Chuck Philips

Chuck Philips
Philips in 2012
Born
Charles Alan Philips

(1952-10-15)October 15, 1952[1]
DiedJanuary 2024(2024-01-00) (aged 71)
CitizenshipAmerican
EducationB.A., Journalism, California State University, Long Beach, 1989[1]
OccupationInvestigative journalist
Years active1988–2012
Known forInvestigative reporting on crime and corruption the music industry
AwardsPulitzer Prize
George Polk Award
Salute to Excellence Award
Los Angeles Press Club Award
Websitewww.chuckphilipspost.com

Charles Alan Philips (October 15, 1952 – January 2024) was an American writer and journalist. He was best known for his investigative reporting in the Los Angeles Times on the culture, corruption, and crime in the music industry during the 1990s and 2000s, which garnered both awards and controversy. In 1999, Philips won a Pulitzer Prize, with Michael A. Hiltzik, for their co-authored series exposing corruption in the entertainment industry.[1]

Philips reported extensively in the LA Times on the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry and the murders of Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace aka the Notorious B.I.G. and their respective investigations. In 2002, Philips described Las Vegas' floundered probe into Tupac's murder and put forth his own theory based on a yearlong investigation.[2] His controversial theory, which alleges the involvement of the late Wallace, has been neither confirmed nor verifiably debunked and continues to be debated.[3][4][5]

In a 2008 article, Philips tied industry executives Sean "Puffy" Combs and James Rosemond to the 1994 ambush of Shakur. In response, both Combs and Rosemond issued scathing statements of denial and received out-of-court settlements from the paper.[6][7][8] Documents sourced by Philips to support his claims were later proven to be fabricated. Philips stood by his story despite the falsified documents.[9][10] The Times ran a retraction along with apologies from Philips and his editors, and parted ways with Philips a few months later.[11][12]

Philips' reporting is widely cited in media, including trade publications, journals, books, and podcasts. Critics allege an obsession with unsolved crimes in the Hip-hop community, interference with official investigations, and biased coverage of the Los Angeles Police Department and Death Row Records.[7][13][14][15][16][17] Philips died in January 2024, at the age of 71.[18]

  1. ^ a b c "The 1999 Pulitzer prize winners biography". Pulitzer. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  2. ^ Newsweek Staff (September 15, 2002). "Newsmakers : Hot off the press". Newsweek. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022. Who killed Tupac Shakur?" asked the Los Angeles Times last week in a front-page story that sparked a huge firestorm in the hip-hop community.
  3. ^ Rumor Mill (September 6, 2002). "Tupac's Killer Revealed : L.A. Times Reporter Chuck Philips Solves a Six-Year-Old Hip-Hop Murder Mystery". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022. Wallace's family reacted harshly to the charges, saying the L.A. Times story ″takes facts on record and juxtaposes them with hazy, unattributed remarks which are not the result of any legitimate investigation, but rather are simply an effort to generate more confusion and publicity.″
  4. ^ Bergara, Ryan; King, Kirsten; Gundapaneni, Leena; Bennett, Brent (May 20, 2016). "The Mysterious Death Of Tupac Shakur : Who killed Tupac?". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  5. ^ Weber, Bo (February 8, 2022). "Who Killed Tupac Shakur? The story of the rapper's shocking death". Music in Minnesota. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  6. ^ "Combs denies L.A. Times' Shakur story". Associated Press. March 19, 2008. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022. Sean "Diddy" Combs has denied a report by the Los Angeles Times that his associates were responsible for the 1994 robbery and shooting of Tupac Shakur at a New York recording studio, and that he knew about the attack in advance.
  7. ^ a b Sikorski, Don (April 7, 2022). "BONUS: Chuck Philips & Misinformation". Unjust Justice: The Jimmy Rosemond Story (Podcast). Criminal Minded Media. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022. Jimmy talks about the LA Times printing a false story and the implications on his life and career, and perception vs. reality inside the business of Hip-Hop music.
  8. ^ Wilson, Simone; Romero, Dennis (June 22, 2011). "Chuck Philips demands L.A. Times apology on Tupac Shakur". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  9. ^ Rodriguez, Jayson (March 18, 2008). "L.A. Times Writer Defends Story About Tupac, Diddy; Says He Has Two More Articles In the Works". MTV. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  10. ^ Rodriguez, Jayson (March 21, 2008). "L.A. Times Chuck Philips Defends Method Behind Tupac, Diddy Story: 'I know all kinds of stuff I didn't write about'". MTV. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  11. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (July 15, 2008). "L.A. Times lets go of staffers : Chuck Philips among those leaving". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022. The names of L.A. Times staffers taking buyouts or getting pinkslips began to circulate in journo circles on Monday night, fueled by postings on numerous media-centric websites. Among the scribes involved in the paper's showbiz coverage who are exiting the building is longtime investigative reporter Chuck Philips.
  12. ^ Tourtellotte, Bob (March 26, 2008). "LA Times apologizes for Tupac story". Reuters. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  13. ^ Sullivan, Randall (January 7, 2011). "The Unsolved Mystery of the Notorious B.I.G. : A Special Report: Did the LAPD suppress evidence that rogue cops conspired with Death Row's Suge Knight to assassinate rap star Biggie Smalls? Inside the civil trial that is threatening to bring down the most powerful institutions in Los Angeles". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2022. When looking back on this nine-year-long saga of deceit and corruption, nothing is more troubling — or more incomprehensible — than the role played by The Los Angeles Times.
  14. ^ Rohrlic, Justin (November 11, 2018). "Former FBI Agent: How the LAPD Derailed My Investigation Into Biggie Smalls' Murder". The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast Company LLC. Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  15. ^ Sikorski, Don (October 15, 2020). "Episode 7: The LA Times and the Murder of Biggie". The Dossier : The LAPD Cover-Up of the Murder of Biggie (Podcast). Criminal Minded Media. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022. Phil Carson explains how the LAPD used the LA Times as a tool in the cover-up. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chuck Philips has secrets buried to this day surrounding the murder of Biggie and his relationship with LAPD brass Mike Berkow.
  16. ^ Leonard, Jack (August 1, 2008). "Rap mogul sent threats to prison, inmate says". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  17. ^ Smooth, Jay (2008). "You Punks Didn't Finish". Jay Smooth, Illdoctrine.com – Youtube. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022. Your years of negligence and irresponsible handling of this story has made it that much harder for justice to be served.
  18. ^ "Chuck Philips". Legacy. Retrieved February 11, 2024.

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