Registration Open

Pick up your festival badge, register for the festival, and pick up a Free Press Fest program guide.

4:00 p.m.

MSU SUB Foyer

The Politics of Truth: Intelligence, Oversight, and the Fight for Credibility

Tim Weiner, Author and Journalist

Sen. Jon Tester, Former Montana U.S. Senator

Join us for an unflinching look at the battle for accurate information in an age of digital noise, disinformation, and deep political division. Drawing on unparalleled access to intelligence insiders, bestselling author Tim Weiner and former Senator Jon Tester will explore how politicized oversight, rapid technological change, and moral dilemmas inside the CIA are undermining America’s ability to find and act on the truth. In conversation with Montana Free Press founder John S. Adams, they will connect Montana to the global struggle over credible intelligence, offering rare insights into how restoring trust in American institutions is essential to safeguarding democracy itself.

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Opening Keynote

MSU SUB Ballroom A

Opening Night Reception

Join fellow festival attendees for conversation and hors d’oeuvres immediately following the opening keynote.

8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

MSU SUB Ballroom A

Registration Open

Pick up your festival badge, register for the festival, and pick up a festival program guide.

9:00 a.m.

SUB Ballroom

A Wooded Shore: Thomas McGuane in Conversation with Maggie McGuane

Thomas McGuane

Maggie McGuane

Acclaimed novelist and short story writer Thomas McGuane joins his daughter, writer and humanitarian Maggie McGuane, for an intimate conversation about life, literature and his forthcoming collection, “A Wooded Shore: And Other Stories” (October 2025). From the Boulder Valley of Montana to the national stage, McGuane’s work has spanned celebrated novels, screenplays, essays and short fiction. In dialogue with Maggie — whose career has taken her from writing for Vogue and the New York Times to disaster response and rescue around the globe — this conversation will explore questions about creativity, place and legacy, offering rare insight into the mind of one of Montana’s most distinguished literary voices.

10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Spotlight Session 1

MSU SUB Ballroom A

Montana for Sale: Wealth in the New West

Amy Gamerman, Journalist and Author of “The Crazies: The Cattleman, the Wind Prospector, and a War Out
West”

Jami Jarrett Moody

When big money moves into Montana, small towns feel the strain. Join “The Crazies” author Amy Gamerman, community voice Jami Jarrett Moody, and Montana Free Press journalist Amanda Eggert for a conversation about how wealth is reshaping life, land, and community in the West. This conversation offers not just a glimpse of what’s at stake, but a call for Montanans to speak up and shape the future of their communities.

11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Breakout Session 1

MSU SUB Ballroom A

Youth Newsrooms: Hope from Gen Z Journalists

Claire Bernard, Freelance Journalist, Former Editor – Montana Kaimin

Amanda Fulton, Editor in Chief, MSU Exponent

Malena Gangi, President and Editor, Charles M. Russell High School Newspaper

Moderator: Maritsa Georgiou, Veteran Journalist and Co-host of “Grounded with Jon Tester & Maritsa Georgiou”

Meet the young reporters redefining what journalism can be, finding their generational role in the shifting landscape of journalism, and facing the nuanced challenges and opportunities of entering the field. Gen Z-led newsrooms are building innovative models, amplifying underrepresented voices, and energizing new audiences. Hear first-hand how these trailblazers are shaping a more inclusive and dynamic media future.

11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Breakout Session 2

Inspiration Hall

Attendee Luncheon

Lunch provided with advanced conference registration. First come, first served — space is limited.

Special Programming: Join us at lunch to meet the new Editor-in-Chief of the Montana Free Press, Heather Tal Murphy.

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Inspiration Hall

Beyond the Next Election: Building Montana’s Long-Term Plan

Due to popular demand, this session has moved to MSU SUB Ballroom A and will now begin at 2:00pm.

Chris Dorrington, Director, Montana Department of Transportation

Llew Jones, Montana State Representative

Ryan Osmundson, Director, Budget and Program Planning, Office of the Governor

In an era of economic volatility, political division, and environmental change, how can Montana move from a reactive posture to a proactive plan for the decades ahead This conversation brings together leaders working to design policy with long-term vision, fiscal resilience, and collaborative solutions at its core. Hear from leading voices in Montana policy work as they discuss strategies for looking beyond the two-year political cycle to address emerging challenges before they become crises, charting a course toward a stronger, more adaptable Montana.

2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Spotlight Session 2

MSU SUB Ballroom A

Managing the Millions: What Lies Ahead for Montana’s Public Lands?

Ryan Callaghan, VP of Conservation, MeatEater Inc.

Nate Schweber, Freelance Journalist

Mary Erikson, Forest Supervisor, Custer Gallatin National Forest (Retired)

Montana is home to more than 30  million acres of federal public lands managed by agencies including the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These landscapes support outdoor recreation, natural resource industries, and local economies, while shaping the way Montanans live, work, and play. New proposals for significant changes to federal land management have sparked renewed debate over how these lands should be used, accessed, and conserved. This panel will examine the range of perspectives shaping the future of Montana’s public lands and explore what might lie ahead for these defining parts of the state’s identity and economy.

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Breakout Session 3

MSU SUB Ballroom A

Behind the Headlines, Local News Starts on the Ground

Stan Parker, Managing Producer, Impact

James Rosien, Editor, Anaconda Leader

Mara Silvers, Reporter, Montana Free Press

Jeff Welsch, Managing Editor, Bozeman Daily Chronicle

A good local news story is much more than the headline. It relies on the relationships and knowledge that outlets have built over the long term to get the necessary information quickly and accurately. And local news is an endangered product. In this panel, experienced journalists talk through recent hard-hitting stories and how on-the-ground reporting brings the best information to light.

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Breakout Session 4

Inspiration Hall

Press Under Fire: Defending Journalism in an Age of Hostility

David Folkenflik, Media Correspondent, NPR News

Jodie Ginsberg, CEO, Committee to Protect Journalists

Mary Margaret White, CEO & Executive Director, Mississippi Today

Join veteran journalists and media watchdogs David Folkenflik, Jodie Ginsberg, Mary Margaret White, and moderator John S. Adams for a candid examination of the mounting threats facing the free press. From the erosion of legal protections and escalating political attacks to physical violence and public hostility toward reporters, this panel will explore how these assaults jeopardize the press’ role as a cornerstone of democracy. Together, they will share on-the- ground experiences, analyze the forces driving this crisis, and discuss what can be done to safeguard the right to report freely and fearlessly.

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Headline Keynote

MSU SUB Ballroom A

Registration Open

Pick up your festival badge, walk up festival registration

8:30 a.m.

MSU SUB Foyer

Coffee Talk: Financial Literacy and Building Generational Wealth

Speakers:
JPMC Market Director, Claudius Duncan
JPMC Community Manager, Victoria Curtis

In a time when layoffs, freelance hustle and rising living costs challenge all of us, journalists across generations are rethinking what financial stability really means. Join Victoria Curtis, Community Manager with Consumer and Community Banking from JPMorganChase and Claudius Duncan, Market Manager, JPMorganChase, as they break down real-world strategies tailored for journalists — especially those navigating the unique pressure and responsibilities within these challenging times. From student loans and freelancing to family and retirement planning, this coffee talk will explore how to move from paycheck-to-paycheck toward long-term financial planning. Whether you’re just starting your first job, mid-career and managing caregiving, or a seasoned journalist eyeing legacy and retirement, this conversation will equip you with practical tools to take control of your financial future.

Presented by JPMorganChase

9:00 a.m.

MSU SUB Ballrom A

Beyond the Fireline: Building and Maintaining Wildfire-Resistant Communities

Live podcast recording of The Wide Open

Kimiko Barrett, Sr. Wildfire Researcher & Policy Analyst, Headwaters Economics

Joe O’Connor, Managing Editor, Mountain Journal

Shawn Thomas, State Forester and Administrator, Montana Dept. of Natural Resources and Conservation

Dr. Cathy Whitlock, Regents Professor Emerita of Earth Sciences, Montana State University

Wildland fire is a hot topic in the American West, especially as fires become bigger and burn hotter over a longer wildfire season. As land management agencies lean into evolving prevention and firefighting strategies, we’re also building more homes in the wildland-urban interface. What does that mean for public safety? For building materials? For planning and zoning regulations? For homeowners insurance? Join journalist, author and “The Wide Open” podcast producer Nick Mott, along with a panel of wildfire experts and journalists, for a recorded podcast discussion about the future of wildfire in the West.

10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
Spotlight Session 3

MSU SUB Ballroom B

The Power of the Press: Barry Beach’s Winding Road to Freedom

Barry Beach, Marsha Price, John Adams

Barry Beach spent more than three decades in prison for a crime he says he did not commit. Local, state and national media coverage, including an investigation by Dateline NBC, helped bring new attention to flaws in the case against him and paved the way to clemency in 2015. Nearly 10 years after walking out of prison, Beach joins his friend and mentor, Marsha Price, to reflect on his decade of freedom, the role journalism played in his release, and what his story reveals about the intersection of media, public opinion and the criminal justice system.

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Closing Keynote

MSU SUB Ballroom A