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Special section • Star Century: 100 years of The Indianapolis Star

Good morning! This special section tells a fascinating story. The story is about an institution that has been part of the lives of millions of Hoosiers for 100 years.

That would be The Indianapolis Star.

For a full century, this newspaper has informed, entertained, challenged, angered, led, amused and educated our readers.

We've stood beside Hoosiers as their sons and, in later years, daughters, went to war. We've mourned with Hoosiers as they've mourned, celebrated as they've celebrated. We've helped Hoosiers cope with tragedy but also have been with parents and teachers in noting the remarkable achievements of our young people.

Our leadership led to the creation of a government department to protect our precious resources, and another department to build and maintain our state highways. Our efforts have exposed corruption in the Indianapolis Police Department, bringing about reforms and earning us a Pulitzer Prize. We stimulated thinking about Indianapolis' future through projects such as our yearlong "Imagine Indianapolis" program in 1989.

This year, our "State of Decline" series on Indiana's sagging economy helped move lawmakers to dedicate more money, in a tough budget year, to state-led initiatives aimed at creating more and high-paying jobs in advanced manufacturing and life sciences.

Of course we've changed through the years, just as the communities we serve have changed. Our coverage reflects a metro area and state that is increasingly diverse in every way, from race to religion.

We've become more accountable.

In 1985 it was something of a novelty when for the first time The Star began publishing a newsroom telephone number. We asked readers to report inaccuracies so we could correct the record. Today, we regularly run the e-mail addresses and telephone numbers of reporters, so readers can add to our knowledge and let us know when we err.

We've woven the technology of the Internet into our coverage, using IndyStar.com to provide immediate news to online readers and to serve as a resource for everything from Indy 500 racing to the quality of nursing homes.

Who can predict with certainty what the next technological advance will be?

Whatever it is, our heart and soul will remain those hundreds of hardworking journalists who are your eyes and ears at the Statehouse and in the City-County Building, at our sports arenas and cultural centers, in school board meeting rooms, or out on the street in your neighborhoods.

Our job is to sort through the huge maze of news that takes place each day and distill it into a form that is accurate, fair and complete, and presented in a way that is easy to fit into your busy schedule. We then give you a chance to be part of the discussion, through letters and columns on our opinion pages.

It's a fun, challenging and fascinating business. With today's section, we invite you to learn more about that business and about us.

And we invite you to join us in celebrating a wonderful Star Century.

Thanks for reading!