John Adams

You can go to a website and see that they have the same zip code or area code as you.

And as people are looking for what's real and what's not, connecting with local news sources who you know, and you know they're real because they're in front of you, they're participating, they're in your community.

I think there's gonna be a strong demand for the authenticity of local news over the uncertainty of everything else.

it's an interesting question.

And again, I don't know that there's necessarily one size fits all answer to that either, because again, I think it really kind of depends on the community you serve and, and, you know, we're a statewide organization.

We, we still consider Montana free press local.

We do have local, um,

and three communities in the state.

We're looking to expand in a fourth in Billings this year.

So we do have local reporters on the ground covering local issues.

And we send our reporters to local communities to report on, for, and about those communities.

But I think showing up first and foremost, I think being present and showing up is really important.

I think showing your work is another one.

I think there's, a lot of people just don't understand

They've got a conception of what reporters are from the media, the popular media, where usually it's a jerk with a camera or microphone trying to catch somebody in a hard spot or a tragedy or what have you.

Sure, that's part of it, too.

Um, but a lot of us, most of us really, it's, it's about, you know, showing up, being there to, to represent the interest of audience.

Like what, what, what's the audience going to care about?

What are, what are my readers?

And as a, as a print reporter, what are the people who read Montana free press?