center, with a steady trickle of voters lining up for multiple districts. #mtvotes #mtpol

Had the pleasure of chatting with visiting journalists from China today here as part of @OfficialWorldMT. They gave me a tote bag and this afternoon I used Google to translate... And I think this is proof that journalists have some universal tendencies. #newshumor

The generosity of our supporters here at @UMJSchool kind of takes my breath away. If you are considering supporting the school during the #UMBigGive, please do it here. #mtnews

Our partnership with @IndianCountry leads to @UMJSchool students contributing to a national newscast. #mtnews ictnews.org/newscasts/02-1…

@paulimeth So, you don't want to take me up on discussing this and would prefer to go back and forth on Twitter. I am excited for more people to see the reporting, but hope they don't take the act of republishing to be our endorsement of the business policies of any organization vs others.

Excited to see @daily_montanan running our student's series on mental health in Montana. #mtnews dailymontanan.com/2024/02/04/it-…

I don't think the @UMJSchool could be prouder of the amazing work done by our alums AND our students. This is worth a scroll. #mtnews

This ruling happened because a local journalist questioned past practices blocking the the public. Thanks to the Choteau Acantha and @mtfreepress for fighting for government transparency. #mtnews

Blerg... #smokysummer

I'm excited to see what this group might tackle. Open records and government transparency should always be about accountability and Montanan's being able to participate in all aspects of their government. #mtnews #mtpol

@clariselarson Congrats on the new gig!

First story! ktoo.org/2023/12/05/ron…

Hey, #mtpol reporters and political reporters everywhere... I would love to sit in judgment of you. Please consider entering. #politicalreporting