''The Missoula Independent'' was a free weekly alternative newspaper in

Missoula Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, United States. It was acquired by

Lee Enterprises Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 77 daily newspapers in 26 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by Alfred Wilson Lee and is b ...

, owner of the daily ''

Missoulian The ''Missoulian'' is a daily newspaper printed in Missoula, Montana, United States. The newspaper has been owned by Lee Enterprises since 1959. The ''Missoulian'' is the largest published newspaper in Western Montana, and is distributed througho ...

'', in 2017. On September 11, 2018, Lee Enterprises shut down the ''Independent'' without notice. The ''Independent'' published investigative journalism, political analysis, and critical coverage of local music and culture. The paper also maintained an events calendar for the Missoula area. The ''Independent'' also published nationally syndicated columns including "News Quirks" by Roland Sweet, "Advice Goddess" by

Amy Alkon Amy Alkon (born March 8, 1964), also known as the Advice Goddess, wrote a weekly advice column, ''Ask the Advice Goddess,'' which was published in over 100 newspapers within North America. While Alkon addressed a wide range of topics, she primaril ...

, "Free Will Astrology" by

Rob Brezsny Rob Brezsny is an American astrologer, author, and musician. His weekly horoscope column "Free Will Astrology" – formerly "Real Astrology" – has been published since 1980, and by 2010 was syndicated in around 120 periodicals. Care ...

, and several local columns as well. The paper also published the "Jonesin" crossword puzzle by Matt Jones and the comic strip

This Modern World ''This Modern World'' is a weekly satirical comic strip by cartoonist and political commentator Tom Tomorrow (real name Dan Perkins) that covers current events from a left-wing point of view. Published continuously for more than 30 years, ''Th ...

by Tom Tomorrow. The ''Independent'' published a popular "Best of Missoula" issue every year that showcases readers' favorite food, culture, people, and media in the Missoula area. The Missoula ''Independent'' was the largest weekly newspaper in Montana. It was published on every Thursday, and was delivered throughout western Montana. As of a 2015 audit, it had a circulation of 20,000 and was distributed from 500 locations. In 2018, the ''Independent's'' non-management employees filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election on whether to affiliate with the News Guild for the purposes of collective bargaining. In a letter sent to staff, general manager and former ''Independent'' owner Matt Gibson announced his position to the effort, stating that the newspaper is losing money.

References

External links

''Missoula Independent'' website

Association of Alternative Newsweeklies
* Newspapers published in Montana Alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States Mass media in Missoula, Montana 1991 establishments in Montana {{Montana-newspaper-stub 2018 disestablishments in Montana