We never stood a chance.

Important clarification:

Webb, an investigative journalist for the San Jose Mercury News, uncovered convincing evidence that proceeds from international cocaine trafficking represented a major source of funding for US-backed right-wing death squads in Nicaragua (known as the Contras) with South Central Los Angeles and other urban African American communities serving as key markets for the drug; and more distressing, that the CIA had become aware of this illicit commerce early on and incorporated it into a broader domestic strategy, allowing the cocaine pipeline to continue and thrive to a massive degree that eventually gave rise to the U.S. "crack epidemic" of the '80s and '90s and the birth of the prison-industrial sector.

Webb DID NOT break the story of America's crack coming from the Contras with the CIA's approval. That fact had already been available around the time it occurred. Webb's contribution was gathering and sharing the details and more evidence. To be fair, Webb never claimed to have any evidence that the CIA engineered the whole thing, only that they knew it was going on, approved of it, and even met with Contra leaders and funders to discuss it.

Webb's downfall as a journalist is mainly due to his making unsupported claims. If he had had evidence for all of his claims, it would not have made him vulnerable to being discredited. For example, the US Justice Department found that "the allegations contained in the original Mercury News articles were exaggerations of the actual facts," and that "the claims that Blandón and Meneses were responsible for introducing crack cocaine into South Central Los Angeles and spreading the crack epidemic throughout the country were unsupported." Even Nick Schou, Webb's biographer, agreed that, "the story offered no evidence to support such sweeping conclusions, a fatal error that would ultimately destroy Webb, if not his editors."

On December 10, 2004, Gary Webb took his own life. It is true that there were two bullet wounds in his head, which has raised suspicions that his death might not have been a suicide. However, no evidence has yet been presented contradicting the coroner's findings, so we have to accept it as such for now.

And yes, Kill the Messenger (2014) is worth watching. It is a surprisingly accurate film starring Jeremy Renner. It portrays how Webb assembled the story and depicts the media's tomfoolery and its impact on Webb's life. Even Webb's own son liked it.