Time

Time magazine covered the Dark Alliance story, calling it "the hottest topic in black America" during the height of the public reaction in 1996. The magazine's coverage was part of the initial wave of media attention that preceded the establishment media counterattack.¹

Coverage of Dark Alliance

Time's characterization of the Dark Alliance series reflected the genuine public interest and outrage that the story generated in African American communities across the United States. The magazine's coverage came during the brief window between the series' publication in August 1996 and the October 1996 counterattack by the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. After the establishment papers attacked Gary Webb's reporting, coverage of the story's substance largely disappeared from mainstream media outlets including Time.²