National transparency advocate loses TV news job

Ian Marquand, a veteran Montana journalist and a national figure in open-government advocacy, has lost his television job amid budget woes, the Missoulian reports.

After a career that extended back to 1978 with KPAX-TV, the local CBS affiliate in Missoula, Marquand was laid off last week; the paper quoted the station’s general manager explaining that Marquand’s position as special projects coordinator was one "the company decided to go without given the state of the economy."

Marquand is also sunshine chairman in Montana for the Society of Professional Journalists, and served for four years as Freedom of Information chairman for the national society.