Its a sad sight, especially at a time when real journalism is shriveling and in retreat, including in the washington post news room. Oct 10, 2014 investigative reporter gary webb linked the cia to americas introduction to crack cocaine. So when gary webb revived the contracocaine issue in august 1996 with a 20,000word, threepart series entitled dark alliance 81896, 81996, 82096, editors at major newspapers already had a powerful selfinterest to slap down a story that they had disparaged for the past decade. Webb created a great of controversy when in 1996 he wrote a series of articles claiming that supporters of a ciabacked guerrilla army in nicaragua helped trigger americas crackcocaine epidemic in the 1980s. Back in 1996, gary webb of the san jose mercury news broke a story stating not only that the nicaraguan contras supported by the united states in a rebellion against their leftleaning government were involved in the us crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s, but also that the cia knew and turned a blind eye to the operation. Mar 21, 2015 the cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb in 1996, journalist gary webb began looking into links between nicaraguas drugrunning contra rebels and the cia. Decadesold cia crackcocaine scandal gains new momentum. Backers of cialed nicaraguan rebels brought cocaine to poor l. Gary webb on the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion, audio interviews 19971998 with gary webb from democracy now. Gary webb proves that at the very least the us government at the highest levels knew about and protected contra connected nicaraguans who were smuggling massive amounts of cocaine into america and more or less created and caused the crack cocaine epidemic in the 1980s. How the cias crackcocaine controversy destroyed journalist gary webb schou, nick, bowden, charles on. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy studies. Watch a short video of gary webb, included on the unreleased dark alliance cdrom quicktime format. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in.
Kill the messenger recalls a reporter wrongly disgraced. Gary webb is the former san jose mercury news reporter whose 1996 dark alliance series on the socalled ciacrack cocaine connection created a firestorm of controversy and led to his resignation from the paper amid escalating attacks on his work by the mainstream media. The story of gary webb, a us reporter who linked the cia to a crack cocaine conspiracy. Mar 01, 2005 in 1996, journalist gary webb wrote a series of articles that forced a longoverdue investigation of a very dark chapter of recent u. Journalist gary webb who exposed cia cocaine trafficking. How the cia watched over the destruction of gary webb. Gary webb, the pulitzer prizewinning reporter who broke the story of the cias involvement in the importation of cocaine into the u. Webb spoke about the deep corruption of the cia, how they worked with drug dealers to financially support the contras, and how this fueled the crack cocaine problem in l. Starring jeremy renner as the late gary webb, the movie of webbs investigation of the cias contracocaine scandal and of webbs destruction by mainstream news outlets is set to begin filming this summer. Cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking wikipedia. He was one of six reporters at the san jose mercury news to win a 1990 pulitzer prize for general news reporting for a series of stories on the collapse of the cypress street viaduct during northern californias 1989 earthquake.
More than 18 years have passed since pulitzer prizewinning journalist gary webb stunned the world with his dark alliance newspaper series investigating the connections between the cia, a crack cocaine explosion in. Gary webb was american investigative journalist, pulitzer prize winner. Journalist gary webb, california 1996, started investigating cias. Either katz was guilty of of vast exaggeration in 1994 or of playing down evidence that he had in 1996. Narco news solidarity letter from gary webb, march 16,2001. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb in 1996, journalist gary webb began looking into links between nicaraguas drugrunning contra rebels and the cia. Gary webb, the journalist who busted the cia for selling crack. Gary webb was born on august 31, 1955 in corona, california, usa as gary stephen webb.
The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion by gary webb 1,247 ratings, 4. Gary webb was no journalism hero, despite what kill the messenger says, read the recent washington post oped headline. Webbs story made the extraordinary claim that the central intelligence agency was responsible for the crack cocaine epidemic in america. Eighteen years after it was published, dark alliance, the san jose mercury newss bombshell investigation into links between the cocaine. Gary webb gary webb exposed, in his dark alliance series, how cialed nicaraguan rebels brought cocaine to poor l. The secret flow of drugs and money, webb reported, had a direct link to the subsequent explosion of crack cocaine abuse that had devastated californias most vulnerable african american. Gary webb was an investigative reporter, focusing on government and private sector corruption and winning more than 30 journalism awards. Webb is best known for his dark alliance series, which appeared in the mercury news in 1996. Author and investigative journalist nick schou published numerous. Webb made history, then quickly fell from grace, with his 20,000word 1996 investigation, dark alliance, in which the san jose mercury news reported that crack cocaine was being peddled in l. The secret flow of drugs and money, webb reported, had a direct link to the crack epidemic that devastated californias most vulnerable african american neighborhoods. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion is a 1998 book by journalist gary webb.
In august 1996, webb wrote one of the first pieces of journalism that reached a massive audience thanks to the internet. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack institute for policy. Crack in the system premiering on al jazeera america in early 2015. The original series claimed that, in order to help raise funds for efforts against the nicaraguan. The book is based on dark alliance, webb s threepart investigative series published in the san jose mercury news in august 1996. Investigative reporter gary webb linked the cia to americas introduction to crack cocaine.
Gary webb pushed his investigation even further in his book, dark alliance. Gary webb, american investigative journalist who wrote a threepart series for the san jose mercury news in 1996 on connections between the central intelligence agency cia, the u. It started when webb wrote a series of three articles for the san jose mercury news in 1996 dubbed dark alliance. Journalist gary webb was discredited for his 1996 investigative report linking the cia to crack cocaine that devastated vulnerable black neighborhoods. The cia, contras, gangs, and crack based on a yearlong investigation, reporter gary webb wrote that during the 1980s the cia helped finance its covert war against nicaraguas leftist government through sales of cutrate cocaine to south central l.
How the cias crack cocaine controversy destroyed journalist gary webb, will be published in october. Gary webb is the former san jose mercury news reporter whose 1996 dark alliance series on the socalled cia crack cocaine connection created a firestorm of controversy and led to his resignation from the paper amid escalating attacks on his work by the mainstream media. As they entered the door, a note attached to it said, please do. Gary webb 19552004 back dope inc authentic journalism is telling people something that the government doesnt want them to know. The charges of cia involvement in contra cocaine trafficking were revived in 1996, when a newspaper series by reporter gary webb in the san jose mercury news claimed that the trafficking had played an important role in the creation of the crack cocaine drug problem in the united states. An august, 1996, series in the san jose mercury news by reporter gary webb linked the origins of crack cocaine in california to the contras. In his report, webb who had won a pulitzer in 1989 for a different story claimed that the cia was partly responsible for bringing crack cocaine to the united states in the 1980s. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come. In 1996, a bombshell report by journalist gary webb claimed that the central intelligence agency cia supported cocaine trafficking into the u.
Crack, cigarettes, and the arrival of gary by george sanchez, march 3, 2003. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion 2nd revised edition by gary webb isbn. How the cias crackcocaine controversy destroyed journalist gary webb, will be published in october. Gary stephen webb august 31, 1955 december 10, 2004 was an american investigative journalist. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia. An investigative journalist, gary webb became interested in the covert activities of the central intelligence agency.
The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb telegraph. Sep 20, 2019 the secret flow of drugs and money, webb reported, had a direct link to the crack epidemic that devastated californias most vulnerable african american neighborhoods. This is why webb s dark alliance series is an essential source, a primary text that every journalism student should study. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. Despite what a new movie says about the reporter who linked the cia and crack. It was a tragic end to a brilliant, and tragic, career. Aug 18, 2006 nick schou is an editor for oc weekly.
San jose mercury news reporter gary webb the new york times. He died on december 10, 2004 in carmichael, california. With jeremy renner, robert patrick, jena sims, robert pralgo. Oct 24, 2014 gary webb sums up the story in his last major interview just days before his death. It is about an investigative reporter named gary webb who got involved in investigating a drug dealer who was affiliated with the cia.
In january, it was revealed that the dea allows mexicos biggest cartel to traffic drugs in the us in exchange for information. After gary webb spent more than a year of intense investigative reporting and weeks of drafting, his editors at the san jose mercury news decided to run his threepart series late last august, when the nations focus was divided between politics and vacation. On kill the messenger and the ongoing legacy of gary webb in 2014, gary webbs life was memorialized in the biopic kill the messenger, which recounted the tragic turn webbs life took following his controversial series on the ciacrack cocaine connection. He was a writer, known for kill the messenger 2014, filming in georgia 2015 and crack in america 2015. This combination of factors led to the next phase of the contracocaine battle. Kill the messenger recounts the life of gary webb, who reported on links between the c.
The contras, cocaine, and covert operations national security archive electronic briefing book no. Amongst webb s fundamental problems was his implication that the cia lit the crack cocaine fuse. Aug 31, 2018 such is the case with journalist gary webb, who would have turned 63 years old on saturday. Webb made history, then quickly fell from grace, with his 20,000word 1996 investigation, dark alliance, in which the san jose mercury news reported that crack cocaine was being peddled in. How the cias crack cocaine controversy destroyed journalist gary webb schou, nick, bowden, charles on. Oct 17, 2014 it is the salient lesson of the gary webb affair. Decadesold cia crackcocaine scandal gains new momentum rt. Dark alliance was a series written by californiabased reporter webb and published in the san jose mercury news in 1996. Aug 06, 2018 gary webb, the pulitzer prizewinning reporter who broke the story of the cias involvement in the importation of cocaine into the u. If hollywood gets the story right, it will be a dark and enlightening tale. He discussed his book, headline news and responded to audience telephone calls, faxes, and.
Gary webb was no journalism hero, despite what kill the. Drawing from then newly declassified documents, undercover dea audio and videotapes that had never been publicly released, federal court testimony, and interviews, webb demonstrates how our government knowingly. I n a scene from the new movie kill the messenger, investigative reporter gary webb played by. Amongst webbs fundamental problems was his implication that the cia lit the crack cocaine fuse. How the cias crackcocaine controversy destroyed journalist gary webb. In 1996, investigative reporter gary webb broke the prior story that the cia was implicated in trafficking crack cocaine into the united states. I think i was fifteen 1970 or 1971, i was working for my high school paper, and i was writing editorials.
Webb s series led to three federal investigations, none of. The story behind the crack explosion, initially sank between the republican and. He began his career working for newspapers in kentucky. Freeway rick ross on how he introduced crack to the u. Sep 25, 2014 the secret flow of drugs and money, webb reported, had a direct link to the subsequent explosion of crack cocaine abuse that had devastated californias most vulnerable african american. Here are 10 things to know about gary webb and his report that linked the cia to crack cocaine. In his own words 2004, video of interview with gary webb from guerrilla news network inside the dark alliance.
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