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.article-native-ad p { Osborn, Barbara Bliss (MarchApril 1998). margin-top: 10px; She was a native of Minden, LA, but a resident of Crossett for 65 years. Cleveland Plain Dealer film critic Clint OConnor had a solid featurethe other day about Kill the Messenger, the journalism true-tale movie opening Friday with Jeremy Renner starring as the late Gary Webb. Gary Webb - Spartacus Educational A flood of inquiries about Gary Webb's shooting death prompts statement. Shortly before his death, his motorcycle had been stolen (it was recovered by his family after his death). Webb put in a call to Robert Parry. Gary was born Sept. 4, 1947, to Percy and Pauline (Haas) Webb. He was previously married to Sue Bell. "Gary Webb was left to fend for himself. Gary's family found that old, storied, ("priceless to us," as his ex-wife, Susan Bell, described it to me) CDROM among his possessions. But the tragedy had a deeper meaning. "Ross," his report went on, dealt "on a scale never before conceived," with "a staggering turnover" of "50 to 100 kilos of cocaine a day". "[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. "Allow Gary Webb to be there [in the CIA investigation]," a heckler shouts. He is from United States. He died by suicide on December 10, 2004. I ask Bell. [13] Webb then moved to the paper's statehouse bureau, where he covered statewide issues and won numerous regional journalism awards. Webb's ex-wife, Sue Bell, discounted theories Tuesday that her husband had been murdered, saying the 49-year-old Webb had been distraught for some time over his inability to get . [32], The New York Times published two articles on the series in mid-October, both written by reporter Tim Golden. Attend in Miami or virtually, Sept. 1114. When Ross discovered the market for crack in Los Angeles, he began buying cocaine from Blandn. 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. Webb chose the second option. I'm glad that I didn't dissuade him, because it was important to get the truth out but for Gary Webb, there was a very high price to pay." He was laid off in February 2004 when Assembly Member Fabian Nez was elected Speaker. Because Blandn cooperated with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), he spent only 28 months in prison, became a paid government informant, and received permanent resident status. To Read the Full Story Become an Adweek+ Subscriber. Gary Stephen Webb (August 31, 1955 December 10, 2004) was an American investigative journalist. Jimmy Webb's battle with ex-wife Patsy Sullivan continues - New York Post 2) The series's estimate of the money involved was presented as fact instead of as an estimate. . 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. [11], In 1983, Webb moved to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where he continued doing investigative work. [6], Webb first began writing for the student newspaper at his college in Indianapolis. On Dec. 9, 2004, the 49-year-old Webb typed out suicide notes to his ex-wife and his three children; laid out a certificate for his cremation; and taped a note on the door telling movers, who were . Tara Becker-Gray Lee News Network Jan 17, 2019 0 1 of 2 C. Webb The body found at a house fire at 13308 95th Ave. in rural Blue Grass on Thursday night has been identified as Cynthia Webb, 59.. When removal men arrived, on the morning of 10 December 2004, they found a sign on his front door, which read: ''Please do not enter. Emma Lee Webb of Crossett, Arkansas | 1947 - 2023 | Obituary "[38], Surprised by The Washington Post article, The Mercury News's executive editor Jerome Ceppos wrote to the Post defending the series. The first article in "Dark Alliance" that discussed the failure of law enforcement agencies to prosecute Blandn and Meneses had mentioned several cases. His erstwhile editors on the Mercury News, meanwhile, saw their careers thrive. Susan Bell: a shameful secret history - The Independent Unable to get work from any major US newspaper, he spent the four months before his death writing for * a free-sheet covering the Sacramento area. border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; Gary Webb | Obituary | The Daily Item [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". Because the gentile (european caucasian, lepers, fake jews) or white folks agenda has always been to destroy the black man, ever since pharaoh tried to murder Christ by murdering Hebrew babies, until now. "He told me, not long before he died, that he didn't want to get up in the mornings," she says. "Because of Gary Webb's work," said Senator John Kerry, "the CIA launched an investigation that found dozens of connections to drug runners. Army. After the series's publication, the Northern California branch of the national Society of Professional Journalists voted Webb "Journalist of the Year" for 1996. When he told me, I said it sounded crazy. By the time Webb began researching Dark Alliance, Bell was 38 and they had three children. "It says the CIA helped introduce poison into our children. Dec. 13, 2004. Lynn Rd, Ranger WV - Rehold Address Directory (Strawser) Webb. But the biggest loss he had was the writing. By: E&P Staff The death of investigative reporter Gary Webb has been confirmed as a suicide, according to a coroner's statement. Eighteen Years Ago Today, Journalist Gary Webb Was Murdered After The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department began its own investigation into the "Dark Alliance" claims.[30]. 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. He was preceded in death by his wife, Melody Webb; parents and three brothers, Albert, Duane and Ronald. Gary Webb on the CIA's Role in the 1980s LA Crack Epidemic - Citizen Truth He went into the bedroom, and picked up a .38 that had belonged to his father. "Gary was given the choice of relocating either to San Jose," says Bell, "or to Cupertino". He was so depressed. Ceppos and Garcia have long since lost any taste for public discussion of "Dark Alliance". Gary Webb's Death Confirmed as Suicide | Editor and Publisher [5], After high school, Webb attended an Indianapolis community college on a scholarship until his family moved to Cincinnati. When facts didn't fit his theory, he tended to shove them to the sidelines. "[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. One article, dealing mostly with the response of the Los Angeles Black community to the stories, described the series's evidence as "thin". A Celebration of Life will be . Dispelling the Rumors: Gary Webb's Death Confirmed As Suicide Gary Webb Was Right | HuffPost Latest News Gary Webb FRCPC Obituary (1943 - 2021) - Legacy Remembers Webb joined the Mercury News in 1988, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Tiffany L Gary-Webb | School of Public Health Begun 1996, the divorce and battle over cash of Grammy winner Jimmy Webb age 75, father of six, wed 22 years to Patsy, 64, daughter of late actor Barry Sullivan is getting longer. [62], Examining the support that Meneses and Blandn gave to the local Contra organization in San Francisco, the report concluded that it was "not sufficient to finance the organization" and did not consist of "millions," contrary to the claims of the "Dark Alliance" series. [3], Webb was born in Corona, California. The review was conducted primarily by editor Jonathan Krim and reporter Pete Carey, who had written the paper's first published analysis of the series. "[25] It also found disparities in the treatment of Black and White traffickers in the justice system, contrasting the treatment of Blandn and Ross after their arrests for drug trafficking. 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". According to Bell, Webb had been unhappy for some time over his inability to get a job at another major newspaper. Steven Webb . He crashed and shredded his clothes, face and body on a barbed-wire fence." "For the better part of a decade," it began, "a San Francisco drug ring sold tons of cocaine to the Crips and Bloods street gangs of Los Angeles and funnelled millions in drug profits to a Latin American guerrilla army run by the US Central Intelligence Agency.". He is survived by his loving wife, Wendie, of Elgin; grandmother, Eileen Carrier of Elgin;. Poor Gary Webb. [8] In 1979, Webb married Susan Bell; the couple eventually had three children. A jury awarded the plaintiffs over 13 million dollars and the case was later settled. 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. 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. "He rang me up that day. But, Ceppos wrote, the series "did not meet our standards" in four areas. How Kill the Messenger Will Vindicate Investigative Journalist Gary Webb Two years later, he was promoted to Vice President of Knight Ridder, the Mercury News's parent company; he retired from this position last month. Like the CIA and Justice Department reports, it also found that neither Blandn, Meneses, nor Ross were associated with the CIA. Eli Tomac on track during Media Day at Daytona International Speedway, Friday, March 3, 2023. When she got indignant," she adds, "he went to meet her.". I believe that we fell short at every step of our process: in the writing, editing and production of our work. [49], The paper also gave Webb permission to visit Central America again to get more evidence supporting the story. [59], The first volume of the report found no evidence that "any past or present employee of CIA, or anyone acting on behalf of CIA, had any direct or indirect dealing" with Ross, Blandn, or Meneses or that any of the other figures mentioned in "Dark Alliance" were ever employed by or associated with or contacted by the agency. But ultimately, the responsibility was, and is, mine.". "Looking back," she says, "I think Gary had been obsessed with suicide for some time. } Gary Webb was at his desk in the Mercury News's Sacramento office, in July 1995, when he received a message to call Coral Baca, a Hispanic woman from the San Francisco Bay area, allegedly connected to a Colombian drug cartel. Within weeks, the site was attracting up to 1.3m hits per day. [69], Webb was found dead in his Carmichael home on December 10, 2004, with two gunshot wounds to the head. Return of the messenger: How Jeremy Renner's new film Kill The [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. [41], When the Los Angeles Times series appeared, Ceppos again wrote to defend the original series. Gary Webb: Vindicated - Narco News The first detailed article on the series's claims appeared in The Washington Post in early October. How the Press and the CIA Killed Gary Webb's Career 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. Famously known by the Family name Gary Stephen Webb, was a great Engineer.He was born on August 31, 1955, in Carmichael, California.Carmichael is a beautiful and populous city located in Carmichael, California United States of America.. Gary Webb Early Life Story, Family Background and Education. To show this, the series focused on three men: Ricky Ross, Oscar Danilo Blandn, and Norwin Meneses. He really did believe that," she says. My wife has kept me grounded for . Snowfall is an American crime drama television series set in Los Angeles in 1983. It concluded, however, that these problems were "a far cry from the type of broad manipulation and corruption of the federal criminal justice system suggested by the original allegations.". Gary Webb Obituary (1954 - 2021) - Dorr, MI - Grand Rapids Press His victory in the event last year gave him . Webb, whose plans to become a journalist had begun when he was 13, but never included equine death notices, resigned from the Mercury News a few months later. His was the story of a man who gains information of wrongdoing, then, attempting to act in the public interest, seeks protection from his superiors, and the forces of law, and does not receive it. "I had to warn Gary that what he was looking at was probably true, but that he would run very big risks," Parry recalls. I remain astounded by the editorial decisions they made.". "People told me that," she says. This support "was not directed by anyone within the Contra movement who had an association with the CIA," and the Committee found "no evidence that the CIA or the Intelligence Community was aware of these individuals support. } Relationships with other women ended badly. In interviews after leaving The Mercury News, Webb described the 1997 controversy as media manipulation. [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. 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. Chasing Corona - by George Webb Part of what makes OConnors article so compelling are the candid thoughts of Webbs former wife Sue Stokes. "I think Kerry learnt a lesson from all this," reporter Robert Parry says. But the report was correct. I mean - please.". 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. That wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been willing to stand up and risk it all.". One of his last articles examined America's Army, a video game designed by the U.S. That was just the way he was.". She and Gary were married from 1979 to 2000 and had three children. Film of this encounter survives. A 1985 series, "Doctoring the Truth," uncovered problems in the State Medical Board[12] and led to an Ohio House investigation which resulted in major revisions to the state Medical Practice Act. [61] According to the report, it used Webb's reporting and writing as "key resources in focusing and refining the investigation." This emotive last phrase refers to Webb's experience in the immediate aftermath of publication of his three lengthy articles, in the summer of 1996. Gary was preceded in death by his mother and father, Donna and James Webb of Carpentersville. Gary Webb, 49, Journalist Who Wrote Disputed Articles, Is Dead Attorneys' Offices. Last edited on 10 February 2023, at 03:36, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion, CIA involvement in Contra cocaine trafficking, "To readers of our 'Dark Alliance' series", "America's 'crack' plague has roots in Nicaragua war", "War on drugs has unequal impact on black Americans", "Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Inquiry Findings", "The CIA and Crack: Evidence Is Lacking Of Alleged Plot", "Though Evidence Is Thin, Tale of C.I.A. The Open Mic: A Few Words with Cinematographer Ian Webb He was a former member of Bethlehem . [67], Webb later moved to the State Assembly's Office of Majority Services. Webb disagreed with this conclusion.[1][2]. "Gary was 18 and I was 16 when we first met and started dating in Indianapolis," said Sue Stokes. It was accurate. The story offered no evidence to support such sweeping conclusions, a fatal error that would ultimately destroy Webb, if not his editors. Webb strongly disagreed with Ceppos's column and, in interviews, was harshly critical of the paper's handling of the story. 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. Gary Webb and the Iran-Contra-Cocaine Connection | WilderUtopia [60], It found no information to support the claim that the agency interfered with law enforcement actions against Ross, Blandn or Meneses. [52] Webb was allowed to keep working on the story and made one more trip to Nicaragua in March. 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". Evidence Begins To Indicate Gary Webb Was Murdered - BSNEWS 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. "They had him writing obituaries," she said. Ross, currently serving life, was already infamous; he had been profiled in the LA Times in December 1994, by writer Jesse Katz, at a time when Ross was at liberty and in penitent mood. In May 1997, after an internal review, Ceppos stated that, although the story was right on many important points, there were shortcomings in the writing, editing and production of the series. [57], The report covered actions by Department of Justice employees in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the DEA, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and U.S. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Cooper Webb Wife Name Revealed: Who Is Professional SX/MX - Halla News The claim that the drug ring of Meneses-Blandn-Ross sparked the "crack explosion" has been perhaps the most criticized part of the series. "Look at what happened to Gary Webb. [60], The House Intelligence Committee issued its report in February 2000. Working in San Jose would have meant daily contact with what Bell describes as "people he did not want to be with". Webb, a Pullitzer prize winning journalist, exposed CIA drug trafficking operations in a series of books and reports for the San Jose Mercury News. [33] Golden also referred to the controversy over Webb's contacts with Ross's lawyer. Save 50% with early-bird passes. The passing of Gary ends more than 50 years with his best friend and loving wife, Marilyn J. But Ian Webbknows all too well the emotions that come with that experience. ", In contrast, the series received support from Steve Weinberg, a former executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors. The series ran from October 2022, 1996, and was researched by a team of 17 reporters. "It sounds crazy," says Bell, "but having his motorbike stolen was the last straw. "He had six in a short period of time." Gary Webb - Biography - IMDb OR was he like Epstein? Webb came home and put his belongings in order, dropping his Kentucky Post poster in the bin. When they married, she was aged just 21. The CIA Inspector-General's report was issued in two volumes. margin: 0 45px; As it turned out," she adds, "that was not their intent.". News coverage noted that there were widespread rumors on the Internet at the time that Webb had been killed as retribution for his "Dark Alliance" series, published eight years before. Garcia is deputy director of the John S Knight Fellowships in Journalism at Stanford University. The character reporter Irene Abe is said by fans of the show to be a stand in character for the real life Gary Webb. padding:0!important; "To get back at his editors?". Webb took a modestly paid, low-profile job as an investigator with the California State Legislature. Despite some hyped phrasing, "Dark Alliance" appears to be praiseworthy investigative reporting."[47]. [29] Waters urged the CIA, the Department of Justice, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to investigate. An investigative journalist, Webb became interested in the covert activities of the Central Intelligence Agency. With hindsight, Bell says, "the signs were there. His death was especially traumatic to the family since - as the coroner said - it could not be established whether he died instantly, or bled to death. padding-bottom: 20px; A series of expose articles in the San Jose Mercury-News by reporter Gary Webb told tales of a drug triangle during the 1980s that linked CIA officials in Central America, a San Francisco drug . The consensus, insofar as one exists, is that he probably overstated both the amount of drug money made by Ross and Blandn, and the percentage of those profits diverted to the Contras. ", She pauses: "That said, he did sleep with a gun under his bed.". Depressed, he became increasingly unpredictable in his behaviour and embarked on a series of affairs; he was divorced from Bell in 2000, though he remained close to her throughout his life and lived in a house in nearby Carmichael. Bell and her children helped Webb prepare 50 packages containing cuttings and his CV which they sent out to newspapers all over the US. When Webb's body was discovered last December, Bell says, this last item had been dumped in the trash. .article-native-ad svg { Webb, unlike Blum or Kerry, had to face his difficulties alone. California senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein also took note and wrote to CIA director John Deutch and Attorney General Janet Reno, asking for investigations into the articles' allegations. He accepted Christ at an early age. He wrote well. Gary Hays Webb, 78, passed away on Monday May 9, 2022, at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center, Neenah. I felt weak and distressed; the whole thing was so fresh. "[58], It also concluded that "the claims that Blandn and Meneses were responsible for introducing crack cocaine into South Central Los Angeles and spreading the crack epidemic throughout the country were unsupported." 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." Tomac is used to good feelings when it comes to Daytona. 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. [36] McManus wrote that Blandn's and Meneses's contributions to Contra organizations were significantly less than the "millions" claimed in the series, and stated there was no evidence that the CIA had tried to protect them. [44], Ceppos' column drew editorial responses from both The New York Times and The Washington Post. "Report on Alleged Involvement: Findings" 43. Webb 'Suicide' Looking More Like Murder - rense.com She said the paper wanted to make up for what it had done in the past. "Exactly," replied Kornbluh, who - referring specifically to the LA Times, said he is "baffled as to how they could be so gullible. The February 2000 report by the House Intelligence Committee in turn considered the book's claims as well as the series' claims. 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. It was good that his story forced those reports to come out, but part of what made that happen was based on misleading information. Although Blandn's cartel was undoubtedly one of the first to bring crack to LA, Webb was almost certainly suffering a rush of blood when he described the group as "the first pipeline" into the city. He began his career working for newspapers in Kentucky and Ohio, winning numerous awards, and building a strong reputation for investigative writing.