Warning: Spoilers! (Assuming you don’t already know about Gary Webb’s story, and the story he broke.)
Kill the Messenger is a 2014 movie about Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb, who authored the series of articles in the San Jose Mercury under the title ‘Dark Alliance’ and later published a book by the same name. In Prof CJ’s opinion, Gary Webb was a hero and may perhaps be the last great investigative newspaper journalist in American history.
This is definitely a dangerous history movie (unlike most historical flicks, which don’t usually raise questions about the Establishment.) I had to drive over an hour to catch this flick, and I’m happy I did.
Join Prof CJ as he discusses:
- Gary Webb and the story he broke
- How Webb’s reporting met with initial acclaim, but provoked Establishment counterattacks that destroyed his career
- Webb’s alleged suicide in 2004 (shot twice in the head…?)
- Prof CJ’s take on the movie, which is generally quite positive
- His main criticism of the movie — that it didn’t have a bit more
External Links
- Gary Webb in his own words
- 1996 CSPAN show with Gary Webb on the phone
- 1998 CSPAN show with Gary Webb in person
Prof CJ’s Picks (buy from Amazon via these links to help support the show at no additional cost to you)