Heres how webbs groundbreaking story propelled him to the national stage and spelled his doom. In kill the messenger directed by michael cuesta, based on a true story, renner is in another descent one that is politically driven in an intense performance as pulitzer prize winner gary webb, an investigative journalist for the san jose mercury news writing a series entitled dark alliance on the cias drug dealing connection to the. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion, the inherent racism in a covert policy that reaped so much destruction on such a vulnerable segment of society. Dark alliance by gary webb penguin books australia. Dark alliance the cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion by gary webb seven stories.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading dark alliance. Dark alliance is as necessary and valuable as it is horrifying and grim. Dark alliance major motion picture based on dark alliance and starring jeremy renner, kill the messenger, to be be released in fall 2014in august 1996, pulitzer prizewinning journalist gary webb stunned the world with a series of articles in the san jose mercury news reporting the results of his yearlong investigation into the roots of the crack cocaine epidemic in america, specifically. He also published the book dark alliance seven stories press, 1999. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In 2014 webbs story was adapted into the major motion picture kill the messenger. This is why webbs dark alliance series is an essential source, a primary text that every journalism student should study. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion, complete with extensive source citations. Dark alliance by gary webb, 9781609806217, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. When webb told the whole story in the book dark alliance, some of the same. Major motion picture based on dark alliance and starring jeremy renner, kill the messenger, to be be released in fall 2014 in august 1996, pulitzer prizewinning journalist gary webb stunned the world with a series of articles in the san jose mercury news reporting the results of his yearlong investigation into the roots of the crack cocaine.
Garry webb wrote the 1996 dark alliance series for the san jose mercury news. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion is a 1998 book by journalist gary webb. The cia, the contras, and the cocaine explosion kindle edition by webb, gary, waters, maxine. Webbs research is impeccablenames, dates, places, and. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new. The cia, the contras and the crack cocaine explosion by gary webb isbn.
The original series claimed that, in order to help raise funds for efforts against the nicaraguan sandinista national liberation front sandinista government. How the cia watched over the destruction of gary webb. He discussed his book, headline news and responded to audience telephone calls, faxes, and. Our government also covered it up and helped them along the way. Dark alliance won the 1998 firecracker alternative book award in the politics category, and was a finalist for the pennewmans own first amendment award. When webb persisted with his research and compiled his findings in the book dark alliance, some of the same publications that had vilified webb for his series retracted their criticism and praised him for having the courage to tell the truth about one of the worst official abuses in our nations history.
As recently as one year earlier gary webb had been one of the nations top investigative reporters. The book is based on dark alliance, webb s threepart investigative series published in the san jose mercury news in august 1996. Drawing from then newly declassified documents, undercover dea audio and videotapes that had never been publicly released, federal court testimony, and interviews, webb demonstrates how our government knowingly. The cia, the if adding books to this author, please use garywebb. He had an almost magnetic effect to these kinds of stories, and it was almost as if the stories found him. Dark alliance and millions of other books are available for instant access. Dark alliance by gary webb overdrive rakuten overdrive. In 1999, seven stories press published webbs dark alliance. He reflected on his fall from grace in the 2002 book, into the buzzsaw. In july 1995, san jose mercurynews reporter gary webb found the big. Unlike other books that purport to tell the inside story of americas most futile war kings of cocaine by guy gugliotta and jeff leen and desperados by elaine.
Gary webb pushed his investigation even further in his book, dark alliance. In the dark alliance, drawing from the newly declassified documents, undercover dea drug enforcement administration audio and videotapes that had never been publicly released, federal court testimony, and interviews, webb demonstrates how us government knowingly allowed massive amounts of drugs and money to change hands at the expense of communities. How the cias crackcocaine controversy destroyed journalist gary webb, will be published in october. Gary webbs son on new movie kill the messenger youtube. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion. I began working as gary webbs editor on dark alliance, the book, in july 1997, almost a year after his newspaper series of the same name broke so controversially in the san jose mercury news. Gary stephen webb was an investigative reporter, focusing on government and private sector corruption and winning more than 30 journalism awards. Within the this audiobook version of dark alliance, webb produces a massive amount of evidence that suggests that such a scenario did take place, and more disturbing evidence that the powers that be that allowed such an alliance are still determined to ruthlessly guard their secrets. The book has flaws, but webb deserves credit for pursuing an important piece of recent history and forcing the cia and the.
His book serves as both a complex memoir of the time of the contras and an indictment of the current state of americas press. He was hung out to dry by the san jose mercury news when the government pushed back, but he collected his research and published this book. Gary webbs son ian talks about the film in which jeremy renner plays his late journalist father. When webb persisted with his research and compiled his findings in the book dark alliance, some of the same publications that had vilified webb for his series retracted their criticism and praised him for having the courage to tell the truth about one of. Dark alliance is a book that should be fiction, whose characters seem to come straight out of central casting. Prior to dark alliance, webb said, i was winning awards, getting raises, lecturing college classes, appearing on tv. I applaud the filmmakers for trying to make a movie about an important issue in a commercial marketplace full of comic book superheroes and recycled old tv shows. Webb resigned from the paper and later wrote one of the first articles about driving while black for esquire magazine. An excerpt from gary webbs dark alliance ignored by dailies. His only other published book, dark alliance is still a classic of contemporary journalism. Published 1999 condition very good edition first paperbk edition. The cia, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion by webb, gary seller ground zero books, ltd. Major motion picture based on dark alliance and starring jeremy renner, kill the messenger, to be be released in fall 2014 in august 1996, pulitzer prizewinning journalist gary webb stunned the world with a series of articles in the san jose mercury news reporting the results of his yearlong investigation into the roots of the crack cocaine epidemic in america. Dark alliance prompted an investigation by the cia inspector general, the hitz report.
The series revolves around the first crack epidemic and its impact on the culture of the city. The cia, the contras, and the cocaine explosion webb, gary. In 1998, cia inspector general frederick hitz substantiated webbs charges in two reports. Yet webb became unemployable for telling the truth. It is wellsourced and webb thoroughly proved that the u. Webb pursued this story with exhaustive investigation, at the expense of his career. The cia, the drug dealers, and the tragedy of gary webb. For over thirtyfour years, he wrote stories about corruption from county, state, and federal levels.
Gary webbs dark alliance webbs dark alliance consisted of a group of rebels trying to overthrow the socialist government of nicaragua. Gary webb had an inborn journalistic tendency to track down corruption and expose it. The updated paperback edition of dark alliance features revelations in justreleased reports from the department of justice, internal cia investigations, and a new cache of recently declassified secret fbi, dea, and ins filesmuch of which was not known to webb when writing the first edition of this book. Kill the messenger 2014 is based on webb s book dark alliance and nick schous biography of webb. Tjames madisonthis text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. It was his gift, and, ultimately, it was his downfall.