Independent news start-up opens its 'doors' online
Apsáalooke journalist Luella Brien is joining the ever-growing ranks of Montana writers who are moving their craft online.
The article was originally published by Four Points Press on November 2, 2021.
Apsáalooke journalist Luella Brien is joining the ever-growing ranks of Montana writers who are moving their craft online.
Brien is writing, editing and podcasting for Four Points Press, her own start-up developed for Four Points Media, Inc., an independent non-profit digital media company.
Four Points Press, she said, is dedicated to giving the voice back to the people of this region and getting the story right. The news site will cover the Crow Indian Reservation and the immediate surrounding area, with future plans to extend coverage toward the four points of the Apsáalooke people's original territory designated by Apsáalooke Chief Two Leggins – the base of the Black Hills to the east, the headwaters of the Wind River to the south, the Absaroke and Beartooth Ranges to the west, and the Bearpaw Mountains to the north.
The site, she said, will cover local news, community features, and include a podcast from Brien.
Readers will be able enter their fundraiser information into the community events hub for free.
Readers can also submit birth, anniversary and traditional name announcements. Another special feature includes the complimentary obituary service, which includes assisting families in writing obituaries for their loved ones and publishing the notices online all for free.
The site launched today with a month of free access to readers.
Brien has most recently worked as the General Manager and Editor of the Big Horn County News in Hardin, Montana.
"I'm no stranger to the grand tradition of Montana journalism," Brien said. "I have held reporting positions for the Billings Gazette and the Ravalli Republic and as a student I earned internships at the Seattle Times, the Great Falls Tribune and the Missoulian."
Brien is a 2006 graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism. Throughout her academic career she served as a reporter, columnist and editor for Reznet News, a project of the School of Journalism.
Brien's childhood passion for talking too much has led to a career based in several forms of communication aside from journalism. She has worked in the Crow Reservation community as a media specialist for the Crow Tribal newspaper and as an intern for the Crow Tribe Legislative Branch, developing media awareness training and brand identity, as well as marketing material.
She did similar work for the American Indian Outreach Program at Montana State University Billings, as a graduate assistant before becoming a communication arts instructor at Little Big Horn College.
For more information call Luella Brien at (406) 850-3081 or email news@fourpointspress.com.