Sunday’s Washington Post contained a book review of White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson, Ph.D. (A good rule of thumb: Be wary of authors who broadcast their academic achievements on the cover of their books.) The review, by Pamela Newkirk, included the following passage:
Well, “explosive” is one way to characterize the decades-old—and discredited—conspiracy theory that the Reagan administration was not only indifferent to the crack crisis, but that it actively “manufactured” it. (At least the reviewer didn’t go with the even more flaccid “controversial.”)
In 1996, a series in the San Jose Mercury-News by Gary Webb charged that the Reagan-era CIA sold crack in inner cities to fund clandestine operations in Central America. The series was roundly debunked by the New York Times and, as it happens . . . the Washington Post. Webb himself later admitted there was no “hard evidence” for the claims his articles contained. Later, an Inspector General’s report also refuted the charges.
It’s odd, then, to say the least, that the Post would let this debunked claim by without even addressing its veracity. Perhaps the Post’s ballyhooed fact checker, Glenn Kessler, could take a look at the matter?
