[2] He also served as president of the board of directors of the Missouri Press Association in 2013.

[9] After Missouri Governor Mike Parson threatened criminal prosecution of St. Louis Post-Dispatch journalist Josh Renaud, Maassen said: "The newspaper and the reporter did nothing wrong.

It's not uncommon for elected officials to blame the media" when they expose problems.

In this case, Renaud found a security problem with the state's website.

[10][11] In an interview for KKFI radio in Kansas City, Maassen praised the Missouri Independent, which is an online-only news organization covering government, politics and policy.