Sorry. I thought my job was to tell the public the truth - the facts, pretty or not - and...
Join the conversation
Log in or create an account to leave a comment
Log In
Gary Webb:
[receiving award from his colleagues]
My first story was about a dog that should have died, but wouldn't. I was twenty-two. It was a stupid little feature, but I was proud of it. I put it in a frame and hung it on my wall. And believed I joined a secret guild of reporters that day. If there was ever a believer, it was me. My last story was about a police horse in Cupertino, California who died of constipation. Actually, it's not a joke. But to begin with a dog and end with a pile of horseshit, there's a kind of poetry in there, somewhere. But this, this is horseshit. Me being up here. Look, I know I pissed off a lot of people over the years, many of whom are in this room right now. But I think that's what good investigative reporting does. It ruffles feathers. Gary Webb:
But I was never fired. And my editors never threw me under the bus. And that's because I never wrote anything until now that really Mattered to a lot of people. Mattered in a scary way. I'm not going to take it back. Make nice to save my job. Because I thought my job... [chocking up] Gary Webb:
Sorry. I thought my job was to tell the public the truth - the facts, pretty or not - and let the publishing of those facts make a difference in how people look at things. At themselves, at what they stand for. That's shame on me. This is the only thing I ever wanted to do. And for a while, a long while, it was an honor
[receiving award from his colleagues]
My first story was about a dog that should have died, but wouldn't. I was twenty-two. It was a stupid little feature, but I was proud of it. I put it in a frame and hung it on my wall. And believed I joined a secret guild of reporters that day. If there was ever a believer, it was me. My last story was about a police horse in Cupertino, California who died of constipation. Actually, it's not a joke. But to begin with a dog and end with a pile of horseshit, there's a kind of poetry in there, somewhere. But this, this is horseshit. Me being up here. Look, I know I pissed off a lot of people over the years, many of whom are in this room right now. But I think that's what good investigative reporting does. It ruffles feathers. Gary Webb:
But I was never fired. And my editors never threw me under the bus. And that's because I never wrote anything until now that really Mattered to a lot of people. Mattered in a scary way. I'm not going to take it back. Make nice to save my job. Because I thought my job... [chocking up] Gary Webb:
Sorry. I thought my job was to tell the public the truth - the facts, pretty or not - and let the publishing of those facts make a difference in how people look at things. At themselves, at what they stand for. That's shame on me. This is the only thing I ever wanted to do. And for a while, a long while, it was an honor
Full Transcript
00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:06.854
My first story was about a dog that should have died but wouldn't
00:00:10.329 --> 00:00:11.033
I was twenty two
00:00:11.041 --> 00:00:14.178
It was a stupid little feature but I was proud of it
00:00:14.293 --> 00:00:16.981
I put it in a frame and hung it on my wall
00:00:19.178 --> 00:00:22.948
And believed I joined a secret guild of reporters that day
00:00:23.943 --> 00:00:26.266
If there was ever a believer it was me
00:00:28.467 --> 00:00:33.000
My last story was about a police horse in Cupertino California
Want This Clip in HD?
Upgrade for HD/4K downloads and unlimited access. Upgrade now →
Movie Summary
Journalist Gary Webb, California 1996, started investigating CIA's role in the 1980s in getting crack cocaine to the black part of LA to get money and weapons to the Contras/freedom fighters in Nicaragua.
Actors
Gary Webb
