© Associated Press
Investigative Journalist, Robert Parry.
When news of Robert Parry's
death reached me a week ago, I had to stop working for a long time. I would call it an interim of respectful silence except that it was closer to paralysis. The fight against all that is corrupt, misguided, maliciously intended and simply wrong in our national life instantly seemed still more forlorn than the sentient among us already understand it to be. One keeps on - there is no alternative. But the slope where the stone of Sisyphus rolls ever downward seems steeper now, and certainly it is a lot lonelier.
Given the expressions of grief and sorrow that flowed all week, I take it I do not have to explain at length who Bob Parry was. As an Associated Press reporter in the 1980s he broke some of the biggest stories of the decade, notably the scandal known as Iran-Contra. He went on to many more years of reportage, prizes and books (five). In 1995 he tossed it in on the mainstream side and founded Consortium News, of which he was also publisher and editor until his death. Oliver Stone, Bob's collaborator on the 2014 documentary
Ukraine on Fire, said it as well as many others. "Robert Parry's death Saturday morning leaves a giant hole in American journalism," the celebrated filmmaker said when the
New York Times called him for comment.
Does it ever. I would like to devote this modest addition to the many tributes offered since Parry's death to explain why I think this is so. It is the best I can do.
Comment: Sweden wants more manpower to find 10K rejected refugees in hiding after one commits terror attack