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Montana Blotter / Sourcing Standards

Standards

Sourcing Standards

Effective date: March 15, 2026. This page explains how Montana Blotter gathers, verifies, labels, and corrects public information across records, meetings, and civic data.

Standards Effective March 15, 2026

How Montana Blotter sources and labels public information.

Montana Blotter is designed to make public records and public meeting information easier to access. It is not a government office, and it does not replace official notice, clerk records, court files, or agency databases.

1. Primary Source Rule

We prefer direct links to official county, city, court, sheriff, police, and state judiciary pages. Where possible, each page should point readers back to the original public record, agenda page, minutes page, or official document listing.

2. What We Standardize

  • Date and time formatting.
  • Location and body-name labeling.
  • Document labels such as agenda, packet, or minutes.
  • Searchable statewide filters and metadata.

3. What We Do Not Claim

  • We do not claim to be the official keeper of public records.
  • We do not guarantee that a third-party government site is complete, current, or correctly maintained.
  • We do not treat summaries or extracted text as a substitute for the official source file.

4. Update Cadence and Provenance

Automated sources are checked on a recurring basis. Public pages may show the last successful source check or the last time a meeting was seen in a source feed. If a source is stale, broken, or moved, the originating public body remains the authoritative reference until the source is repaired.

We aim to show where information came from, when it was last refreshed, and how users can verify it. On higher-stakes pages, we prefer explicit provenance details over generic summaries.

5. Redactions, Corrections, and Government Contact

We may review records for obvious sensitivity, legal restrictions, or redaction issues. The existence of a public record does not automatically mean every field or derivative presentation should be amplified without review.

If a source link breaks, a meeting is mislabeled, a record is duplicated, or a page needs clarification, we want a direct report. See the Corrections Policy for the reporting workflow.

If you work for a Montana public body and need a source updated, corrected, or removed because the official location changed, contact us directly with exact URLs, dates, and a brief explanation of the change.

6. Contact

Montana Blotter
Website: montanablotter.com
Corrections and source updates: records@montanablotter.com

Editorial Standards

Montana Blotter is designed to make public records and public meeting information easier to access. It is not a government office, and it does not replace official notice, clerk records, court files, or agency databases.

1. Primary Source Rule
We prefer direct links to official county, city, court, sheriff, police, and state judiciary pages. Where possible, each page should point readers back to the original public record, agenda, minutes page, or official document listing.

2. What We Standardize
Date and time formatting — location and body-name labeling — document labels such as agenda, packet, or minutes — searchable statewide filters and metadata.

3. What We Do Not Claim
We do not claim to be the official keeper of public records. We do not guarantee that a third-party government site is complete, current, or correctly maintained. We do not treat summaries or extracted text as a substitute for the official source file.

4. Update Cadence
Automated sources are checked on a recurring basis. If a source is stale, broken, or moved, the originating public body remains the authoritative reference until the source is repaired.

5. Provenance and Visibility
We aim to show where information came from, when it was last refreshed, and how users can verify it.

6. Redactions and Sensitive Material
We may review records for obvious sensitivity, legal restrictions, or redaction issues. The existence of a public record does not automatically mean every field or derivative presentation should be amplified without review.

7. Corrections
If a source link breaks, a meeting is mislabeled, a record is duplicated, or a page needs clarification, see the Corrections Policy for the reporting workflow.

8. Government and Clerk Communications
If you work for a Montana public body and need a source updated, corrected, or removed, contact us directly. We prefer exact URLs, dates, and a brief explanation of the change.

9. Contact
Montana Blotter — records@montanablotter.com

Read full standards →
Corrections Policy

We want corrections requests to be specific, easy to verify, and fast to act on. The more concrete the report, the faster it can be reviewed.

1. What To Report
Broken official source links — moved agenda or minutes pages — incorrect meeting date, body name, or location label — duplicate records or meetings — stale source pages — material factual errors in a summary or description.

2. What To Include
The exact Montana Blotter URL — the exact official source URL that should be used — a short description of what is wrong — if timing matters, the date and time the official source changed.

3. Where To Send It
Email records@montanablotter.com with subject line Correction Request or Source Update. If you represent a government office, say so in the message.

4. Review Standard
We review corrections against the official source when available. If a report cannot be verified, we may ask for a clarifying URL, screenshot, or exact document reference before changing the page.

5. Response Goal
Our goal is to review straightforward source and labeling issues within two business days. Complex disputes, legal issues, and record-sensitivity questions may take longer.

6. How Fixes Are Handled
Broken or moved source URLs are updated at the source-config level when possible. Mislabeled dates, titles, or locations are corrected in the public presentation. If a government source removes or replaces a document, the official source controls.

7. Limits
A correction request does not automatically guarantee removal. Montana Blotter may preserve accurate public-record references while updating labels, links, timestamps, or explanatory text.

Read full corrections policy →
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