Gary Webb: The Fearless Investigative Journalist

Gary Stephen Webb, born on August 31, 1955, was a renowned investigative journalist from the United States.

He kickstarted his professional journey by working for newspapers in Kentucky and Ohio, where he gained recognition for his exceptional investigative writing skills and was honored with several awards.

Gary Stephen Webb's most notable work is the "Dark Alliance" series that was published in The Mercury News in 1996. The series delves into the roots of the crack cocaine trade in Los Angeles and alleges that the Contra rebels in Nicaragua, who were opposed to the communist government, played a significant role in establishing the trade.

The profits from cocaine were purportedly used to fund their activities against the Nicaraguan government.

The series also suggested that the CIA was aware of and potentially even complicit in these activities. The publication of the "Dark Alliance" series sparked widespread anger, particularly among the African-American community in Los Angeles, and resulted in four major investigations into the allegations made in the series.

Following the publication of the "Dark Alliance" series in The Mercury News in 1996, several major newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, published articles challenging the accuracy and validity of the claims made in the series. In November of the same year, Jerome Ceppos, the executive editor at The Mercury News, discussed the intense scrutiny the publication faced in relation to the series.

In May 1997, after conducting an internal review, Ceppos acknowledged that while the series was correct on many important points, there were deficiencies in the writing, editing, and production of the series.

He stated that the series may have oversimplified the complex issue of the crack epidemic in the United States and the alleged significant role played by the drug dealers mentioned in the series. However, Webb disagreed with Ceppos' assessment of the series.

In December 1997, Gary Stephen Webb resigned from The Mercury News. Following his departure, he worked as an investigator for the California State Legislature and also pursued freelance investigative reporting.

In 1998, Webb published a book titled "Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion," which further explored the allegations made in his "Dark Alliance" series. The book provided additional evidence and information to support his claims that the CIA was aware of and potentially involved in the drug trafficking activities of the Contras.

Throughout his career, Webb was known for his fearless pursuit of investigative journalism and his willingness to take on powerful institutions. Despite the controversy surrounding the "Dark Alliance" series, he remained committed to uncovering the truth and shedding light on issues that he believed were being overlooked or deliberately concealed.

Gary Webb's Death

Gary Stephen Webb was discovered dead in his Carmichael residence on December 10, 2004, with two gunshot wounds to his head.

The Sacramento County coroner's office declared his death a s-uicide, as described by the Los Angeles Times. It was reported that Webb used a .38 revolver, which he positioned near his right ear, and the first shot exited through his left cheek. The coroner's team concluded that the second shot had caused damage to an artery.

Following a local newspaper's report that Webb had died from multiple gunshot wounds, the Sacramento County Coroner's office was inundated with inquiries about the cause of death. To address the public's concerns, Coroner Robert Lyons released a statement confirming Webb's death was by s-uicide. Although it was uncommon for a suicide case to involve two gunshots, Lyons stated that it was a possibility.

At the time of Webb's death, rumors were widespread on the internet that he was murdered as revenge for his "Dark Alliance" series, which had been published eight years before.

However, Webb's ex-wife, Susan Bell, believed that he had died by suicide due to his recent struggles to secure employment at a major newspaper and his financial difficulties, including selling his house a week before his death.

After Webb's death, a collection of his works, including pieces written before and after the "Dark Alliance" series, was published under the title "The Killing Game: Selected Stories from the Author of Dark Alliance." The book was edited by Webb's son.

References :

https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB113/storm.htm

Gary Webb- Britannica

https://theintercept.com/2014/09/25/managing-nightmare-cia-media-destruction-gary-webb/