Chuck Johnson worked 43 years as a full-time reporter, working at or leading the Helena bureaus for Lee Newspapers and the Great Falls Tribune for most of that time. He retired in 2015 after Lee closed its bureau and laid him off, but returned to the Capitol in 2017 to cover the Legislature for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Those who worked closely with and knew Johnson during his lengthy career said he embodied a unique combination of toughness, historical knowledge, love for Montanans and Montana and dedication to his craft and his colleagues. Yet, above all, colleagues said they remembered his simple decency in how he treated them and the people he covered.
Author Archives: Bob Anez
Bob Anez is a retired reporter living near Helena who spent more than two decades covering Montana state government and the state Legislature for the Associated Press — all alongside Chuck Johnson.