The GOP E-brief may have something here:

By Phyllis Ward, Lincoln
Could someone please explain why the media prints everything (Montana Environmental Information Center spokesman) Jim Jensen says as the truth when all the reporters would have to do is a little fact checking?

On March 28, the Tribune ran a story about Jensen’s idea of making his cyanide ban a part of the Montana Constitution. According to that story, Jensen said “supporters of the original ban gathered nearly 40,000 signatures in 1998, when they only needed about 20,000 to get a regular initiative on the ballot.”

A quick call to the Secretary of State’s office reveals there were 26,466 signatures gathered for I-137, the 1998 ban. That means Jensen exaggerated by about 12,000 people.

According to a story in the March 27 Helena Independent Record, “Asked where his group’s money is coming from, Jensen said backers have not yet started fund-raising.” Yet on March 4 – three weeks earlier – Jensen himself sent a fund-raising letter saying “Make a special financial contribution to help us fight to keep I-137 intact.”