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
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