In August 1996, the San Jose Mercury News published Gary Webb’s infamous “Dark Alliance” investigation. The three-part series revealed how a drug ring connected to CIA-backed Nicaraguan rebels was flooding Los Angeles with crack cocaine in the 1980s. Webb traced the money trail from LA street dealers all the way back to covert U.S. foreign policy operations.

Instead of being praised for this groundbreaking exposé, Webb faced a brutal media backlash. Major newspapers like The New York Times and Washington Post turned their resources against him, essentially ending his mainstream journalism career. Years later, government investigations would prove Webb was largely right, but by then the damage was done.

In December 2004, Gary Webb was found dead in his apartment — a tragic end to a man who paid the ultimate price for challenging powerful institutions. His story raises fundamental questions about press freedom and what happens when journalists dare to expose uncomfortable truths.

Today we’re joined by Nick Schou, the investigative journalist who wrote Kill the Messenger, the definitive biography of Gary Webb. The book was made into a 2014 a film starring Jeremy Renner.

In our conversation, Nick and I will explore how Webb’s story illuminates the dangerous intersection of intelligence agencies, drug policy, and media manipulation. We’ll also discuss how Webb’s legitimate reporting became entangled with the likes of the Lyndon LaRouche organization and Michael Ruppert, and what this tells us about the blurred lines between credible investigative journalism and conspiracy theorizing in our current media landscape.

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