Charles S. “Chuck” Johnson, a journalist who lined Treasure State politics for practically half a century and was generally known as the “dean of the capitol press corps,” has died.
Johnson’s spouse, Pat, instructed mates he was purported to have dinner over the weekend together with his kinfolk and, when he didn’t present, “they did a welfare examine and located him gone,” mates mentioned.
Companies are pending and shall be held at St. Peter’s Episcopal Cathedral. He’ll be part of his mother and father within the Memorial Backyard, the Very Rev. Scott Anderson mentioned.
Johnson, 74, a graduate of the College of Montana College of Journalism, lined the 1972 constitutional conference and was a strolling historical past e-book of Montana politics who was beneficiant in sharing his data with different reporters.
Gov. Greg Gianforte mentioned he and spouse, Susan, had been deeply saddened to be taught of Johnson’s demise. He mentioned Johnson was “our buddy and an enormous in political journalism.”
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“From the numerous reporters whom he mentored generously to the state he beloved so dearly, Montana has misplaced a legend,” Gianforte mentioned in an e-mail. “For over 4 a long time, Chuck served the folks of Montana as a good, sincere, affable, tenacious journalist with a deep ardour for his craft.”
In 2022, Johnson obtained an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Montana State College. It was famous by MSU on the time he had lined 22 Montana legislative classes, seven governors, 9 U.S. senators and 10 U.S. representatives, along with numerous state legislators, elections, conventions and insurance policies. He was believed to be the longest-serving statehouse reporter in Montana.
Johnson, who used Charles S. in his byline however was identified to all as “Chuck,” was born in Nice Falls and raised in Helena. He started reporting in 1974 for the Lee Newspapers State Bureau in Helena, then on the Nice Falls Tribune Capitol Bureau in Helena, and served as bureau chief from 1984-1992.
From 1992-2015, he was bureau chief for the Lee Newspapers State Bureau, writing for Lee newspapers throughout Montana, together with the Billings Gazette, Montana Normal, Helena Unbiased Report, Missoulian and Ravalli Republic.
Johnson retired in 2015. He got here out of retirement to cowl the 2017 session of the Montana Legislature for the Bozeman Every day Chronicle. He confided in a fellow reporter that despite the fact that the Chronicle was paying him to cowl the session, he would have performed it without cost. He loved it that a lot.
“I started to surprise if he would ever actually retire,” mentioned Michael Wright, managing editor of the Bozeman Every day Chronicle who was a reporter for the paper on the time. “He simply beloved the job. And his love for it was infectious.”
Tom Kotynski, a journalist who competed in opposition to Johnson for one more newspaper within the capitol press corps, spoke Monday about his buddy.
“The man is really a legend, not solely as a journalist but additionally for his historic data,” he mentioned. “He was robust to compete in opposition to, he was so good.”
Chuck Butler, one other buddy, known as Johnson’s demise a “deep loss for Montana.”
“He was the enormous within the Montana newsroom and shall be remembered far and vast all through Montana as one of many nice, excellent reporters of Montana politics, politicians and authorities,” Butler mentioned in an e-mail. “I am so glad he was honored final Could by Montana State College for his unbelievable profession.”
Johnson was an extremely inclusive journalist who believed the extra folks masking state politics the higher.
“He was a beneficiant mentor to me and plenty of different reporters who lined the Capitol for UM’s Neighborhood Information Service as faculty college students,” Wright recalled. “He by no means handled us like faculty children — to him, we had been full-fledged members of the Capitol press corps. That can at all times imply quite a bit to me.”
Johnson’s youthful brother, Peter, was additionally a longtime Montana journalist and retired from the Nice Falls Tribune in 2017 after 40 years as a reporter.
“I adopted Chuck’s footsteps into journalism and couldn’t have had a greater position mannequin,” Peter Johnson mentioned.
He mentioned his brother competitively bird-dogged tales, “wrote pretty with perception and elegance and loved exhibiting the ropes to younger reporters.”
He additionally had a way of enjoyable that he shared with colleagues and members of the family, Peter Johnson mentioned, including the household was “glad Chuck had an opportunity to see his beloved Cubs play just lately at a few spring coaching video games in Arizona.”
Most just lately, Johnson served because the board president of the Montana Free Press, an internet unbiased, nonprofit supply for Montana information, info and evaluation.
“I am devastated by the information of Chuck’s passing,” mentioned John S. Adams, its govt director and editor-in-chief. “He was a beloved buddy to so many individuals all through Montana. His influence on the state is immeasurable. He mentored dozens, if not a whole lot, of younger reporters all through his a long time as a journalist, and he was at all times humble, gracious, respectful and truthful. Attending to know Chuck extra personally in recent times was one of many nice joys of my life. The treasure state has misplaced considered one of its best treasures.”
College of Montana journalism professor Dennis Swibold first met Johnson when he lined the 1983 Legislature. Because the journalism college despatched younger reporters to cowl the session, Johnson was usually one of many first reporters they might meet and he was joyful to supply steerage.
Johnson additionally employed many journalists that may go on to impactful careers, Swibold mentioned.
“He was an actual mentor for me and so many journalists in Montana that lined politics and the Legislature,” he mentioned. “He was wanting to share concepts and provides us sufficient background to maintain us from wanting foolish. … He had the largest laborious drive of data, this lengthy reminiscence and nothing escaped it and he appeared to only have the ability to recall so many tales.”
As a journalist, Swibold mentioned Johnson was a meticulous practitioner who was not afraid to ask robust questions and maintain these in energy accountable if the story demanded it. Johnson usually had one of the best suggestions and whereas there was a stage of collaboration amongst statehouse reporters, Johnson would often go lacking for a day or two and that’s if you knew a scoop was coming, he mentioned.
“I feel he was scrupulously truthful and sincere,” Swibold mentioned. “He had a troublesome streak when it wanted to be performed, he had no qualms about asking these questions, however I feel folks revered him in the long run in a manner that’s laborious to think about as we speak.”
David McCumber, native information director for Lee Enterprises within the Western United States, praised Johnson.
“Chuck Johnson was a journalist’s journalist – somebody who knew the correct inquiries to ask, and requested them, who knew learn how to write tales, and wrote them, properly and infrequently,” he mentioned. “That additionally made him a reader’s journalist who took our public belief severely and instructed folks what they wanted and deserved to find out about their authorities. He did wonderful work for Lee Enterprises and plenty of others, and I want I may have labored with him.”
Longtime Related Press statehouse reporter Bob Anez first met Johnson within the late Seventies when Anez labored on the Nice Falls Tribune and edited Johnson’s copy. They grew to be mates and revered colleagues and Anez remembered Johnson as a journalist who set the usual.
“I wished to be nearly as good as Chuck, I wished to be higher and he was my position mannequin, he was my hero,” Anez mentioned. “For those who wished to be a great journalist, he’s the man I aimed for and wished to emulate.”
Anez admired Johnson’s dedication to equity and unbiased reporting. And whereas journalists may need a repute for stoicism, he additionally recalled Johnson’s humanity, and that he didn’t notably get pleasure from making requires tales that he knew would put the topic in a unfavourable gentle.
“The best way he managed to domesticate sources, simply his character and repute, folks preferred to speak to him,” Anez mentioned. “He made an artwork out of growing relationship, not friendships however relationships with sources and folks trusted him and talked to him.”
Shaylee Ragar, statehouse reporter for Montana Public Radio, mentioned on social media that Johnson “was so type and so beneficiant to all of us. I really feel so fortunate to have identified him and can miss him dearly. The loss to our group and Montana can’t be understated.”
Writer and journalist Kathleen McLaughlin mentioned the information was “devastating.”
“Chuck employed me at 22 years previous to cowl the Montana Legislature, one of many solely ladies do to so, and he had my again as a mentor and buddy since,” she wrote on Twitter. “He was a strolling encyclopedia who knew extra about Montana politics and historical past than anybody.
Jonathan Ambarian, senior political reporter for Montana Tv Community, mentioned he was surprised by the information.
“Chuck was a fantastic mentor to me, and likewise a fantastic buddy,” he mentioned. “He took me and so many different younger journalists on this state underneath his wing after we had been beginning out, and all of us owe him a lot.”
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, was amongst those that praised Johnson.
“Chuck Johnson was a reporter’s reporter – at all times ready, and at all times talking fact to energy,” he mentioned in an e-mail. “As a journalist, his integrity, dedication to fact, and willingness to carry folks accountable earned him the respect of readers and elected officers alike, from either side of the aisle. Chuck was a fantastic reporter and even higher man – and after conserving Montanans knowledgeable for many years, he shall be sorely missed by household, mates, and numerous others within the Treasure State.”
U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, mentioned Montana misplaced a trusted and revered voice with the passing of Johnson.
“Few knew the interior workings of our authorities and will plainly clarify how the happenings in Helena have an effect on all Montanans higher than Chuck,” Zinke mentioned in an e-mail. “There isn’t a doubt Chuck is likely one of the greats. I at all times knew him to be complete, truthful and knowledgeable. He wielded his energy of the pen to uphold the Founders imaginative and prescient of the Fourth Property, and he has my deepest respect. Relaxation In Peace, Chuck. You may be missed.”
Johnson, who had an in depth assortment of political marketing campaign buttons, participated in final 12 months’s fiftieth anniversary celebration of the Montana Constitutional Conference, which he lined for the Related Press.
“As I give it some thought now, it was a reasonably large task,” he mentioned in Could to about 70 folks throughout a speech. “I don’t assume I absolutely appreciated the importance.”
Tom Kuglin, deputy bureau chief of Montana State Information Bureau and Montana State College Information Bureau, contributed to this story. This story shall be up to date.
Assistant editor Phil Drake may be reached at 406-231-9021.
