Goliaths Get To Read It And Weep

The gospel according to Idaho News Observer publisher Paul Friend goes something like this: “An editor should consider enemies not a luxury but a necessity.”

His need has been met.

A list of Friend’s targets reads like a who’s who of Idaho’s Silver Valley. It includes multimillionaire Harry Magnuson, school Superintendent Robin Stanley, District Judge Craig Kosonen and Shoshone News-Press publisher Dan Drewry. But none of them compares to the newest addition to the list: MCI WORLDCOM Communications Inc.

Thanks to Friend’s courageous reporting and the Idaho Attorney General’s office, MCI no longer will disguise a long distance access charge as a tax. It cost MCI $1.32 million in a settlement with Idaho and 23 other states to realize the error of its ways.

The outcome reflects newspapering at its best.

Friend has been subtle as an uppercut since he started his noisy Wallace weekly five years ago. True to his newspaper motto - “It’s my paper and I’ll pry if I want to!” - he’s taken on most of Shoshone County’s sacred cows and tough issues, without fear or favor. His articles, headlines and commentary are a curious mix of news, rumor, humor and even profanity - a stark contrast to the bland fare of most mainstream media.

In the Silver Valley, he’s cussed. And discussed. He was nearly killed in a car wreck while delivering his papers. Foes have stolen his paper from news racks. He’s been threatened. He doesn’t worry about lawsuits because he doesn’t have money or assets to lose.

“I’m having the time of my life,” Friend said after learning of the MCI settlement.

The MCI episode began as a blip on Friend’s hypersensitive radar screen. Curious about a $25 “National Access Fee” listed under taxes and surcharges on his MCI business phone bill, he began asking questions. When he discovered the fee wasn’t a tax, he refused to pay MCI. Or the collection agency it sicced on him. Finally, he contacted Idaho Attorney General Al Lance and began writing about the telephone Goliath.

MCI never admitted wrongdoing. But it did agree to pay $55,000 to each state involved in the settlement. And to stop masquerading any fee as a tax. In this case, the fee averaged about $1.07 per residential customer.

And Friend? He didn’t receive a dime. But he did have a good time. “Until you’ve taken someone on like MCI and whipped them,” Friend said, “you don’t know what fun it is.” Or what real newspapering is all about.