Journalism and politics are itinerant worlds in Idaho. Paths cross time and again. Titles change. People don't change much.

Chuck Oxley was always smart and opinionated, good-natured and sharp-witted. It didn't matter whether he was a fellow newspaper editor, a candidate for state Legislature or a spokesman for the Idaho Democratic Party - and I got to know Chuck in all of these roles. At his core, he was always the same person.

And he will be missed. Chuck died Saturday afternoon in a rollover accident about 20 miles west of Blackfoot.

A former editor and reporter with the Statesman, the Idaho State Journal and the Associated Press, Chuck had moved to Blackfoot in June to take over the managing editor's job at the Blackfoot Morning News. I didn't envy him as he tried to make a tough professional transition, from partisan politics to overseeing news coverage. I figured it would take someone truly genuine to make the switch - and in that sense, I thought Chuck was qualified.

And he seemed to be enjoying the new job. In an e-mail a few days back, sent to "close friends, family and colleagues," Chuck wrote with a sense of purpose about an editor's responsibilities - of having a say in what readers saw about their community every day. He wrote with joy about his newest pursuit: learning to fly. He wrote with determination about other things he vowed to do in his life.

This is, obviously, now a painful e-mail to re-read.

We get to meet a lot of people in this trade - which gives us all some experience in telling the real people from the phonies. I don't profess to knowing Chuck too well, just well enough to know he was one of the genuine people.

ANDRUS-MONSANTO CONNECTION

On the Oct. 1 Statesman Opinion page, Cecil Andrus touted Monsanto's proposed Blackfoot Bridge Mine project. The mine would preserve more than 700 jobs near Soda Springs, provide phosphate ore for Monsanto's Roundup herbicide - and, in Andrus' words, "establish an innovative, forward-looking level of stewardship that sets the environmental bar higher for future projects."

The column's tagline noted that Andrus is a former four-term Idaho governor and Carter administration interior secretary. All accurate, as far as it went. But, unfortunately, our tagline didn't go far enough. It did not note the professional affiliation between Monsanto and Andrus.

Andrus is "of counsel" in the Boise office of Gallatin Public Affairs, a public relations and lobbying firm. Monsanto is one of Gallatin's clients.

To be clear, Gallatin has done nothing to hide its relationship with Monsanto. When Monsanto officials met with the Statesman editorial board in July to discuss the Blackfoot Bridge Mine project, they were joined by Marc Johnson, the former Andrus chief of staff who is Gallatin's president. There was no secret here, and hence no reason to fail to note this connection. That was an editing oversight on my part.

This connection is especially significant, since it can be argued that mining issues catapulted Andrus to the governor's office in the first place. Andrus was a vocal critic of proposed molybdenum mining projects in Central Idaho, which proved a key issue in his 1970 defeat of Republican incumbent Don Samuelson.

There is, then, an obvious public relations reason why Monsanto is trying to make the most of Andrus' support. All the more reason to help readers connect the dots and reach an informed conclusion.

Kevin Richert: 377-6437