About

About Montana Newspaper Association

The Montana Newspaper Association has served as a voice for Montana’s daily and weekly newspapers since 1885.

We educate and support our members, solve industry-wide issues, and work together to defend the freedom the press, and the public’s right to stay informed. We advocate for Montana newspapers by supporting revenue generation through advertisements, providing educational resources, and serving as legislative defenders for all newspapers across the state. We are also a full-service advertising and distribution resource for non-profit and for-profit businesses, as the single contact for placing advertisements or distributing press releases with our member newspapers.

Value

Promote the value of a free press to democracy.

Promote Readership

Promote the newspaper industry and readership across Montana.

Collect & Preserve

Collect and preserve the records of Montana journalism.

Defend & Protect

Defend and protect the First Amendment.

Professional Development

Focus on professional development & journalism education.

Expand

Expand public access to government records.

Our History

A Voice for Montana’s Daily and Weekly Newspapers Since 1885

The Montana State Press Association was founded during an organizational meeting during the territorial legislative session in Helena, Montana, February 1885. 21 members signed the original roll, and W. H. Sutherlin of Rocky Mountain Husbandman, an early newspaper out of Diamond City MT, was elected temporary chairman. The first annual convention of the Montana State Press Association was held in the Butte courthouse August 1885, then the 100-year convention held in 1985.

Dorothy Johnson, author of “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, “The Hanging Tree”, and “A Man Called Horse”, served as the Montana State Press Association’s secretary-manager from 1953-1966. It was during this time that the association’s name was changed to the Montana Press Association, and the Montana advertising services were incorporated. 

Today, the Montana Newspaper Association is comprised of 80 member newspapers, daily and weekly, with a total household distribution of nearly 400,000.