Progressive dark money launches Montana media outlet ahead of election [Video]

A national progressive media organization with ties to a Democratic Party-aligned super PAC has launched a self-described news outlet in Montana ahead of the state’s slate of high-profile elections, most prominently the race for incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s seat in the U.S. Senate.

Veteran political journalist Joe Conason, who oversees editorial operations for the nonprofit American Independent Foundation, told Montana Free Press via email that the Montana Independent, one of four state-level affiliates of the American Independent, was launched earlier this year. News outlets in three other political battleground states, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, are also being published under the American Independent umbrella.

In online and print editions, the Montana Independent appears superficially similar to many other Montana news outlets. Its stories, authored by named writers and reporters, cover a range of statewide and local political issues, with stories containing quotes, context, and some original interviews.