He was assigned to its Sacramento bureau, where he was allowed to choose most of his own stories. 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. "Which was that, if he wanted a future within the political establishment of the United States, then he should concentrate on other aspects of life.". The other article, citing interviews with current and former intelligence and law-enforcement officials, questioned the importance of the drug dealers discussed in the series, both in the crack cocaine trade and in supporting the Nicaraguan Contras' fight against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. When he was engaged, he worked hard. .article-native-ad { Although he attended Northern Kentucky for four years, he did not finish his degree. A Celebration of Life will be . The first effect of the onslaught was to ease the pressure on the CIA. In a three-part series published in the San Jose Mercury News, "Dark Alliance," Webb alleges that not only was the CIA aware cocaine sold in the U.S. during the 1980s was funding the Nicaraguan Contras, they were complicit in its distribution. Dr. Gary A. Webb, MD | Marco Island, FL | Geriatrician | US News Doctors Gary Webb Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family It was published in 1998 as Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion. [81], Peter Kornbluh, a researcher at George Washington University's National Security Archives, also does not agree that the report vindicated the series. By this stage, he was prepared to work as a jobbing reporter. Like the CIA and Justice Department reports, it also found that neither Blandn, Meneses, nor Ross were associated with the CIA. According to Bell, Webb had been unhappy for some time over his inability to get a job at another major newspaper. The link between drug-running and the Reagan regime's support for the right-wing terrorist group throughout the 1980s had been public knowledge for over a decade. [44], Ceppos' column drew editorial responses from both The New York Times and The Washington Post. [55] Webb eventually chose Cupertino, but was unhappy with the routine stories he was reporting there and the long commute. 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. "Everyone got out and left the person who had made the noise - issued the report - alone. [65], After leaving The Mercury News, Webb worked as an investigator for the California State Legislature. Unfortunately, the railroading of Gary Webb had begun and he was run over. "Because of Gary Webb's work," said Senator John Kerry, "the CIA launched an investigation that found dozens of connections to drug runners. [13] Webb then moved to the paper's statehouse bureau, where he covered statewide issues and won numerous regional journalism awards. By the end of September, three federal investigations had been announced: an investigation into the CIA allegations conducted by CIA Inspector-General Frederick Hitz, an investigation into the law enforcement allegations by Justice Department Inspector-General Michael Bromwich, and a second investigation into the CIA by the House Intelligence Committee. Regarding issues raised in the series's shorter sidebar stories, it found that some in the government were "not eager" to have DEA agent Celerino Castillo "openly probe" activities at Ilopango Airport in El Salvador, where covert operations in support of the Contras were undertaken, and that the CIA had indeed intervened in a case involving smuggler Julio Zavala. "Looking back," she says, "I think Gary had been obsessed with suicide for some time. [32], The New York Times published two articles on the series in mid-October, both written by reporter Tim Golden. Webb was born in Corona, California. "He had six in a short period of time." Gary Webb Obituary (2009) - Elgin, IL - Elgin Courier News - Legacy.com font-size: 34px; Some editors regarded him as stubborn to the point of insolence. "[74] Mary Anne Sharkey, Webb's editor at The Plain Dealer, told writer Alicia Shepard in 1997 that Webb was known as 'the carpenter' "because he had everything nailed down. She kept crying about how terrible it all was - by which I mean that she was, physically, crying. After a local newspaper reported that Webb had died from multiple gunshots, the coroner's office received so many calls asking about Webb's death that Sacramento County Coroner Robert Lyons issued a statement confirming Webb had died by suicide. He stayed home, playing computer games, and began smoking cannabis heavily. Family (1) Gary Webb famously died of two gun shot wounds to the head and - reddit When Webb's body was discovered last December, Bell says, this last item had been dumped in the trash. A secret deal allowed drugs to go unreported by the DCI. ", The significant legacy of the Webb case, "the reason this whole affair remains so significant today," Blum says, "is this: the knowledge that, if one individual dares raise such serious issues, they risk confronting a tremendous apparatus that is prepared to whack them hard, and there is very little they can expect by way of support. } 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. Thank you." When Gary originally broke this mind blowing story, the arrogant authority's assumed they could simply ignore him and hope he'd go away. Do something else with your life," the voice urges. Gary Webb's Ex-Wife Set to Attend New York Premiere - Adweek [43] He did this in a column that appeared on November 3, defending the series, but also committing the paper to a review of major criticisms. "[77], Webb's reporting in "Dark Alliance" remains controversial. [72] A New York Times profile of Webb in June 1997 noted that two of his series written for the Cleveland Plain Dealer had resulted in lawsuits that the paper had settled. Why bring up old white people atrocities against black people now? Obituary | GARY HAYS WEBB of Neenah, Wisconsin | WESTGOR FUNERAL HOMES Baca claimed that a drug dealer with close links to the CIA had framed her boyfriend, who was also in the cocaine business. "He rang me up that day. Calling the Post's overall focus "misplaced", Overholser expressed regret that the paper had not taken the opportunity to re-examine whether the CIA had overlooked Contra involvement in drug smuggling, "a subject The Post and the public had given short shrift. How Gary Webb Linked The CIA To The Crack Epidemic - All That's Interesting "I'd get discouraged," she said, "but I never really gave up hope." Back in 1997, SN&R brought the controversy about Gary Webb to readers with "Secrets and Lies," a cover story about why the mainstream media attacked . [65], Within "The Mighty Wurlitzer Plays On" essay Webb stated he believed there was an active "collusion between the press and the powerful" to report freely on inconsequential matters, "but when it comes to the real down and dirty stuff We begin to see the limits of our freedoms". Gary's story, however, is far from over and could never be killed by something as trivial as a material bullet. He was sentenced to life in prison, though the sentence was shortened on appeal and Ross was released in 2009. line-height:1.5; [40] Ceppos also asked reporter Pete Carey to write a critique of the series for publication in The Mercury News, and had the controversial website artwork changed. In February, Gary Webb gave his ex-wife. Gary Douglas Webb of Radnor, PA, passed away on October 19, 2021 Born January 3rd, 1943 in Montreal, Quebec, he was the son of the late John Douglas Webb and the late Jeannie (Penny) Hardie. One time he called me and he said: 'I have this plan that will benefit us both.' According to Schou, the investigation "confirmed key chunks of Webb's allegations." Cuts and amendments were made at the request of Ceppos, executive editor of the Mercury News, and Webb's immediate editor Dawn Garcia, among others. Webb's condition exacerbated his natural recklessness. But you say - dear God. 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. border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; He concluded, "How did these shortcomings occur? Webb moved his wife and two young children to a suburb and continued a tradition he had started in Cleveland, restoring their small house with the help of how-to books, installing wainscoting and custom tile, new cabinets and gardens, while putting in overtime at the paper. "The first story he had to file was about a police horse which had died of constipation.". [61] According to the report, it used Webb's reporting and writing as "key resources in focusing and refining the investigation." "I think the behaviour of the media in all of this has been amazing," says Bell. *, '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. Gary is survived by his wife of 48 years, Beverly Webb; children Margaret . 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. [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. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? The first article in "Dark Alliance" that discussed the failure of law enforcement agencies to prosecute Blandn and Meneses had mentioned several cases. GARY WEBB was an investigative reporter who focused on government and private sector corruption and who won more than thirty journalism awards. What he found, he wrote later, "nearly knocked me off my chair". "He definitely was depressed. [71] When asked by local reporters about the possibility of two gunshots being a suicide, Lyons replied "It's unusual in a suicide case to have two shots, but it has been done in the past, and it is in fact a distinct possibility." Webb became a staff reporter for the San Jose Mercury News in 1988. According to Corn, Webb "was wrong on some important details, but he was, in a way, closer to the truth than many of his establishment media critics who neglected the story of the real CIA-contra-cocaine connection." "He was crying. I felt she really trashed me. The legendary civil-rights activist Dick Gregory was arrested while he protested outside the CIA's headquarters; Gregory began referring to the organisation as "Crack in America". ", "After Gary died," she says, "a reporter from the LA Times came here. Gary Webb Obituary (1954 - 2021) - Dorr, MI - Grand Rapids Press The Death of Gary Webb - Beyond Chron .article-native-ad svg { padding-left: 10px!important; Every year since investigative journalist Gary Webb took his own life in 2004, I have marked the anniversary of that sad event by recalling the debt that American history owes to Webb for his. Sheriff: Fatal Blue Grass house fire rule 'undetermined, but accidental' Gary E. Webb, a dedicated husband, dad, pappy, coach, mentor, teacher, supporter, hero, and best friend, was called home by the Lord while surrounded by family. "I told Gary not to go near this story," his source replies, in an emotional voice. 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. Garry Webb wrote the 1996 "Dark Alliance" series for the San Jose. He also had this inherent belief that the truth could not harm him. Man Donates Liver To Ex-Wife - CBS News Webb's corpse was found in the bedroom, with two gunshot wounds to the head. Shortly before I left for Sacramento, Moreira, who knew Webb, had shown me unbroadcast footage which shows the French reporter making a phone call to a media commentator in the US, asking him about Webb's death. The Mercury News reporter came under sustained attack from the weightier US newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and, especially, the Los Angeles Times, infuriated at being scooped, on its own patch, by what it saw as a small-town paper. Gary Stephen Webb (August 31, 1955 December 10, 2004) was an American investigative journalist. "They use the giant corporate press rather than saying anything directly. Webb's ex-wife, Stokes, now remarried and still living in Sacramento, had heard it all before, too. LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 - Gary Webb, a reporter who won national attention with a series of articles, later discredited, linking the Central Intelligence Agency to the spread of crack . It was accurate. [20] The website artwork showed the silhouette of a man smoking a crack pipe superimposed over the CIA seal. Gary-Webb TL, Walker EA, Realmuto L, Kamler A, Lukin J, Tyson W, Carrasquillo O, Weiss L. Translation of the National Diabetes Prevention Program to Engage Men in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods in New York City: A Description of Power Up for Health. 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 was truthful. ", Many of these are in the series archive at. Their explosive report, which appeared in 1989, was either ignored, or marginalised, by the American press. "That's right," says Blum. When she got indignant," she adds, "he went to meet her.". "I had to warn Gary that what he was looking at was probably true, but that he would run very big risks," Parry recalls. But as Krim told Webb's biographer Nick Schou, "The zeal that helped make Gary a relentless reporter was coupled with an inability to question himself, to entertain the notion that he might have erred. A January 1997 article in American Journalism Review noted that a 1994 series Webb wrote had also been the subject of a Mercury News internal review that criticized Webb's reporting. 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. For two years, Blum and Kerry supervised the interrogation of dozens of witnesses who described CIA-related drug deals in central America. 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. .article-native-ad strong { Herhold: Thinking back on journalist Gary Webb and the CIA He also stated "the series presented dangerous ideas" by suggesting "crimes of state had been committed" (i.e. [41], When the Los Angeles Times series appeared, Ceppos again wrote to defend the original series. Gary Hays Webb, 78, passed away on Monday May 9, 2022, at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center, Neenah. ", The report called several of its findings "troubling." Hired by the San Jose Mercury News, Webb contributed to the paper's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake. Writing on the Los Angeles Times opinion page, Schou said, "Webb asserted, improbably, that the Blandn-Meneses-Ross drug ring opened 'the first pipeline between Colombia's cocaine cartels and the black neighborhoods of Los Angeles,' helping to 'spark a crack explosion in urban America.' 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. Webb disagreed with this conclusion.[1][2]. 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. It was an amazing scoop - but one that would ruin his career and drive him to suicide. Attorneys' Offices. The Open Mic: A Few Words with Cinematographer Ian Webb When Ross discovered the market for crack in Los Angeles, he began buying cocaine from Blandn. My wife has kept me grounded for . Corrie had primary biliary cirrhosis, a genetic liver disease that already had. Gary Numan's superfan wife had 'body lift' and exploding breasts Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Gary Webb - Lake Ridge Chapel & Memorial Designers Jeff Leen, assistant managing editor for investigative reporting at The Washington Post, wrote in a 2014 opinion page article that "the report found no CIA relationship with the drug ring Webb had written about." In a 2013 article in the LA Weekly, Schou wrote that Webb was "vindicated by a 1998 CIA Inspector General report, which revealed that for more than a decade the agency had covered up a business relationship it had with Nicaraguan drug dealers like Blandn. When his medical insurance expired, he stopped taking his antidepressants. By the late spring of 1996, Webb was ready to publish. But the report was correct. Webb's ex wife, Susan Bell told reporters that she believed Webb had died by suicide. 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.
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