Views on Webb's journalism have been polarized. During and immediately after the controversy over "Dark Alliance," Webb's earlier writing was examined closely. A January 1997 article in "American Journalism Review" noted that a 1994 series Webb wrote had also been the subject of a "Mercury News" internal review that criticized Webb's reporting. A "New York Times" profile of Webb in June 1997 noted that two of his series written for the Cleveland "Plain Dealer" had resulted in lawsuits that the paper had settled.