Montana Public Radio has hired Victoria Traxler to expand its coverage of state government, particularly affecting rural communities. The initiative is a collaboration with Yellowstone Public Radio and the University of Montana School of Journalism.
Funded by a $180,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, reporting produced through this effort will be available free of charge to news outlets across the state.
Traxler, a 2020 graduate of Elon University with a degree in journalism and international studies, previously worked as a public safety reporter for the Santa Fe New Mexican. She later moved to Montana, where she recently completed a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism at UM.
MTPR’s state government reporting will focus on how policies enacted in Helena impact communities beyond the Capitol, with an emphasis on issues affecting rural Montanans. Montana Public Radio operates 16 broadcast stations in the state.
MTPR News Director Corin Cates-Carney said, “[Traxler] will spend a lot of time on the road covering the ways state government impacts life in Montana. Our goal is to bring Montanans news about state government from outside the state Capitol in Helena. There is a need for reporting on state government that listens and speaks to the state’s rural residents – coverage that can inform and build trust in local journalism.”
Director of UM’s Broadcast Media Center Anne Hosler added, “I am so thrilled that MTPR received this grant and hired Victoria to greatly expand our local coverage for Montanans across the state with critically important reporting on how laws passed in Helena impact Montanans.”
Yellowstone Public Radio News Director Jackie Coffin emphasized, “As Montana’s media landscape changes, public radio is deepening our commitment to tell place-based, local stories that bring Montanans together over shared issues, experiences, and values.”
