Byline Magazine “Meant to Burn”

Marly Graham et al.
Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:00:00 PDT

Despite wildfire's increased prevalence in the state of Montana, parts of the wildfire story in the West are rarely reported. As students in the School of Journalism's Magazine Production and Design class, we reviewed those underreported topic areas, covering behind-the-scenes support of dispatchers, forest recovery, ever-changing management practices, preventative measures, long-term ecological effects and positive impacts of fire. Over the course of the semester, students pitched, researched, reported, fact-checked, designed and copy-edited to produce Byline Magazine-The Wildfire Issue. Despite obstacles, such as a government shutdown, the class gave students the opportunity to produce an in-depth magazine and gain real-world experience in both reporting and writing long-form pieces and graphic design elements seen on each page. The magazine, distributed around Montana and the nation, serves the general public by uncovering and presenting wildfire stories and perspectives that are often overlooked or left untold in mainstream coverage.