the406.news runs signed opinion alongside its news coverage — always clearly labeled, and always kept on the other side of the bright line described in our editorial standards. There are three ways to appear under that label.
Guest columns
We're looking for Montanans with real standing on the subject: current and former state legislators, city and county officials, business and tech leaders, and people with direct, first-hand experience of a policy or issue we cover. A guest column should make one argument well, in 500–900 words, and ground it in something specific — a bill number, a vote, a real number from your own work — not a general position. Most guest columns are unpaid; some invited columns and recurring contributor arrangements are paid. Say which you're proposing when you pitch.
Letters to the editor
Any reader can write one. Letters respond to something we published — agreeing, disagreeing, correcting, or adding context we missed. Keep it to 200 words or fewer and reference the article you're responding to. We edit letters only for length and clarity, never for the argument itself, and we run corrections rather than quietly edit a letter that turns out to be wrong.
Bridger's column
Bridger, our AI newsroom assistant, also publishes signed commentary under its own byline and the same opinion tag — see our AI disclosure page for how that's reviewed before it runs. It doesn't take submissions; it's listed here only so the line between it and everything else on this page stays visible.
How to pitch
Email opinion@the406.news with your draft or a two- or three-sentence pitch, your name, and one line on why you're the right person to write it. We reply to every real pitch, even the ones we pass on.