San Jose Mercury News Phony Epilogue

San Jose Mercury News Editor Jerry Ceppos, under pressure from the major corporate news media, recently "took it all back" in an absurdist statement on journalistic ethics. His open letter was printed in the San Jose Mercury News, and is archived at the Mercury's web site. (11 May 1997) Ceppos gave this apology a prominent place on the web site, and appended a link to the apology to every page on the site. Of course, with the mountain of evidence presented on the site, this short apology seems cowardly and contradictory. In particular, compare it to Ceppos' open letter to the Washington Post (18 October 1996), in which Ceppos defended the Webb story. In both cases, Ceppos agrees with himself on one thing: the Webb story did point to significant government wrongdoing; the only question is of what magnitude.

While each of his points deserves a more extensive response, let me point out a couple of things here: (1) Ceppos never denies the CIA-cocaine connection spelled out in the original SJMN series. He quibbles about the amount of cocaine actually sold by Ricky Ross and the amount of money sent to the contras by Blandon, but the actual point that should be taken from Webb's series, that the "war on drugs" in the US has proven to be an absolute hypocrisy that is undermined by US government organizations, is never contested by Ceppos or any of the mainstream media sources linked below. (2) Ceppos says nothing new here; he simply concurs with the major papers that Webb's journalism was flawed. Webb himself, and many experts such as Robert Parry and Peter Dale Scott, stand by the original series. (3) Ceppos points out the original series sensationalized the story -- that is quite true. That is in fact what newspapers tend to do with everything. Nevertheless, we are still dealing with government misconduct of dramatic proportions. (4) Finally, all Ceppos or any of the mainstream news media sources have contested is the Blandon-Ross connection. What about Ramon Guillen Davila? What about Detlaf Thomas? And Chip Tatum? The list goes on.... The lesson: read beyond the headlines. At the very least read the entire article.

Critical Reviews of Ceppos' Apology:

  • Webb Responds to Ceppos in a Usenet posting. (17 May 1997)
  • Email Jerry Ceppos! Let him know how you feel about the SJMN sitting on Webb's new stories. (23 May 1997)
  • CIA, Crack, the Media: Excellent editorial in the Nation which effectively refutes Ceppos' disingenuous mea culpa and calls the rest of the mainstream media on their sudden interest in the story now that Ceppos has retracted Webb's investigative journalism. (02 June 1997)
  • Nick Schou, "Tracks in the Snow": Schou uncovers new evidence about Ron Lister's connections to Blandon, responding to the Ceppos apology in the process. (LA/OC Weekly 22 May 1997). Schou writes:
    • "This new information on Lister's ties to the shadowy world of covert operations falls just short of being the smoking gun that reporter Webb sought for his Dark Alliance series. But Lister's story does add weight to the very assertions that the mainstream press judged to be deficient in Webb's work. And it underscores the point that it is the CIA, not Webb, that still has the most to answer for on this matter."
  • What the Webb Corrections Mean, by the Crack the CIA Coalition (June 1997)
  • Leonard Greene, "Editor's Apology Clouds Truth": Nice piece deconstructing the Ceppos apology. (Boston Herald, 14 May 1997)
  • Which Way LA? Tackles Ceppos' apologia. Includes commentary by Maxine Waters and Gary Webb. (16 May 1997)
  • A brief note from Joe Horman on Ceppos' Apology (16 May 1997)
    • Mainstream Media on Ceppos' Apology:
  • Crack Series Fell Short

    • Recent article in the Washington Post (13 May 1997) which pretends to offer new evidence refuting the Webb series. Again the claims are the same: Webb never proved that CIA agents were paid to distribute crack in South Central LA. No shit. Problem is Webb never really claimed that, despite the sensationalism of the original series. The only new information presented in this piece (and 2 other articles like it in the New York Times and the San Francisco Gate (note - both links require subscriptions) is that San Jose Mercury News editor Jerry Ceppos has now jumped on the denegation bandwagon, refusing even to publish more recent evidence unearthed by Gary Webb.
  • The CIA, in their infinite wisdom, will continue their self-probe despite Ceppos' backtracking, according to the Los Angeles Times (13 May 1997). We'll see what comes of that. See also Justice Department to Continue Inquiry, from the Mercury News (14 May 1997)
  • "Crack and Cocaine in LA": Letters to the Editor of the Los Angeles Times (18 May 1997)
  • Joseph R. Daughen, "Belief May Persist," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (18 May 1997)
  • Steven A. Holmes, "Accusations Renewed," New York Times (15 May 1997)
  • An Editor Comes Clean: St. Petersburg Times Ediborial (15 May 1997)
  • An Editor's Timely Retreat: Editorial from the Rocky Mountain News (15 May 1997)
  • Editor Criticizes Series, from the International Herald Tribue (14 May 1997)
  • Sam Fulwood III, "Waters Wants Probe to Continue," from the LA Times (14 May 1997)
  • A Newspaper Says 'Mea Culpa': Chicago Tribune report (14 May 1997)
  • "Courage at the Merc": Editorial from Boston Herald praising the "courage" of Ceppos in undermining his own paper's story. (14 May 1997)
  • A Destructive Newspaper Series: Editorial from the Memphis Commercial Appeal (14 May 1997)
  • CIA Continues Probe, LA Times (13 May 1997)
  • Rita Ciolli, "Paper Admits to Flaws," Newsday (13 May 1997)
  • Editor Admits Deficiencies: AP report from the LA Times (12 May 1997)

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