Free Speech Newspaper
Montana publisher Mike Perry says his
newspaper, the Chinook Opinion, has been targeted for attack because of
the established newspaper's investigative stance on drugs on the Hi-line.
According to Perry, "the rival Blaine County Journal was created to
operate at a loss in order to hurt the Chinook Opinion financially." The
rival Blaine County Journal was founded in 1995 by the current Blaine
Sheriff and with undisclosed financing by third parties.
The Chinook Opinion and its sister publication the The Harlem News, both have been instrumental in publishing reports of the 1987 murders of Richard Cowan and Bernadette Doiron. The execution style killings have been linked to organized crime in the northern tier counties of Montana. One Arizona based investigator while speaking with a confidential source in the Montana Attorney General's office was advised that current Governor Marc Racicot had instructed staff "to ignore" any complaints the "county attorneys" in the counties involved, including Richland, Blaine and Hill counties.
In past issues the Chinook Opinion has published numerous investigatory stories which link a series of drug related killings in northern Montana with several prosecuting lawyers and local law enforcement. The Chinook Opinion has also published several articles involving a questionable transfer of $325,000 of personal funds from an invalid resident of a local rest home to a relative of Marc Racicot's staff in the Attorney General's Office.
Free Speech Newspaper
18631 North 19th Avenue
Suite
128-200
Phoenix, Arizona 85027
BUS (602) 587-9604 FAX (602) 587-9628