FROM THE EDITOR: The Billings Gazette puts the public at the heart of its mission

The Billings Gazette has always had a mission.
But with all the changes to news gathering and publishing, we wondered if that mission has changed.
In 2019, we posed a series of questions to the journalists in our newsroom: What’s our purpose? What do we excel at? Who is our audience?
The debate around those questions resulted in a concise statement.
“The Billings Gazette’s mission is to engage and inform people about Billings, the state of Montana, and surrounding areas by providing reliable and fact-based reporting, context and diverse viewpoints.”
Broadly, that’s always been the mission of The Gazette. But, it helps to have the statement handy as we direct and shape the news we offer you.
We put you in our mission statement because we need our readers — people — to remain at the heart of the work. If we’re not thinking about who you are and why you’re reading us, then we can’t help you live a better, more informed life.
The mission statement also considers geography. We are The Billings Gazette, so naturally Billings is the center of our focus. But, we also circulate all the way to the Hi-Line, to the North Dakota border, to Bozeman, and into northern Wyoming. Because the issues in all of those communities matter to residents there, they matter to us.
We also address the “what” and “how” of news gathering.
Informing the public is a huge part of The Gazette’s role. We report road issues, weather updates, sports scores, election results, disease outbreaks, and so much more.
But “inform” isn’t enough. More importantly, we’re trying to engage you. We want you to get involved in your community, to contribute to debates, to vote confidently and shape policy. If someone wants to build a gravel pit, an apartment complex or a gymnastics studio in your neighborhood, we want you to be a part of that discussion. If someone wants to raise your taxes, we work to make sure you know why, and how to weigh in. We love it when residents pack into a public meeting with The Gazette tucked under their arm or pulled up on their smartphone.
We also want you to know all the fun ways there are to spend your time off — what new restaurants and stores are open, what concerts and art shows are coming, and where you can hunt, fish and ride your bike.
We base our reporting on facts. We don’t rely on social media posts, Wikipedia or gossip to inform our reports. A lot of work goes into finding and checking facts.
We pursue facts and conclusions that can be backed up by data, public officials, experts, and departments, and real people who were there and whose stories we can corroborate. We do our homework.
Social media does play a role, however. We regularly find stories online that prompt us to track down more information. We acknowledge that the “who, what, where and when” of most events can be found in your Facebook or Twitter feed. More than ever, our role now is to put facts into context — how an issue got to this point, what certain decisions could mean and whether we’ve faced a particular issue before.
You may not always like the facts we report. Facts can be uncomfortable, and even angering. We spend our days working to distinguish fact from opinion, and when we report differing viewpoints, we note whose opinions they are. The purpose of our news isn’t to persuade you. It’s to equip you should you choose to participate.
We also publish opinions, labeled on our Opinion page as editorials (from the Gazette Editorial Board), columns (internal, submitted and syndicated) and shorter letters to the editor. These help us paint a full picture of the diverse viewpoints in our community. Though their authors may intend to persuade you, that doesn’t mean The Gazette agrees with them, and we work to keep those opinions separate from our news reporting.
We live in a diverse community, whether you look at race, gender, economy, age, religion or interests. You should see yourself in our pages. But you also should see people who think differently from you. Our job is to create the opposite of an echo chamber, a space where differing perspectives can thrive on the same page.
Our mission statement now appears daily in the information box in the bottom left corner of A2.
It’s challenging to live up to it. But as our community grows, technology changes and decisions of what we can cover get more and more difficult, we need this guiding light for what we are and what we aim to do. We hope it also helps you understand us better.
We aren’t perfect, and we never will be. But we care deeply about this community and our work in it, and with this mission as a fresh lens for us to see our work, we intend to serve you better each day.
My town: Gazette city editor Alyssa Small shares why she loves Billings
Stellar songwriters
When I moved back to Billings, I had no idea I was moving into such a vibrant live music scene. There’s Parker Brown’s joyful funk, Dan Page’s folk and impressive guitar work, and Grant Jones’ earnest lyrics who easily top my list of artists I’m always happy to hear more from. And then there’s Alder Lights, the budding rock band that is a delight to watch every time. There’s Wes Urbaniak’s wide range of work on handmade instruments — you read that right — and Arterial Drive, who I’m pretty sure I first heard while I was shopping for groceries at Lucky’s. I’m excited to see who else emerges as the years go by.
Scenic bike trails and hikes along the Yellowstone River
For years, I was wary of trail biking. But then I tried Riverfront Park. The park is full of winding trails that are never too packed, and you never know when you’ll turn a corner and encounter a beautiful view of the Yellowstone River. I’m no impressive cyclist, but it’s a wonderful weekend pastime, and Riverfront Park is the perfect place for such an adventure.
For those not interested in taking up cycling, Four Dances Recreation Area has incredible views of the city, a tough vertical hike down to the river and barely-blazed trails, which makes for fun exploring along the riverbank.
Growing live theater scene
Above, Chas Llewellyn as Howie and Casidee Riley Corcoran as Becca perform in “Rabbit Hole” by David Lindsay-Abaire.
I love live theater, and I’ve always believed Billings is big enough for a professional company, one that takes on challenging works we haven’t seen before. So as soon as the Yellowstone Repertory Theatre launched in 2017, I was a season ticket holder. I haven’t regretted it for a second. They have made we weep with joy and sorrow, squirm with complete discomfort and laugh out loud at the most surprising moments. They’re still a fairly young company, but I already can’t imagine Billings without their voice.
Best latte in town with an iconic view
The best latte I’ve had, hands down — in my life — was at the Annex Coffeehouse and Bakery. I can’t explain it. They have weird, homemade flavors (my favorite ever was a basil and honey that I desperately wish they’d bring back), and their pastry case is always full of tasty treats. And no other coffee shop in town has as fun of a view; you can enjoy a warm cuppa and watch out the back window or from the patio as the trains roll through town.
That funky, familiar smell of sugar beets
I remember the first time someone threw shade at Billings’ sugar beet smell. I was living in South Dakota, and the person talking was intent to believe Billings smells terrible. I’d never thought about it. Billings certainly has an iconic scent, especially over winter when the sugar beet factory is hard at work, but I’ve always equated that scent with home. Sure, it’s funky. But couldn’t we all use a little more funk in our lives?
CMYK Church
I’ve found a wonderful community at CMYK. This quirky church started with artists and Downtown Billings in mind, but it has grown into simply an engaged community. CMYK preaches being present, honest, open and the embodiment of love. It’s not always easy, but I’ve found with this group of people, there’s always support, understanding and new ideas for how to push forward. It’s a church where those who doubt are welcome, the music is earnest and there’s a built-in opportunity to connect with the people around you beyond shaking their hand. And it doesn’t hurt that we meet in places where you can order a beer and have some popcorn (Art House Cinema & Pub, and more recently Craft Local). And on Christmas Eve, we like to get together and sing carols and drink cider (as shown in this photo). My Billings is better because of CMYK. If you’re interested, you can learn more at cmykchurch.com.
So much craft beer
Billings wouldn’t be Billings without its craft brewing scene. We have at least eight at the moment, with a few more in the works around town. And as an added bonus, we have a few distilleries and a cider mill. All of these delicious beverages have fostered creativity and community in Billings, particularly downtown. I’m happy to say some of my favorite beers are brewed in my own town. How many people get to say that?
Alyssa Small is a city editor in the Billings Gazette newsroom and Billings native. She led a team of 11 journalists to craft the paper’s new mission statement.