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Related: About this forumThe CIA, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of Gary Webb
The CIA, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of Gary Webb
In 1996, journalist Gary Webb began looking into links between Nicaragua's drug-running Contra rebels and the CIA. As a recent film shows, what he found killed him
By Alex Hannaford
6:18PM GMT 21 Mar 2015
Gary Webb knew his story would cause a stir. The newspaper report he'd written suggested that a US-backed rebel army in Latin America was supplying the drugs responsible for blighting some of Los Angeles's poorest neighbourhoods and, crucially, that the CIA must have known about it.
Dark Alliance was a series written by California-based reporter Webb and published in the San Jose Mercury News in 1996. In it, he claimed the Contra rebels in Nicaragua were shipping cocaine into the US. which was then flooding Compton and South-Central Los Angeles in the mid-Eighties after being turned into crack a relatively new and highly addictive substance sold in 'rocks' that could be smoked. Webb also said the CIA was aware that proceeds from the sales of those drugs were being funnelled back to help fund the Contras.
Dark Alliance has been called one of the most explosive and controversial exposés in American journalism, and was the first investigative story to "go viral". Webb didn't anticipate some of this, but he wasn't prepared for the level of uproar it would cause in LAs black communities, incredulous that their own government could in some way be responsible for the crack epidemic plaguing their homes; that it would force the US government on the PR defensive; that the mainstream press, scooped by a tiny upstart, would attack Webb rather than try to dig deeper into the scandal they uncovered; or that the fallout would eventually lead to Webb taking his own life.
Nineteen years on, the story of Webbs investigation and its aftermath has been given the full Hollywood treatment. Kill the Messenger, based on his account of what happened and a book of the same name about the saga by journalist Nick Schou was recently released in cinemas. And with it, some believe, came the full vindication that Webb deserves.
More:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/11485819/kill-messenger-gary-webb-true-story.html
Good reads:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016117886
John1956PA
(2,657 posts)Both journalists were working on exposing supposed nefarious government activities.
As was the case after Gary's death, Danny's death raised concerns that he had been silenced. However, no solid evidence has been revealed to suggest foul play by any person other than the deceased.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Casolaro
Judi Lynn
(160,631 posts)Haven't heard about him until seeing your post.
It would be important to learn more about this story, also.
Amazing how much gets slipped right by the citizens of this country without their awareness.
No one should feel too confident that he/she knows nearly enough.
Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated.
RufusTFirefly
(8,812 posts)John1956PA
(2,657 posts)Of course, Rep. Traficant (Dem. OH) was controversial, to say the least. Jim broadcast a half hour Sunday morning TV show on one of the Youngstown stations. The show was titled Washington Update. The show consisted of Jim looking straight into the camera with his big eyes, wearing his whimsical hairpiece, and reading very effectively from a teleprompter. Jim's wit was on display as he covered a variety of issues and would-be scandals. One of the many supposed conspiracies which he spoke of involved the death of Danny Casolaro. Jim had a way of selling connect-the-dots theories in a matter which provided humor while raising fears of Big Brother. It is too bad that his shows are not archived for present-day research.
Snarkoleptic
(6,002 posts)I knew nothing about this guy until watching the Vice documentary.
Here's an interview with him-