{"id":30771,"date":"2023-01-31T13:40:39","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T18:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=30771"},"modified":"2023-01-31T13:54:46","modified_gmt":"2023-01-31T18:54:46","slug":"montana-free-press-new-partnership-brings-native-reporter-to-montana-legislature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/01\/31\/montana-free-press-new-partnership-brings-native-reporter-to-montana-legislature\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana Free Press: New partnership brings Native reporter to Montana Legislature"},"content":{"rendered":" \"JoVonne<\/a>
JoVonne Wagner. Photo by Jason Begay<\/figcaption>\r\n
MTFP partners with ICT to report on American Indian Caucus<\/div>\r\n
MTFP and ICT have hired JoVonne Wagner, Blackfeet, for the inaugural shared legislative fellowship between the news organizations. <\/div>\r\n
Tuesday, January 31, 2023<\/div>\r\n
By Montana Free Press Staff<\/div>\r\n
Montana Free Press<\/DIV>\r\n
montanafreepress.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nStarting January 26, Montana Free Press, based in Helena, will share a reporter with ICT<\/a>, formerly Indian Country Today, in a partnership designed to increase coverage of the Montana Legislature\u2019s American Indian Caucus.

<\/P>\t\t\r\nMTFP and ICT have hired JoVonne Wagner, Blackfeet, for the inaugural shared legislative fellowship between the news organizations.

<\/P>\r\n\r\nWagner, who is from Browning, graduated from the University of Montana School of Journalism in December. Previously, she has worked for Buffalo\u2019s Fire<\/a>, a nonprofit news organization based on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in western North Dakota.

<\/P>\r\n\r\nWagner will primarily cover the Montana Legislature\u2019s American Indian Caucus for both Montana Free Press and ICT<\/a>. The news outlets will work together to provide Wagner with mentorship and training to guide and develop her coverage of the beat.

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\n\t\t\n\t\t\tJourdan Bennett-Begaye (@jourdanbb) on X\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
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Congrats to our fellow, JoVonne Wagner! Yesterday was Day One of covering the Montana Native American Caucus in the Montana Legislature for the Montana Free Press (@mtfreepress) and ICT (@IndianCountry). https:\/\/t.co\/poSeoNNQk3<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t\"X\t\tX (formerly Twitter)\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe partnership between MTFP and ICT will expand the reach of both news outlets with improved coverage of lawmakers who represent a significant population in the state. There are 12 tribes living on, and off, seven reservations in Montana. At 6.6%, Native Americans are the largest minority population in Montana. The Montana Legislature has 11 Native American members, making up 7.3% of the lawmaking body.

<\/P>\r\n\r\n\u201cMontana\u2019s Legislature has the highest Indigenous representation among all state Legislatures and paves the paths for policies that other states follow, such as Indian Education For All,\u201d said ICT Editor Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Din\u00e9. \u201cWith that in mind, I\u2019m thrilled to be partnering with Montana Free Press and to have JoVonne be part of it.\u201d

<\/P>\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re excited about the opportunity to collaborate with ICT,\u201d said MTFP Editor Brad Tyer. \u201cI think our team of five reporters covering the statehouse has a lot to offer an up-and-coming political reporter, JoVonne brings a wealth of experience and insight to the table, and the Legislature\u2019s American Indian Caucus is a critical coverage beat our readers are eager to be better informed about. We\u2019re looking forward to welcoming JoVonne to the newsroom.\u201d

<\/P>\r\n\r\nThe collaborative fellowship is funded by the Headwaters Foundation, which works side-by-side with Western Montanans to improve the health of Montana\u2019s communities.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nBrenda Solorzano, chief executive officer of the Headwaters Foundation, said, \u201cAs part of our commitment to equity and collaboration, Headwaters Foundation is proud to support community partnerships that increase Native representation and coverage of the policy decisions affecting the health and sovereignty of Native Montanans.\u201d

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