The
Narco News Bulletin
For Immediate Release
April 18, 2000
Contact: Al Giordano, publisher
narconews@hotmail.com
Narco News Bulletin Premiers
on Internet
Offers Investigative
Reports and Translations from Latin America
Challenges White House
Drug Office to Disprove Allegations of US Wrongdoing
MEXICO CITY, APRIL 18, 2000:
The Narco News Bulletin made its "shot heard 'round
the world" today with the publication of an internet web
site that reports on US drug policy in Latin America.
In its first issue, Narco
News offered reports of official wrongdoing by US Ambassador
to Mexico Jeffrey Davidow, by US Coronel James Hiett (who commanded
US anti-drug forces in Colómbia), by the White House drug
czar's press office and by other government, banking and media
officials throughout the hemisphere.
The internet site also translates,
for English-speaking readers, drug war reports from Latin American
media that go unreported in the United States. "We hope
to force these stories onto the dockets of the North American
press," says publisher Al Giordano, a veteran US political
reporter who investigates the drug war in Latin America. "The
drug war is a disaster, in part, because the US public is so
badly informed."
In the publisher's column, titled
"Shots of Grace," Giordano
took aim at recent attempts by the White House drug czar's office
to silence two online journalists (the cases of Salon.com
journalists Michael Massing and Daniel Forbes - and the official
attacks upon them - are addressed in the column). Narco News
fingered White House "anti-drug" spokesman Bob Weiner
as the hidden hand behind the attacks.
Narco News exposed that Weiner, press aid to General
Barry McCaffrey, has a long history of "McCarthy style"
attacks on political opponents dating from Weiner's 1988 congressional
campaign in Massachusetts. "Weiner was repudiated by the
voters precisely because he made untrue personal allegations
that he later could not defend," said Giordano. "We
at The Narco News Bulletin, on the other hand, are so
sure of the facts in our stories that we offer the White House
press office its own page on our internet site. If they don't
like what we publish, let them try to disprove our reports."
The White House has not yet
responded to the offer, but Narco News makes available
Mr. Weiner's telephone number - (202) 395-6618 - to the press
and public. "We're not afraid of the White House or anyone,"
says Giordano. "To the contrary, we challenge them to disprove
our charges against Weiner and to rebut our investigation that
reveals that the US Ambassador to Mexico cavorts with white collar
drug traffickers."
The Narco News Bulletin, with its first issue, inaugurates two
awards: Narco-of-the-Month and
drug war Hero-of-the-Month, and
accepts nominations for the May 2000 "Narco Awards"
at its internet address: narconews@hotmail.com
The Narco News Bulletin accepts no advertising, makes no profit,
supports no candidate or political party, and has no paid staff.
"It's a labor of love," says Giordano, former political
reporter for the Boston Phoenix who has published in the
Washington Post, American Journalism Review and
other journals, and formerly directed an on-line forum for the
Delphi internet service. "Love of democracy, of sovereignty,
of human rights and of authentic journalism."