It hardly seems possible, but Montana Headlines is now a one year old blog, with 425 posts under the belt.
While the first thoughts about a blog like this came while reading in the Wall Street Journal about the effect that South Dakota blogs had in critiquing that state's heavily pro-Daschle media outlets in the 2004 election, the more proximate and obvious stimulus for starting it was the shellacking that the GOP took in the 2006 elections.
So, on a quiet Sunday afternoon, after reading the first positive articles about Conrad Burns in the Billings Gazette in probably a year (after the election was over,) the first posts started getting written, and the rest can be found in our archives.
MH's readership has greatly exceeded initial expectations, and we are grateful to the many regular readers who visit nearly every day, from Montana, the D.C. area, and around the country.
Thanks also to the dedicated editorial staff here at MH and to the many readers who have sent us tips, leads, ideas, corrections, and suggestions for improvement. While MH is unapologetically conservative and Republican in orientation, the goal from the beginning has been to try to write as fairly as possible. Many readers will of course disagree with what appears on these pages -- but the intent is to write as little as possible that can be summarily dismissed.
The most valuable critiques and input we receive are those from readers who point out where they feel that MH posts fail to pass that fairness test. To the extent that we remain fair and reasoned in our discourse, it is in no small part due to that feedback.
It will be interesting to see what the coming year brings -- we expect that Montana's political scene will become increasingly complex and interesting. MH will be there through the twists and turns.
