According to the report, the Inspector-General's office (OIG) examined all information the agency had "relating to CIA knowledge of drug trafficking allegations in regard to any person directly or indirectly involved in Contra activities." The first article, by Katz, developed a different picture of the origins of the crack trade than "Dark Alliance" had described, with more gangs and smugglers participating. [48] Despite the controversy that soon overtook the series, and the request of one board member to reconsider, the branch's board went ahead with the award in November. By this stage, he was prepared to work as a jobbing reporter. After the publication of "Dark Alliance," The Mercury News continued to pursue the story, publishing follow-ups to the original series for the next three months. "Because of Gary Webb's work," said Senator John Kerry, "the CIA launched an investigation that found dozens of connections to drug runners. [26] Other papers were slow to pick up the story, but African Americans quickly took note, especially in South Central Los Angeles where the dealers discussed in the series had been active. Two years later, he was promoted to Vice President of Knight Ridder, the Mercury News's parent company; he retired from this position last month. Webb - whose article had never alleged that the CIA deliberately targeted any ethnic group - became a national celebrity. He stayed home, playing computer games, and began smoking cannabis heavily. When his medical insurance expired, he stopped taking his antidepressants. The article suggested this was in retribution for Ross' testimony in the corruption case. The "Dark Alliance" series remains controversial. "I think the behaviour of the media in all of this has been amazing," says Bell. [7] After transferring to Northern Kentucky, he entered its journalism program and wrote for the school paper, The Northerner. Webb's ex wife, Susan Bell told reporters that she believed Webb had died by suicide. The reports of the three federal investigations into the claims of "Dark Alliance" were not released until over a year after the series's publication. In 1996, the award-winning journalist Gary Webb uncovered CIA links to Los Angeles drug dealers. Both Gary's ex-wife Susan and his brother Kurt viewed the body and they confirmed the location of the wounds to me when I met them. He was previously married to Sue Bell. Gary's ex-wife Susan Bell states: "The way he was acting it would be hard for me to believe it was anything but suicide." An interesting OPINION, but she supplies no convincing evidence to illustrate what she means by this. Hired by the San Jose Mercury News, Webb contributed to the paper's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake. Do something else with your life," the voice urges. Much of the article highlighted the failure of law enforcement agencies to successfully prosecute them and stated that this was largely due to their Contra and CIA connections. Gary Webb is dead. Take it from someone who knew him well. Attorneys' Offices. [33] Golden also referred to the controversy over Webb's contacts with Ross's lawyer. In 2004, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb was found dead from an apparent suicide, as Democracy Now! I mean - please.". He also had this inherent belief that the truth could not harm him. "[80], Not all writers agree that the Inspector-General's report supported the series's claims. Walter Bogdanich, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who worked with Webb on The Plain Dealer, told American Journalism Review editor Susan Paterno "He was brilliant; he knew more about public records than anybody I've ever known. An editorial in the Times, while criticizing the series for making "unsubstantiated charges", conceded that it did find "drug-smuggling and dealing by Nicaraguans with at least tentative connections to the Contras" and called for further investigation. "They tried to make us look like crazies," says Blum. One time he called me and he said: 'I have this plan that will benefit us both.' The article discussed Webb's contacts with Ross's attorney and prosecution complaints of how Ross's defense had used Webb's series. Should these editors subsequently deem the story to have been fatally flawed, they take the consequences. By the time Webb began researching Dark Alliance, Bell was 38 and they had three children. The article resulted in a lawsuit against Webb's paper which the plaintiffs won. [10] The series, which examined the murder of a coal company president with ties to organized crime, won the national Investigative Reporters and Editors Award for reporting from a small newspaper. *, 'Dark Alliance: The CIA, The Contras and the Crack Cocaine Explosion' is published in the UK by Seven Stories Press, priced 11.99, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Webb disagreed with this conclusion.[1][2]. Meneses, an established smuggler and a Contra supporter as well, taught Blandn how to smuggle and provided him with cocaine. "[2], Ceppos noted that Webb did not agree with these conclusions. "[64] Webb's longest response to the controversy was in "The Mighty Wurlitzer Plays On," a chapter he contributed to an anthology of press criticism: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, If we had met five years ago, you wouldn't have found a more staunch defender of the newspaper industry than me And then I wrote some stories that made me realize how sadly misplaced my bliss had been. The first article in "Dark Alliance" that discussed the failure of law enforcement agencies to prosecute Blandn and Meneses had mentioned several cases. The mainstream press, now known as the legacy. Notably, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times ran articles calling his allegations unfounded. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department began its own investigation into the "Dark Alliance" claims.[30]. He also stated "the series presented dangerous ideas" by suggesting "crimes of state had been committed" (i.e. This drug ring "opened the first pipeline between Colombia's cocaine cartels and the black neighborhoods of Los Angeles" and, as a result, "The cocaine that flooded in helped spark a crack explosion in urban America."[23]. gary webb obituary WEBB, Gary W. Age 67, passed away Monday, March 27, 2017 in the home he built in Madison Township. From the outset of his career, Webb distinguished himself by uncovering official malfeasance, winning national . Webb, according to Bell, was a man who, more than most, found that his mood and self-esteem fluctuated in accordance with his professional fortunes. The series follows the stories of several characters whose lives are fated to intersect including CIA operative Teddy McDonald who helps to secure guns for the Contras. Gary Webb, a hero of authentic journalism, an inspiration to truth-seekers around the world, a friend to all of us at Narco News, but now an unemployable outcast in the world of commercial newspapers, took his own life on December 10, 2004. Peter Kornbluh, senior analyst with the George Washington University's National Security Archive, was one of the first to suggest that Webb had overplayed his hand in the Mercury News version of "Dark Alliance". We are in the living room of Bell's house just outside Sacramento, California. Webb conducted a year-long investigation during which he discovered that a San Francisco-based drug ring, which had ties to a CIA-sponsored Nicaraguan contra group called the FDN, sold cocaine to. [17] The Mercury News's coverage of the earthquake won its staff the Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting in 1990. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Get up to 10% off using the Booking.com app, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected product with this eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK April 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this April, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. After divorcing his wife, being unable to obtain work from newspapers and facing increasing debts, Gary was forced to sell his home. He died by suicide on December 10, 2004. When he told me, I said it sounded crazy. Snowfall is an American crime drama television series set in Los Angeles in 1983. "[38], Surprised by The Washington Post article, The Mercury News's executive editor Jerome Ceppos wrote to the Post defending the series. He became an investigator for the California State Legislature, published a book based on the "Dark Alliance" series in 1998, and did freelance investigative reporting. After introducing the three, the first article discussed primarily Blandn and Meneses, and their relationship with the Contras and the CIA. Yes. After divorcing his wife, being unable to obtain work from newspapers and facing increasing debts, Gary was forced to sell his home. "[77], Webb's reporting in "Dark Alliance" remains controversial. ", "Reporter's suicide confirmed by coroner", "Repercussions From Flawed News Articles", "Herhold: Thinking back on journalist Gary Webb and the CIA", Ex-L.A. Times Writer Apologizes for "Tawdry" Attacks, "Gary Webb was no journalism hero, despite what 'Kill the Messenger' says", "Jeremy Renner's 'Kill the Messenger' Gets Fall Release Date", The CIA-Contra-Crack Cocaine Controversy: A Review of the Justice Department's Investigations and Prosecutions, United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Report of Investigation Concerning Allegations of Connections Between CIA and The Contras in Cocaine Trafficking to the United States, Central Intelligence Agency Office of the Inspector General, United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, "Secrecy, Conspiracy, and the Media During the CIA-Contra Affair", Freeway Rick Ross: The Untold Autobiography, "Inside the Dark Alliance: Gary Webb on the CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion", 'A NATURAL STORY': Tribute to 'Dark Alliance' and Journalist Gary Webb, San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center, Archive of Gary Webb stories at Sacramento News and Review, "Frontline: Cocaine, Conspiracy Theories & the C.I.A. [14] In 1984, Webb wrote a story titled Driving Off With Profits which claimed that the promoters of a race in Cleveland paid themselves nearly a million dollars from funds that should have gone to the city of Cleveland. . "Gary Webb was left to fend for himself. [67], Webb later moved to the State Assembly's Office of Majority Services. He was born August 27, 1968 in Saginaw, Michigan to Taylor Jr. and Loretta Webb. [20] The website artwork showed the silhouette of a man smoking a crack pipe superimposed over the CIA seal. It found that CIA officials ignored information about possible Contra drug dealing; that they continued to work with Contra supporters despite allegations that they were trafficking drugs, and further asserted that officials from the CIA instructed Drug Enforcement Agency officers to refrain from investigating alleged dealers connected with the Contras. Survivors include his wife, Karla Webb; their children, Kimberly Ware and husband, Kyle, Laci Higgins and husband, Wesley, Kenna Logan and Heath Webb and . The story had little immediate impact. Gary divorced from his wife in 2000, though the two remained close during his final years. Webb strongly disagreed with Ceppos's column and, in interviews, was harshly critical of the paper's handling of the story. By the late spring of 1996, Webb was ready to publish. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion, CIA involvement in Contra cocaine trafficking, "To readers of our 'Dark Alliance' series", "America's 'crack' plague has roots in Nicaragua war", "War on drugs has unequal impact on black Americans", "Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Inquiry Findings", "The CIA and Crack: Evidence Is Lacking Of Alleged Plot", "Though Evidence Is Thin, Tale of C.I.A. Gary Webb, friends say, was a far more combative character than either the Mercury News's executive editor Ceppos or page editor Garcia. Army. Although he attended Northern Kentucky for four years, he did not finish his degree. Osborn, Barbara Bliss (MarchApril 1998). "The government side of the story is coming through the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post", he stated. When Attorney General Janet Reno determined that a delay was no longer necessary, the report was released unaltered. He was no hero either. 4) The series "created impressions that were open to misinterpretation" through "imprecise language and graphics. As we now know today thanks to Gary's . [45], The Post's response came from the paper's ombudsman, Geneva Overholser. "He told the guys with him he was fine," she recalls, "got back on the bike, then passed out, half an hour later. And it was ignored by the US media, for all of those reasons. "I had to warn Gary that what he was looking at was probably true, but that he would run very big risks," Parry recalls. "As a PhD student, McCoy went to Vietnam and built an absolutely damning case about the CIA's involvement with trafficking heroin. [36] McManus wrote that Blandn's and Meneses's contributions to Contra organizations were significantly less than the "millions" claimed in the series, and stated there was no evidence that the CIA had tried to protect them. Eventually, the media would mostly turn against Webb, attempting to discredit him. Contemporary discussions of the series are discussed in the section on, Webb 2011, "Caltrans Ignored Elevated Freeway Safety. They were outraged by the series's charges.[27]. But "Dark Alliance" was also posted on the Mercury News's website, with the image of a crack smoker superimposed on the CIA badge. Gary Webb sums up the story in his last major interview just days before his death. Despite some hyped phrasing, "Dark Alliance" appears to be praiseworthy investigative reporting."[47]. Going to the CIA to ask if they've ever profited from drug sales in Los Angeles, I suggested to Kornbluh, is rather like asking Fagin if he has ever picked a pocket. He was born January 28, 1950 in Middletown, OH to Paul and Dorothy (Hawkins) Webb. [3], Webb was born in Corona, California. Webb was an assertive figure who drove fast cars and powerful motorcycles, hung heavy metal posters in his office and, at certain times in his life, smoked a fair amount of cannabis. . Webb's continuing reporting also triggered a fourth investigation. He cites the case of Alfred McCoy, now Professor of South East Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin. "It says the CIA helped introduce poison into our children. A 1985 series, "Doctoring the Truth," uncovered problems in the State Medical Board[12] and led to an Ohio House investigation which resulted in major revisions to the state Medical Practice Act. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. It also examined "how CIA handled and responded to information regarding allegations of drug trafficking" by people involved in Contra activities or support. Kill the Messenger, a movie starring Jeremy Renner, just opened, about the life and death of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb, who committed suicide in 2004. Blandn and Meneses were Nicaraguans who smuggled drugs into the U.S. and supplied dealers like Ross. The Pariah. [8] In 1979, Webb married Susan Bell; the couple eventually had three children. In 1997 Ceppos was awarded the US Society of Professional Journalists' National Ethics Award. And the importance of exposing them. Baca claimed that a drug dealer with close links to the CIA had framed her boyfriend, who was also in the cocaine business. "Look at what happened to Gary Webb. [52] Webb was allowed to keep working on the story and made one more trip to Nicaragua in March. The first shot went through his face, and exited at his left cheek. I remain astounded by the editorial decisions they made.". (Strawser) Webb. Numan's real name is Gary Anthony James Webb, and he was born on March 8, 1958. Here's the section from Wikipedia: Webb was found dead in his Carmichael home on December 10, 2004, with two gunshot wounds to the head. The collection, The Killing Game: Selected Stories from the Author of Dark Alliance, was edited by Webb's son, Eric. Webb's pieces were not dealing with nameless peasants slaughtered in some distant republic, but demonstrated a clear link between the CIA and the suppliers of the gangs delivering crack to the ghetto of Watts, in South Central Los Angeles. "I think Kerry learnt a lesson from all this," reporter Robert Parry says. . Video courtesy of documentary FREEWAY: CRACK IN THE SYSTEM premiering on Al Jazeera America in early 2015. Sacramento Bee The Sacramento County Coroner's Office issued a statement Tuesday after receiving calls about investigative journalist Gary Webb's death being caused by more than one wound . ", The report called several of its findings "troubling." Webb followed up Baca's leads at the California State Library, examining Congressional records and FBI reports. The series ran from October 2022, 1996, and was researched by a team of 17 reporters. Its pointed to as one of the clearer cases of CIA intervention as revenge for Webb revealing damaging secrets about the agencies involvement in drug smuggling. Gary Webb's painstaking investigation and the incindiary conclusions he drew from it were based mostly on public records, as detailed in the "notes on sources" section in "Dark Alliance", including: undercover audio tapes, declassified government documents from the CIA, DEA, FBI, L.A. Sheriff's Department, files from the Iran-Contra . [28] Maxine Waters, the representative for California's 35th district, which includes South-Central Los Angeles, was also outraged by the articles and became one of Webb's strongest supporters. His father was a Marine sergeant, and the family moved frequently, as his career took him to new assignments. 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