More than 80 people attended a ceremony at the state Capitol Friday unveiling a plaque commemorating longtime Montana journalist Charles S. Johnson.
Johnson, known by friends and colleagues as Chuck, spent 45 years covering the state Capitol after launching his career covering the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention for the Associated Press. After retiring in 2017, he continued to engage with the journalism community, including serving on the board of Montana Free Press before his death in 2023.
The plaque, authorized by 2023’s House Bill 855, memorializes Johnson’s tenure across decades of public affairs across the state, including his work mentoring “generations” of Montana journalists. It concludes with one of his trademark phrases:
“It’s the public’s right to know, not the press’s right to know.”
Former Attorney General Tim Fox emceed the event as a representative of the Montana Historical Society, which managed the plaque’s design and installation. Fox, who served as a Republican, noted he’d often been on the receiving end of Johnson’s coverage while a political candidate and elected official.
“I knew he was always going to be thorough and fair. And if I had made a mistake, I had better better fess up in the first place, because he would find out sooner or later,” said Fox.
Mike Dennison, another longtime journalist who spent much of his career working alongside Johnson, recalled Johnson’s frequent push for their newsroom “err on the side of being nice.”
“I think he set an example for all reporters to follow, not only because it was often the right thing to do, but also because it made him a more effective and trusted reporter when things did get rough,” Dennison said. (Dennison is currently a Montana Free Press board member.)
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‘Dean of Montana political journalists’ Chuck Johnson dies
Charles S. “Chuck” Johnson, one of the state’s longest-serving statehouse journalists and widely known as the “dean of Montana political reporters,” died unexpectedly at his home in Helena March 4. Family and colleagues remember him as a factual and fair reporter, and a generous and deeply knowledgeable mentor.
Jackie Yamanaka, who spent decades as Yellowstone Public Radio’s news director, recalled Johnson as a “friend” and “mentor.”
“Besides being incredibly kind, he was a joker. He loved practical jokes. He loved to laugh, including in this building where very serious work takes place,” Yamanaka said.
Sen. Laura Smith, D-Helena, and Sen. Mary Ann Dunwell, D-Helena, also spoke at the event. The two senators sponsored the plaque bill and worked to pass the legislation through a Republican supermajority in both houses in 2023.
Johnson’s wife, Pat Hunt, said she selected a southeast hallway on the Capitol’s third floor for the plaque in part because of its proximity to a room formerly used as the building’s Associated Press office.
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