How the fake news killed gary webb the impious digest. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Gary webb august 31, 1955 december 10, 2004 was a pulitzer prizewinning american investigative journalist. Oct 17, 2014 but webb was a real person who wrote a real story, a threepart series called dark alliance, in august 1996 for the san jose mercury news, one of the flagship newspapers of the thenmighty. Webb discusses the dark alliance controversy, including the governments refusal. Oct 24, 2014 gary webb sums up the story in his last major interview just days before his death.
The cia, the contras, and the cocaine explosion kindle edition by webb, gary, waters, maxine. Aug 18, 2006 the truth in dark alliance by nick schou. With the release of the film kill the messenger this week, there is bound to be an uptick in media discussions about gary webb, the crusading investigative journalist whose 1996 dark alliance series forms the basis of the movie webbs reporting for the san jose mercury news cast a harsh light on the links between the ciabacked contras in nicaragua and drug trafficking in the united states. Yet webb became unemployable for telling the truth. Sep 25, 2014 carrying the full title dark alliance. Frequently identified as a conspiracy theory in mainstream. Jerry ceppos and the burning memory of gary webb by luis a. Oct 01, 2014 gary webb pushed his investigation even further in his book, dark alliance. Gary webb talks about the dark alliance controversy video. Dark alliance by gary webb penguin books australia.
I read the entire dark alliance series by gary webb in the san jose mercury and was very sad when i learned of webbs suicide. But if there is any justice, he will be remembered favorably. Gary webb was american investigative journalist, pulitzer prize winner. The cia, the contras and the crack cocaine explosion.
Frequently identified as a conspiracy theory in mainstream press coverage, webbs work evoked widespread african american support. Webb resigned from the paper and later wrote one of the first articles about driving while black for esquire magazine. In july 1995, san jose mercurynews reporter gary webb found the big. Gary webb san jose mercury news aug 1996 permalink. Dark alliance was a series written by californiabased reporter webb and published in the san jose mercury news in 1996. The dark alliance gary webbs incendiary 1996 sj mercury news expose aug 22, 1996 cocaine pipeline financed rebels evidence points to cia knowing of highvolume drug network by gary webb san jose mercury news for the better part of a decade, a san francisco bay area drug ring sold tons of cocaine to the crips and.
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. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion. He discussed his book, headline news and responded to audience telephone calls, faxes, and. In it, he claimed the contra rebels in nicaragua were shipping cocaine into. Sep 26, 20 in 1999, seven stories press published webb s dark alliance. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion 2 the irancontra connection. He was one of six reporters at the san jose mercury news to win a 1990 pulitzer prize for general news. Read dark alliance pdf the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion by gary webb seven stories press major motion picture based. Oct 14, 2018 gary webbs claims in the dark alliance report were bold. Read dark alliance pdf the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion by gary webb seven stories press major motion picture. Crack in the system premiering on al jazeera america in early 2015. In 1998, cia inspector general frederick hitz substantiated webbs charges in two reports. In 1996, gary stephen webb was best known for his three part article series, dark alliance. Because of gary webbs work, said senator john kerry, the cia launched an.
An awardwinning investigative reporter, gary webb 19552004 is best known for his dark alliance series that linked a northern california drug ring with the cia and the united states burgeoning crack epidemic. He also published the book dark alliance seven stories press, 1999. Webbs bold, controversial reporting was the target of a famously vicious media backlash that. The real gary webb talks about his 1996 story dark alliance, which criticizes the cias involvement or lack thereof with regard to the cocaine coming into the u. But webb was a real person who wrote a real story, a threepart series called dark alliance, in august 1996 for the san jose mercury news, one of. When the story first appeared in 1996 on the website of the san jose mercury news, it became an unprecedented internet sensation, receiving up to 1.
Secret teams and covert operations in the reagan era 1987, jonathan marshall, peter dale scott 3 the mighty wurlitzer. Dark alliance gary webb the cia, the contras, and the crack. The cia, the contras and the crack cocaine explosion from seven stories press. The opening about this series teaser made it clear that the times pieces would explicitly address, and deny, the validity of all the main assertions in dark alliance. These citations are software generated and may contain errors. Key figures in ciacrack cocaine scandal begin to come forward.
This is why webb s dark alliance series is an essential source, a primary text that every journalism student should study. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion, was the journalist with the san jose mercury news who caused such a fuss two years ago when his series of articles pointed to central intelligence agency cia complicity in the crack cocaine epidemic. This is why webbs dark alliance series is an essential source, a primary text that every journalism student should study. Webb resigned from the mercury news in december 1997. In 1999, seven stories press published webbs dark alliance. Facing increasing public scrutiny from the fallout after webbs dark alliance series, the cia conducted its own internal investigations. Gary webb sums up the story in his last major interview just days before his death. 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.
The original series claimed that, in order to help raise funds for efforts against the nicaraguan. In july 1995, san jose mercurynews reporter gary webb found the big one the. Dark alliance by gary stephen webb 622 words bartleby. Backers of cialed nicaraguan rebels brought cocaine to poor l. Webb, a mer cury news staff writer, published his series in august. The cia, the contras, and the cocaine explosion by gary webb in doc, rtf, txt download ebook. It is a story now told in the hollywood film, kill the messenger, based on the book of the same name by nick schou and webbs dark alliance. Webb discusses the dark alliance controversy, including the governments refusal to respond to his story and the medias desire to kill it. If adding books to this author, please use garywebb.
To verify accuracy, check the appropriate style guide. Review by conspiracy nation dark alliance by gary webb. His book demonstrates that the original expose was on the right track. The story behind the crack explosion, webbs series reported that in addition to waging a proxy war for the u. Gary stephen webb was an investigative reporter, focusing on government and private sector corruption and winning more than 30 journalism awards. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion, was the journalist with the san jose mercury news who caused. The book is based on dark alliance, webb s threepart investigative series published in the san jose mercury news in august 1996. Read dark alliance pdf the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion pdf dark alliance ebook by gary webb pdf get dark. In the dark alliance, drawing from the newly declassified documents, undercover dea drug enforcement administration audio and videotapes that had never been publicly released, federal court testimony, and interviews, webb demonstrates how us government knowingly allowed massive amounts of drugs and money to change hands at the expense of communities. Meanwhile the reagan government waged a strident, hypocritical war against drugs. There is more than one author in the goodreads database with this name. Gary webb was no journalism hero, despite what kill the. O wish he had taken a kind of sabbatical and perhaps moved to costa.
These articles were first written for the san jose mercury news before later being published into a book. Saint gary webb by charlie hardy, february 10, 2005. Within the this audiobook version of dark alliance, webb produces a. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion, complete with extensive source citations. Oct 07, 2014 with the release of the film kill the messenger this week, there is bound to be an uptick in media discussions about gary webb, the crusading investigative journalist whose 1996 dark alliance series forms the basis of the movie. How the cia watched over the destruction of gary webb.
Webbs bold, controversial reporting was the target of a famously vicious media. Gary stephen webb august 31, 1955 december 10, 2004 was an americaninvestigative reporter best known for his 1996 dark alliance series of articles written for the san jose mercury news and later published as a book. Dark alliance a threepart investigation into links between the cocaine trade, nicaraguas ciabacked contra rebels, and californias crack epidemic in the 1980s. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. Today, it is hard to say how webb will be remembered by history. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion is a 1998 book by journalist gary webb. Gary webbs claims in the dark alliance report were bold. Jan 24, 2015 webb resigned from the paper and later wrote one of the first articles about driving while black for esquire magazine. Dark alliance gary webb the cia, the contras, and the. The mainstream media largely dismissed webbs conclusions and portrayed the black community as gullible conspiracy advocates.
1360 1564 1162 1038 937 243 1493 885 1501 1593 545 812 565 1593 316 693 934 1061 391 1154 540 277 894 590 1573 550 990 1193 62 1263 1603 1558 1261 1584 1109 744 1580 145 1288 182 1139 600 676 763 424 217 474 1357