This was his reason for the Olympics bombing: The purpose of the attack on July 27th was to confound, anger and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand. Scruggs died in 2001, so she cant dispute the films portrayal of her, but she might not have been as ruthless as shown in Richard Jewell. On July 27, 1996, Jewell was working security at concerts going on in Centennial Park. Scruggs, who was areporter atAtlanta Journal-Constitution at the time of the bombing, broke the story that Jewell was considered a suspect. Perhaps, but its hard to have that discussion when the movie unfairly paints one of the players in it as an unscrupulous news ghoul. Here's our special offer. But in the end, it actually did screw up the investigation because nobody among the FBI supervisors had any intention of letting word out that Richard Jewell was a suspect.. Wildes defense seems to be based on the idea that while Scruggs didnt sleep with her source for Jewell, the depiction was fair because people did question Scruggs close relationship with police sources, and many believe she had slept with her sources in the past. Scruggs died of "acute morphine toxicity," Kiss said, and he believes the stress of the Jewell story and the related litigation contributed to her death. From there, Jewell spent nearly three months being questioned, probed, discussed, and hounded by the media--who labeled him guilty without any real evidence. Scruggs died of a morphine overdose in 2001. Movie Kathy not only sleeps with her source to get the Jewell scoop, but: Insults her fellow reporters "It's heartbreaking to think that the only thing some people will ever hear about Kathy is how she is portrayed in that movie.". Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. An AJC piece by Jennifer Brett quotes Scruggs brother, and her co-author of the original piece identifying Jewell Ron Martz criticizing the filmmakers for never seeking their perspectives. Based on the Vanity Fair article, the film follows the facts told in it pretty closely. Rolling Stones film critic Peter Travers wrote in his review, The attempt to slut-shame a reporter whos not around to defend herself stands as a black mark in a film that otherwise hews close to the proven facts of the case." "She did not have to sleep with anyone to get a story," Kiss said. Ezra Millers Messiah Delusions: Inside. Required fields are marked *. The other questionable element of Richard Jewell is the portrayal of Kathy Scruggs, played in the movie by Olivia Wilde. The movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, strongly suggests that the reporter, Kathy Scruggs of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, slept with an FBI agent to get information on the investigation. I keep thinking, Im not going to go watch it, but then the cast is so damn good and this story is a good story, said King. 'Richard Jewell' focuses on the real victim, seeks to tell his story, confirm his innocence and restore his name. He informed the FBI officials right away. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. "He called the paper, and the editor told her she needed to apologize. Oh, well, its not like he received a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court or anything. He is serving multiple life sentences for his role in several bombings. Kathy Scruggs, the AJC, and other media had no qualms about. She would get upset when people were supposed to tell her something but wouldn't. . The case wasnt dismissed until 2011, on the grounds that they were substantially true at the time they were published. None of the lawyers who pursued Scruggs get mentioned in the film. Theres even another agent in the story named Tubbs. AJC ace Kathy Scruggs broke the story that made Richard Jewell a household name. She reportedly served as the basis fora reporter inthe 2003 novel Shikar and as a young detective in the 1997 novel Atlanta Heat., Wilde has addressed the criticism surrounding the depiction of Scruggs in Richard Jewell., I have an immense amount of respect for Kathy Scruggs," Wilde told The Hollywood Reporter. Kathy Scruggs was the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper reporter whose reporting on the Atlanta Olympics bombing has been extremely controversial. "Kathy was just luminous," Parke said. Richard Jewell, an American security guard and a police officer got entangled in a web of investigation and media trial after he became a suspect in the investigation. Another such figure was Kathy Scruggs, who was a reporter at Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time of the bombing. He is well known for his role as co-host of FOX News Channels (FNC) FOX & Friends Weekend which airs on Saturdays and Sundays from 6 a.m 10 a.m ET. One wonders if it was because none of them were attractive, foul-mouthed women who wore fishnets and miniskirts. Richard Jewell was never officially charged with any crimes, but he spent 88 days being under investigation as the person responsible for the 1996 bombs in Centennial Park. In the end, Kathy Scruggs greatest crime was being interesting. Richard Jewell was under FBI scrutiny for about three months before he was cleared. Or at least, one FBI agent in particular fed her the story. ET. He filed several lawsuits against media companies and others, like The Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, NBC, and his former employer Piedmont College. I never heard any of them, even when they were drinking, say anything negative about her personally or professionally. Amid safety concerns, and anxiety over the fate of a $200 million movie, The 2023 Hollywood Issue: Selena Gomez, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh & More. Scruggs, who died in 2001, was working at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution when she broke a story that the FBI was investigating security guard Richard Jewell for the bombing in Centennial. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). The Atlanta Journal-Constitution then read the full text of the story to an FBI spokesperson before publication specifically to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. "Shes no longer with us, she died very young, and I feel a certain responsibility to defend her legacy which has now been, I think unfairly, boiled down to one element of her personality, one inferred moment in the film. The article which was headlined FBI Suspects Hero Guard May Have Planted Bomb made Jewell the talk of debate even after being cleared of the crime. Through social media posts, court records, and other primary sources, author Kathleen Hale forensically reconstructs their lives before the crime, and the night they were killed. By contrast, when Kathy Scruggs died in 2001 of a drug overdose (possibly deliberate, according to The Suspect) just shy of age 43, she was still fighting court battles over her story. Richard Jewell ended with a quiet showdown between Jewell (played by Paul Walter Hauser) and Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell), and the FBI agents in charge of his case, led by Tom Shaw (Jon Hamm). The FBI did in fact investigate Jewell, wrongly suspecting that he might have planted the bomb, and a court even ruled that AJC's reporting was . The second season of "Manhunt: Deadly Games'' takes on the saga of Eric Rudolph and Richard Jewell. After Richard Jewell was no longer a suspect, his battle continued. The Atlanta Journal-Constitutions decision to publish the storyimmediately recasting Jewell as a villain in the minds of millionswas so journalistically problematic and personally devastating to Jewell (and his mother, Bobi) that the case continues to be taught as a cautionary tale in journalism schools. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. IE 11 is not supported. (This post will contain both spoilers for the movie Richard Jewell and historical facts. In 2011, the suitsnaming the AJC weredismissed as the Georgia Court of Appeals concluded the articles in their entirety were substantially true at the time they were published. Scruggs was born and raised in Atlanta. The brutal murders of four Idaho college students shocked millions. The most important rule of reporting is never to reveal a suspects name without corroborating evidence. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. If they had, it might have ruined their idea of what they wanted the story to be. Cinemablend is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. The thing she was always proud of was the newspaper stood by her. Moreover, of all the players who deserve scrutiny in this saga, why demonize the one who, at the very least, did sourced, factual reporting? She is right now the face of justice. So I had to call the district attorney, and we went through this whole back and forth and Nancy didnt end up speaking about the Olympics again.. So he said, Yeah, the names out there and I dont really know the details. So he couldnt really say it was accurate, but he said, Im not going to quibble with it. And then, will it screw up the investigation? "She was so, so alive." Scruggs was born Sept. 26, 1958 into a prominent Athens family. https://t.co/Wii3yiCK7y. "If they had actually contacted me, it might have ruined their idea of what they wanted the story to be," Martz told the newspaper. New York, Jewell, a security guard at the park, helped to evacuate the area after the bomb was discovered. He really didnt know. She was the real deal when it came to being a dedicated reporter, attorney and family friend Edward Tolley told the AJC in a 2019 feature on Scruggs, adding that the portrayal of her as a floozy was complete horse [expletive]., My concern is theyre going to turn her into some sort of femme fatale who would do anything to get a story, said former AJC reporter Ron Martz, who added that no one from the film ever got in touch with him. On the park grounds, he discovered a backpack containing three pipe bombs and assisted in evacuating the area before the bomb exploded, saving many people from injury or death. Then-AJC columnist Dave Kindred, who wrote a column comparing Richard Jewell to murderous pedophile Wayne Williams, does not. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Why should Kathy Scruggs get named and shamed while the FBI agent who revealed the suspects name receives anonymity? This, in turn, had actors in the movie, like Jon Hamm, when I interviewed him, urging people to see the film before passing judgment. The film also takes liberties with how information and events unfolded. In fact, nine law. With The Good Doctor Losing A Character, How Worried Should Fans Be For The Season 6 Finale? That wouldve been a fun movie. For our 29th annual Hollywood cover, a dozen captivating young stars gather for the after-party of our dreams. It crushed her like a june bug on the sidewalk.. "There was NO evidence to support a storyline" that Kathy Scruggs traded sex for tips about Richard Jewell, his attorney tweeted. As for Olivia Wildes notion of why people arent complaining about Jon Hamms character, thats an easy one: Tom Shaw isnt a real person. Kathy Scruggs, who was a very accomplished and very aggressive police reporter, had a motto: Im not in the business of being last. And she decided that she was going to be her usual aggressive self and made call after call to law enforcement sources. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! She nonetheless gets the information, while fondling for his crotch. And Law And Order. By the time the case ended, Richard & Ms. Scruggs had both passed away. When I'm not writing about pop culture, I can be found channeling Gordon Ramsay by kicking people out the kitchen. And she could be loud and brash if the mood struck her. Should they call Jewell a "suspect," "focus" or "target?" Scruggs left the Independent Mail in Anderson after she got into an altercation at a bar, Kiss said. People who knew her called her a true journalist. Im thinking D-cups, movie-Scruggs growls, cupping her breasts for effect. For months after the bomb was detonated, he was suspected of planting it, resulting in negative publicity that came to symbolize the excesses of law enforcement and the news media.. To play this as Kathy Scruggs willingly burning her source and jeopardizing an investigation is unfair. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. She was never at peace as the story continued to get bigger and bigger with everyone crucifying Richard Jewel. Her own brother said of her, I loved Kathy, but she was crazy.. That FBI agent is identified by name in The Suspect, but, tellingly, not in the movie* (book spoilers in the footnote). Read More Craig Herrera FOX Weather Salary, Age, Husband, Leaving KING 5Continue, Your email address will not be published. "The perspective of the fictional dramatization of the story, as I understood it, was that Kathy, and the FBI agent who leaked false information to her, were in a pre-existing romantic relationship, not a transactional exchange of sex for information," Wilde continued. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. The claim was that Jewell's reputation had been injured by the AJC and others. Eventually, Jewell becomes fed up with all the questioning and says they dont have any evidence to charge him. I think [Grace] said that there was no presumption of innocence at this time because there wasnt a jury trial, and that was a head-shaker, Alexander says. NY 10036. the Atlanta Constitution-Journal reporter, Gwyneth Paltrow Says She's 'Proud' Years Later Of Bringing Conscious Uncoupling Into The Mainstream, Credits It For Making Divorces 'Easier', Baby Fever Is In The Air As Bonnie Wright Is The Latest Harry Potter Star To Announce A Pregnancy, Pete Davidson And Chase Sui Wonders Were Both At The Bupkis Premiere, But Totally Avoided Taking Red Carpet Photos Together, Following Controversy Surrounding Netflix's Queen Cleopatra, Egypt's Council Of Antiquities Weighs In. For his part, Scruggs Jr. sounds resigned to the fact that he's unlikely to get any kind of apology from Eastwood or the rest of the team behind "Richard Jewell." "I wish I could say it . All of which again escapes mention in the film which its possible to come away from believing that Jewell was still basically the same sexless weirdo mamas boy that the media made him out to be in the nineties. She was blamed for ruining Jewells life who was once considered a hero. It was just hard living, her brother toldthe AJC. She had a very close relationship with the cops and the FBI helping to tell their story, and yes, by all accounts she had relationships with different people in that field, Wilde told Deadline. But what I resented was this character being boiled down to one inferred scene and I dont hear anyone complaining about Jon Hamms character as being inferred that he also had a relationship with a reporter. Scruggs was the Atlanta Constitution-Journal reporter who first wrote about . Burns her source, breaking her promise to be off the record and jeopardizing an ongoing investigation. She was at least doing the job as it was understood; he was the unscrupulous one. It was just hard living," her brother told the AJC. "The court found that what Kathy reported was true at the time she reported it," Kiss said. They editorialized wildly and printed assumptions as facts. Ashley Willcott is a former judge, trial lawyer, television anchor, and media consultant for lawyers child welfare influencer. The AJC and other media were suedafter Jewell was cleared. "You always knew when Kathy was in the room," said her former colleagueJohn Gouch. ", Eric Rudolph, the actual bomber, was found in 2003, rummaging through trash behind a grocery store in Murphy, North Carolina. The police caught on to Rudolph when he did a bombing in Birmingham. Kathy Scruggs, who died in 2001, was working at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution when she broke a story that the FBI was investigating security guard Richard Jewell for the bombing in Centennial . Please consider becominga subscriber. Initially hailed as a hero by the media, Jewell was quickly identified as a suspect by the FBI and local law enforcement based on psychological profiling. The film explores Jewells crucifixion by the media and the FBIs manipulative quest to incriminate him. In 2011, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled for the newspaper, which had refused to negotiate a settlement of Jewell's lawsuit. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Specifically, Riley has pointed to a scene in Richard Jewell that implies Scruggs, who died in 2001, traded sex for storiesa scene that has incited an internet firestorm and prompted the AJC to demand a disclaimer on the movie. Without an inkling of self-awareness, Awful Announcing is concerned about the destruction of a dead reporter's reputation eternally. Its true we shouldnt boil the character to one sexual act (which, again, doesnt seem to have actually happened), but the film doesnt present much that would flesh out the picture. Eric Rudolph, an American domestic terrorist, was later found to have been responsible for setting off the bomb, which killed one person and injured 111 other people at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in July 1996. Richard Jewell is a 2019 American biographical drama film directed and produced . She was also known for a foul mouth, low-cut dresses, and general wildness. Centennial Olympic Park bombings are depicted in a film. Richard Jewell, a security guard, also discovered the explosives. When. NBC even featured him on an SNL skit to joke about the incident. Yeah Kathy Scruggs and AJC said they only reported the truth - that Jewell was being investigated. As the story went through the editing process, Scruggs, Martz and Managing Editor John Walter talked about what word to use, Scruggs would say later. "That story might not win anyone an Oscar, but it is the truth under the evidence," Wood wrote. I didnt want to back away from or soften [Scruggs], in any way, because I wanted to give people perhaps a chance of empathy, seeing a little bit of the world through her eyes, said Gugino. She did her job as it was then understood. Related: Lauren Snchez (Jeff Bezos Girlfriend), Age, Children, Husband, Family, Net Worth, Journalist. However, there are some things that dont quite come across in the film that are stated in the article. It was Scruggs who first publicly. Nikki Battiste is an American journalist working as a correspondent anchor as well as a reporter for CBS News in New York City. Even highly respected journalists like Katie Couric tracked Jewell down when he canceled an interview with her. Kathy was known for her solid reporting. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Getty Early buzz for Clint Eastwoods latest film indicates that both Paul Walter Hauser and Sam Rockwell have a fighting chance. Age, Height, Salary, Net Worth, PodcastContinue, Who is Andrew Nichols? These cases typically ended up being settled out of court and him being rewarded an undisclosed amount of money. Why is that anyones business? Brenner told Vanity Fair. Pronouns: she/her. Many journalists have strongly criticized the portrayal as perpetuating a pernicious and false stereotype that some female journalists trade sex for information, which U.S. news organizations prohibit as unethical. As the film depicts it, Scruggs (played by Olivia Wilde) finds out that Jewell is the FBIs primary suspect (which he probably never shouldve been) by sexually accosting an FBI agent played by Jon Hamm at a bar. I have been a life long lover of pop culture, especially television, turned that passion into writing about all things entertainment related. Read More Who is Will Cain Married To? She and Martz had been held in contempt for refusing to reveal their source. Unfortunately, Scruggs can't come forward to defend herself, either: She died in 2001 at the age of 42 from an overdose of prescription pain pills, according to Poytner. She was born on Sept. 26, 1958, in Atlanta. Fair enough, and certainly Jewell deserves that, but Jewell already received the benefit of being exonerated during his lifetime. When youre a cop reporter, you have to be able to throw it and show itget in there with them and not take any shit off them. And two, that it was accurate, said Alexander. In an interview with Collider, Gugino acknowledged that Scruggs was known for partying hard, but she was also known as a great reporter and what intrigued Gugino about the part was the notion that everything can look a certain way, depending on the point of view youre looking at it from, and that we all have a sense of what our truth is and it might be very different than somebody elses., Gugino went on to say that the scoop about Jewell basically fell in her lap and Scruggs was pressured to do it quickly, otherwise somebody else was gonna run the story, which is the nature of that profession, and she ended up in very deep.. He received a public apology from Jay Leno, a $200,000 settlement from CNN, and an almost $600,000 settlement from NBC, among others. Every single criminal investigation and civil lawsuit the ex-president is currently facing, including the ones youve probably never heard about. While others were under suspicion, Martz at least thought Jewell was the lead suspect. She struggled with chronic. The media circus that surrounded the investigation was widely cited as an example of law enforcement and media excess. According to The Washington Post, Jewell stated that the lawsuits werent about the money --because most of it went to lawyer fees, taxes, and a new home for his mother-- but to ensure that the truth was told. However, that dismissal came 10 years after Scruggs died. In a letter sentthis week to Eastwood, screenwriter Billy Ray, Warner Brothers and others, the AJC is demanding a "prominent disclaimer" be added to the film to acknowledge that some of the events portrayed in itwere "imagined for dramatic purposes, and artistic license and dramatization were used in the films portrayal of events and characters," the AJC reported. In the movie, much of the blame for that seems to land on Kathy Scruggs, a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC). The films depiction of her is not only wrong, but unnecessary. When she went after a story she did what was necessary to get the story, within legal and ethical bounds., Her friend Susan Parke called her luminous, adding she was so, so alive. We further demand that you add a prominent disclaimer to the film to that effect.". While researching his first novel, Atlanta Heat, Coram spent several days a week for a few years at Manuels Tavernthe homicide cop hangout where Scruggs would sidle up to cops over liquid lunches and happy hours in hopes of coaxing out new information. Eric Rudolph eventually confessed and pleaded guilty to that bombing and other attacks. In the film, Kathy is portrayed as a ruthless reporter who is willing to use any means necessary to get a story, even sleeping with an FBI agent, and not showing empathy for the victims after the bombing. She liked white wine and Johnnie Walker Red, and she smoked "like a chimney," Kiss said. She was just 42 when she died in 2001. As for the bar scene, Kent Alexander and his co-author Kevin Salwen have declined to discuss their input, saying in a statement, We have been asked repeatedly whether we found evidence that Scruggs traded sex for the story. Its obvious to me they did not go to any great lengths to find out what the real characters were like., Both Gugino and the creators of the limited series obviously work to offer a bit more nuance with the character. She had this big personality the kind you never forget.". The other questionable element of Richard Jewell is the portrayal of Kathy Scruggs, played in the movie by Olivia Wilde. While the movie portrays an FBI case agent leaking Jewell's name to Atlanta Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs, who has since died, there is no basis for the claim. Mike King, a former Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor who worked with Scruggs for about eight years, said that, save for that glaring implication, Richard Jewell largely seems to get Scruggs right. After the bombing fiasco, Jewell went on to get married, realized his dream of becoming a cop (The Suspect details a later incident in which Jewell performed CPR on a dying infant, saving its life), and bought a 26-acre farm in rural Georgia. Even the AJCs house style, voice-of-God narration that stressed declarative sentences over attribution, news in bite-sized chunklets in an attempt to mimic USA Today, deserves some blame making Jewell fit the profile of the lone bomber sound like objective fact rather than the opinion of the FBI, who created said profile. Kiss said he is "just appalled" at the film's portrayal of Scruggs, whom he described as hardworking, fearless and a reporter who took pride"in getting the story right.". or the Coen Brothers. By no means was I intending to suggest that as a female reporter, she needed to use her sexuality. Stream it here (opens in new tab). The trouble is, that character sounds a lot more interesting than what we get in Richard Jewell, a character we first meet when she storms into the AJC newsroom, wearing a gold necklace that says KATHY, flipping the bird to fellow reporters (theyre jealous, apparently) and telling a colleague that shes considering getting breast implants. Tell me this wouldnt have made an incredible movie from The Death Of Dick Long guys so many Southern oddballs! Carla Gugino plays her in Manhunt: Deadly Games on CBS. Jewell becomes emotional about regaining his freedom. I would encourage people to see the movie and read the story behind it and then come to that conclusion, Hamm told me, referring to The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, The FBI, The Media, And Richard Jewell, The Man Caught In The Middle, by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen, another source for the movie. She broke the story that security guard Jewell at that point a hero for saving countless lives in the Centennial Olympic. The movietells the story of Richard Jewell, a security guard who should have been hailed a hero after he found a pipe bombpacked with nails and screwsin Centennial Olympic Park. In a statement, Warner Bros. called the AJC's claims in the letter "baseless" and said the film was based on "a wide range of highly credible source material," according to Variety magazine. It all happened in 1996 when security guard Richard Jewell alerted police during the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Reporting what happened to Richard Jewell and his mother profoundly changed me as a reporter and caused me to rethink many of the assumptions and quick judgments we can all unwittingly make under deadline pressure without attempting to find out a larger truth that lurks behind breaking news, Brenner told Vanity Fair. In the 2019 Clint Eastwood film about the bombing, Scruggs was portrayed as having slept with sources for scoops, something the people who knew her took great umbrage with. The Suspect does*, painting him more as a rogue FBI agent whose leak infuriated his bosses. According to the Vanity Fair article, Jewells phone number was leaked online and he received thousands of calls a day from people threatening him. In addition to Eastwood and the movie's production team, Olivia Wilde, the actor who played Scruggs in the movie, has also come under criticism. Photo: Lionsgate. She works as a sports anchor and reporter for AT&T SportsNet Southwest and the sideline reporter for Houston Astros. The AJC has since gone so far as to retain an attorney, the infamous pitbull Marty Singer (known for representing John Travolta, Brett Ratner, and Bryan Singer during controversies, among others) and have demanded a disclaimer be added to the film. At the time, the coroner said it could not be determined if the overdose was suicidal or accidental. Who is Ashley Willcott?