[39] Carey's critique appeared in mid-October and went through several of the Post's criticisms of the series, including the importance of Blandn's drug ring in spreading crack, questions about Blandn's testimony in court, and how specific series allegations about CIA involvement had been, giving Webb's responses. Gary Webb's Ex-Wife Set to Attend New York Premiere By Richard Horgan October 8, 2014 Cleveland Plain Dealer film critic Clint O'Connor had a solid feature the other day about Kill the. And this is not a happy story - or," she adds, "a little one.". "He told the guys with him he was fine," she recalls, "got back on the bike, then passed out, half an hour later. In the six years he worked at its Sacramento office, he won the HL Mencken award, for a story exposing corruption in California's drug enforcement agency, and his Pulitzer prize - won jointly, as part of a Mercury News team covering the 1990 Loma Prieta earthquake. Dr. Gary A. Webb is a geriatrician in Marco Island, Florida. "He rang me up that day. 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. Am J Mens Health, 2018 Mar 1:1557988318758788. doi: 10.1177/1557988318758788. He also had this inherent belief that the truth could not harm him. [19] The series was published in The Mercury News in three parts, from Sunday, 18 August 1996 to 20 August 1996, with a first long article and one or two shorter articles appearing each day. 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 third article, by Mitchell and Fulwood, covered the effects of crack on African-Americans and how it affected their reaction to some of the rumors that arose after the "Dark Alliance" series. The room is decorated with his trophies: a Pulitzer prize hangs next to his HL Mencken award; also on the wall is a framed advertisement for The Kentucky Post. "If there was an eye to the storm," Katz wrote, "if there was a mastermind behind crack's decade-long reign, if there was one outlaw most responsible for flooding LA's streets with mass-marketed cocaine, his name was Freeway Rick. Jimmy Webb's battle with ex-wife Patsy Sullivan continues - New York Post His death was ruled a suicide by the Sacramento County coroner's office. One of these was a 1986 raid on Blandn's drug organization by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, which the article suggested had produced evidence of CIA ties to drug smuggling that was later suppressed. n 1996, journalist Gary Webb wrote a series of articles under the title "Dark Alliance" for the suggesting a CIA connection between anti-government contras in Nicaragua and monies raised from. Instead, he found work in 1978 as a reporter at the Kentucky Post, a local paper affiliated with the larger Cincinnati Post. Gary Stephen Webb was a Pulitzer prize winning American investigative reporter who exposed cocaine trafficking by the CIA.He wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, which initially backed his articles but later dropped him.Webb was put under pressure most certainly from the CIA under John Deutch for his reporting. 4) The series "created impressions that were open to misinterpretation" through "imprecise language and graphics. What was new about Webb's reports, published under the title "Dark Alliance" in the Californian paper the San Jose Mercury News, was that for the first time it brought the story back home. The story offered no evidence to support such sweeping conclusions, a fatal error that would ultimately destroy Webb, if not his editors. And he finallyyou know, they finally left the country. A time of fellowship and remembrance is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, 2019, at Lake Ridge Chapel and Memorial Designers. According to Walt Bogdanich, a former colleague on the Plain Dealer who has won two Pulitzers and now works for The New York Times, Webb was the best retriever of information from public records he has ever seen. "[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. [37], In 2013, Jesse Katz, a former Los Angeles Times reporter, said of the newspaper's coverage "As an L.A. Times reporter, we saw this series in the San Jose Mercury News and kind of wonder[ed] how legit it was and kind of put it under a microscope, and we did it in a way that most of us who were involved in it, I think, would look back on that and say it was overkill. GARY WEBB was an investigative reporter who focused on government and private sector corruption and who won more than thirty journalism awards. Many writers discussing the series point to errors in it. Gary Webb on the CIA's Role in the 1980s LA Crack Epidemic - Citizen Truth "Gary Webb was left to fend for himself. When Gary originally broke this mind blowing story, the arrogant authority's assumed they could simply ignore him and hope he'd go away. [15], In 1988, Webb was recruited by the San Jose Mercury News, which was looking for an investigative reporter. It was written by Jesse Katz, the same reporter who, less than two years earlier, had described Ross's conglomerate as "the Wal-Mart of crack dealing". ", "After Gary died," she says, "a reporter from the LA Times came here. 'It's just good vibes': Cooper Webb, Eli Tomac in tight Supercross Relationships with other women ended badly. It was an amazing scoop - but one that would ruin his career and drive him to suicide. The story they printed was just awful. On Dec. 9, 2004, the 49-year-old Gary Stephen Webb, Pulitzer prize-winning US investigative journalist, typed out suicide notes to his ex-wife and his three children; he laid out a certificate for his cremation; he taped a note on the door telling movers - who were coming the next morning to move him out of his rental house near Sacramento - to Views on Webb's journalism have been polarized. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department began its own investigation into the "Dark Alliance" claims.[30]. Moreira - a senior news producer for Canal Plus - has established a reputation for courage and independence of mind in his own foreign reporting, and was recently described by Le Monde as "the Che Guevara of news media". It was good that his story forced those reports to come out, but part of what made that happen was based on misleading information. For instance, he published an article on racial profiling in traffic stops in Esquire magazine, in April 1999. My wife has kept me grounded for . [60], The House Intelligence Committee issued its report in February 2000. "Because of Gary Webb's work," said Senator John Kerry, "the CIA launched an investigation that found dozens of connections to drug runners. The February 2000 report by the House Intelligence Committee in turn considered the book's claims as well as the series' claims. But the tragedy had a deeper meaning. Webb is best known for his "Dark Alliance" series, which appeared in The Mercury News in 1996. Asking why crack became so prevalent in the Black community of Los Angeles, the article credited Blandn, referring to him as "the Johnny Appleseed of crack in California. After the announcement of federal investigations into the claims made in the series, other newspapers began investigating, and several papers published articles suggesting the series' claims were overstated. He said: 'No. Born in Corona, California, son of a conservatively minded Marine, he met Bell, whose father was a university lecturer, at high school in Indianapolis. [18], Webb began researching "Dark Alliance" in July 1995. The truth was that, in all those years, I hadn't written anything important enough to suppress. Gary Webb's income source is mostly from being a successful . He was previously married to Sue Bell. Some editors regarded him as stubborn to the point of insolence. Webb took a modestly paid, low-profile job as an investigator with the California State Legislature. Family and friends will gather to celebrate his life of 59 years at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 7, 2019, at Lamesa Continue Reading Leave a Message, Share a Memory A passing motorist - a heavily tattooed young man - gave him a lift home, then returned and stole the motorcycle, which police recovered from him three days after Webb's death. Gary Webb's son on new movie "Kill the Messenger" - YouTube "He thought I was being cowardly. In 1997 Ceppos was awarded the US Society of Professional Journalists' National Ethics Award. Webb, unlike Blum or Kerry, had to face his difficulties alone. Although it did find that both men were major drug dealers, "guilty of enriching themselves at the expense of countless drug users," and that they had contributed money to the Contra cause, "we did not find that their activities were responsible for the crack cocaine epidemic in South Central Los Angeles, much less the rise of crack throughout the nation, or that they were a significant source of support for the Contras. Gary Webb's Death Confirmed as Suicide | Editor and Publisher [67], Webb later moved to the State Assembly's Office of Majority Services. Join iconic brands and world-class marketing leaders at Brandweek to unlock powerful insights and impact-driven strategies. He was born June 18, 1943, in Appleton, son of the late Wilford and Helen (Hauskey) Webb. He made that very clear. After introducing the three, the first article discussed primarily Blandn and Meneses, and their relationship with the Contras and the CIA. [7] After transferring to Northern Kentucky, he entered its journalism program and wrote for the school paper, The Northerner. .article-native-ad strong { A Celebration of Life will be . Gary Webb: Vindicated - Narco News "I think the behaviour of the media in all of this has been amazing," says Bell. Gary's documentation is awesome and his work ethic is unbelievable. 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. When he was engaged, he worked hard. Blandn and Meneses' high-volume supply of low-priced high-purity cocaine "allowed Ross to sew up the Los Angeles market and move on. Meneses, an established smuggler and a Contra supporter as well, taught Blandn how to smuggle and provided him with cocaine. Dec. 13, 2004. It was also posted on The Mercury News website with additional information, including documents cited in the series and audio recordings of people quoted in the articles. "[62] It also found no evidence to support Webb's suggestion that several other drug smugglers mentioned in the series were associated with the CIA, or that anyone associated with the CIA or other intelligence agencies was involved in supplying or selling drugs in Los Angeles.[62]. Noting that most of the activities discussed in the report had nothing to do with the people Webb reported on, Kornbluh told Schou, "I can't say it's a vindication. We're well aware that they/it (the cia) did do it. When he told me, I said it sounded crazy. Webb came home and put his belongings in order, dropping his Kentucky Post poster in the bin. He was sentenced to life in prison, though the sentence was shortened on appeal and Ross was released in 2009. 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 . Gary Webb and 'Kill the Messenger': Reporter played by - cleveland Gary Webb: More Pieces In The Suicided Puzzle - Pt 1 - Rense 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. "Like enjoy it.". The follow-up reporting in the Los Angeles Times and other papers has been criticised for focusing on problems in the series rather than re-examining the earlier CIA-Contra claims. But the report was correct. Blandn and Meneses were Nicaraguans who smuggled drugs into the U.S. and supplied dealers like Ross. Gary Webb | American journalist | Britannica "[38], Surprised by The Washington Post article, The Mercury News's executive editor Jerome Ceppos wrote to the Post defending the series. Both sides were left angry and disappointed. Osborn, Barbara Bliss (MarchApril 1998). "[80], Not all writers agree that the Inspector-General's report supported the series's claims. Nobody who heads a government agency can let such an allegation stand.". When his body was found, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was on the DVD machine, and his favourite CD, Ian Hunter's live album Welcome to the Club, was in the CD player. Gary Webb Obituary (1954 - 2021) - Dorr, MI - Grand Rapids Press "He told me, not long before he died, that he didn't want to get up in the mornings," she says. In an unprecedented move, the then CIA director John Deutch was dispatched to address community leaders in the Watts district of LA. And when he got something in his head, he was determined to do it. [73], On the other hand, many of the writers and editors who worked with him have had high praise for him. Gary Webb, 64, Oroville, Wash., died Oct. 30, 2021. } One of his last articles examined America's Army, a video game designed by the U.S. After examining the investigations and prosecutions of the main figures in the series, Blandn, Meneses and Ross, it concluded that "Although the investigations suffered from various problems of communication and coordination, their successes and failures were determined by the normal dynamics that affect the success of scores of investigations of high-level drug traffickers These factors, rather than anything as spectacular as a systematic effort by the CIA or any other intelligence agency to protect the drug trafficking activities of Contra supporters, determined what occurred in the cases we examined. The series provoked outrage, particularly in the Los Angeles African-American community, and led to four major investigations of its charges. [20] The website artwork showed the silhouette of a man smoking a crack pipe superimposed over the CIA seal. Gary Webb's "Approach Split" in the atrium of 20 Triton Street London. . padding:0!important; Contemporary discussions of the series are discussed in the section on, Webb 2011, "Caltrans Ignored Elevated Freeway Safety. Like Schou, Corn cites the inspector general's report, which he says "acknowledged that the CIA had indeed worked with suspected drugrunners (sic) while supporting the contras. In 1986, Webb wrote an article saying that the Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, Frank D. Celebrezze accepted contributions from groups with organized crime connections. Ross was also released early after cooperating in an investigation of police corruption, but was rearrested a few months later in a sting operation arranged with Blandn's help. So, this is not something you really make a career out of, nor would you want to. A flood of inquiries about Gary Webb's shooting death prompts statement. 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]. [55] Webb eventually chose Cupertino, but was unhappy with the routine stories he was reporting there and the long commute. 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How Kill the Messenger Will Vindicate Investigative Journalist Gary Webb "[55] In June 1997, The Mercury News told Webb it was transferring him from the paper's Sacramento bureau and offered him a choice between working at the main offices in San Jose under closer editorial supervision, or spot reporting in Cupertino; both locations were long commutes from his home in Sacramento. [54] Editors at the paper, on the other hand, felt that Webb had failed to tell them about information that contradicted the series's claims and that he "responded to concerns not with reasoned argument, but with accusations of us selling him out. In 1996, the award-winning journalist Gary Webb uncovered CIA links to Los Angeles drug dealers. *, '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. The third article discussed the social effects of the crack trade, noting that it had a disparate effect on African-Americans. This is why Webb's "Dark Alliance" series is an essential source, a primary text that every journalism student should study. Webb, Gary Gary T. Webb, age 67, of Hamilton, Michigan, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family Thursday, November 11, 2021. To Read the Full Story Become an Adweek+ Subscriber. Parry, the first reporter to write about the US authorities' drug-running on behalf of the Contras, had survived a campaign by the White House to discredit first his story, then his reputation. When Ross discovered the market for crack in Los Angeles, he began buying cocaine from Blandn. According to the report's "Epilogue," the report was completed in December 1997 but was not released because the DEA was still attempting to use Danilo Blandn in an investigation of international drug dealers and was concerned that the report would affect the viability of the investigation. [69], Webb was found dead in his Carmichael home on December 10, 2004, with two gunshot wounds to the head. In the column, Ceppos defended parts of the article, writing that the series had "solidly documented" that the drug ring described in the series did have connections with the Contras and did sell large quantities of cocaine in inner-city Los Angeles. While police were preparing the case against her boyfriend, Baca alleged, officers had disclosed documents which revealed that one of her lover's associates had been working for the Contras. Ross was a major drug dealer in Los Angeles. margin-bottom: 20px; And "we really didn't do anything to advance his work or illuminate much to the story, and it was a really kind of tawdry exercise. Attorneys' Offices. He went into the bedroom, and picked up a .38 that had belonged to his father. "I had to warn Gary that what he was looking at was probably true, but that he would run very big risks," Parry recalls. [39] The Post refused to print his letter. I felt weak and distressed; the whole thing was so fresh. For two years, Blum and Kerry supervised the interrogation of dozens of witnesses who described CIA-related drug deals in central America. His wife is Sue Webb (m. 1979-2000) Gary Webb Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. His assignments included investigating racial profiling by the California Highway Patrol and charges that the Oracle Corporation had received a no-bid contract award of $95 million in 2001. In city after city, local dealers either bought from Ross or got left behind."[24]. Gary was preceded in death by his mother and father, Donna and James Webb of Carpentersville. [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. We had been here before." [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. "[72] California Representative Maxine Waters, who was Webb's strongest supporter in Congress after the "Dark Alliance" controversy broke, issued a statement after Webb's death calling him "one of the finest investigative journalists that our country has ever seen.