Independent Record

Randy Rickman’s Abortion Record

17 March 2011

It’s not just Helena that’s had to deal with Randy Rickman using his position as newspaper publisher to impose his views on a community. He did it at his last job, too. In a piece “from the Publisher’s Desk at the Hanford Sentinel, Rickman, citing (and basically paraphrasing) a letter from James Dobson, claimed that [...]

Read the full article →

Helena Independent Record Bans Planned Parenthood from “Health” Fair

17 March 2011

The Helena Independent Record has, unfortunately, once again put ideology ahead of information. This time, they jeopardized health at the same time. The Independent Record hosted its 5th annual Health Fair today at the Civic Center, but disinvited a critically important local health care provider to meet an ideological agenda. The Independent Record invited Planned [...]

Read the full article →

The Tea Party’s Absolutely Not Racist HUGE Gathering in Helena

19 February 2011

The Tea Party is gathering in Helena for its first convention, and certainly isn’t embracing any racist ideas: Hedgecock told a story about campaigning and meeting a family of illegal immigrants who said they don’t vote, and surmising that votes were fraudulently cast in their name by others. Former state Rep. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred, echoed [...]

Read the full article →

Health Education: It’s Not Parents Against the Schools

15 February 2011

Throughout the entire “debate” about health curriculum in Helena during the past year, opponents of the curriculum have tried to frame the debate as one between parents and those evil school administrators and teachers who are determined to corrupt their children. It was smart public relations. By constantly implying that they represented parents, opponents of [...]

Read the full article →

Terrible, Terrible, Terrible Story in the IR About Education Today

6 February 2011

With the sensationalistic headline “Schools Receive Low Marks,” I expected the Independent Record to present some solid data about low achievement in Helena or Montana schools. The story, and the truth, show the exact opposite: Montana student are doing well. From the piece: In the NAEP test, in which Montana students excelled, each grade was [...]

Read the full article →

Helena IR Publishes the Truth in Response to Will Deschamps, But Why Run the Original?

30 January 2011

Dave McLean, commander of the Anaconda American Legion Post 21, responded to one of the lies in GOP Chair Wil Deschamps’ recent hit piece about Max Baucus and health care reform today in the Independent Record. The particular lie that McLean debunks is the idea that veterans will see increased taxes on their healthcare costs: [...]

Read the full article →

More on SB 114: Story in the IR

22 January 2011

There was a much better story about SB 114 in the Independent Record this morning, because it better characterized the nature of the opposition and support for this truly insane bill. While it still didn’t characterize the paranoia demonstrated by proponents, the article laid out the case made my law enforcement and lawyers against Marbut’s [...]

Read the full article →

The Independent Record’s HD 82 Article

16 October 2010

The Independent Record’s John Harrington profiled the candidates running for House District 82 today, and while the piece certainly didn’t go into all of the crazy details that make Kristi Allen-Gailushas the candidate she is, the piece made it abundantly clear that she’s not equipped to run a bake sale, much less represent a House [...]

Read the full article →

How Much Influence Does a Right Wing Publisher Exercise Over Content in the Independent Record?

30 September 2010

Remember that strange editorial in the Independent Record a few days ago that called for more tolerance in political debates that divide our community? It was unusual for a couple of reasons: it seemed to suggest that both sides had been equally intolerant despite no evidence that the progressive community had been engaging in the [...]

Read the full article →

The IR’s Irresponsible Editorial About the Baumgart Firing

29 August 2010

I don’t know Betsy Baumgart. I don’t know what kind of work she did promoting tourism in Montana and I don’t know what might have led to her termination. Neither, apparently, does the Independent Record, but that didn’t stop them from offering one of the sloppiest editorials I have had the misfortune of reading. The [...]

Read the full article →

The Independent Record’s Fascinating Editorial on Max Baucus

3 January 2010

If anyone has spent any time on this site, they know that I am hardly a fan of Senator Baucus. That being said, the recent juvenile attacks that he was drunk on the floor of the Senate demonstrate the depths to which Republicans will sink to smear any Democrat, even one as conservative as the [...]

Read the full article →

Credit Where Credit is Due

4 June 2009

I’ve certainly offered my fair share of criticism of the Independent Record over the years, but I do need to commend their work covering the tragedy in Helena in the past twenty hours. Their constant, detailed updates have helped limit destructive rumors in what has already been a heartbreaking day for the community. Bookmark on [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →