did kathy scruggs apologize to richard jewell

For our 29th annual Hollywood cover, a dozen captivating young stars gather for the after-party of our dreams. In the movie, Richard is kind of portrayed like a bit of an outcast, mama's boy simpleton, but in real life, the article said he had an active social life, a complicated but loving relationship with his mother, and he was quite observant and smart. 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. That FBI agent is identified by name in The Suspect, but, tellingly, not in the movie* (book spoilers in the footnote). "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. That is entirely false and malicious, and it is extremely defamatory and damaging.. That would be an appalling and misogynistic dismissal of the difficult work she did. 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. Ad Choices. "It's heartbreaking to think that the only thing some people will ever hear about Kathy is how she is portrayed in that movie.". Even highly respected journalists like Katie Couric tracked Jewell down when he canceled an interview with her. "Kathy Scruggs was the one who broke the story about Richard Jewell," said Lyda Longa, who was a police reporter for the newspaper during the 1996 games. 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. 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. 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. Your email address will not be published. From there, Jewell spent nearly three months being questioned, probed, discussed, and hounded by the media--who labeled him guilty without any real evidence. All the cops knew her and respected her and kidded her a lot, said Coram, who based a character in Atlanta Heat on Scruggs. It crushed her like a june bug on the sidewalk.. In a new depiction of the 1996 Olympics bombing in Atlanta and its aftermath, a newspaper reporter from the time is once again portrayed in a controversial light. The Richard Jewell ControversyAnd the Complicated Truth About Kathy ", Olivia Wilde as Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs in the movie 'Richard Jewell. When I'm not writing about pop culture, I can be found channeling Gordon Ramsay by kicking people out the kitchen. Kathy Scruggs Cause of Death, Family, Downfall, Richard Jewell, Journalist, Julia Morales (Astros) Husband, Daughter, Age, Height, Salary, Net worth, Nikki Battiste (CBS News) Net Worth, Age, Husband, Son, Wedding and ABC, Who is Will Cain Married To? 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. Scruggs' former friends and colleagues spoke about the journalist's legacy at The Journal-Constitution for an article in the newspaper titled "The Ballad of Kathy Scruggs." 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. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! But the truth being obscuredis something that'sbeing brought up for another reason in relation to the film:Many are furious with its depiction of journalist Kathy Scruggs, who broke the Jewell FBI investigation story. Tom Brokaw, who said the FBI probably had enough to convict Jewell but were just trying to collect all the evidence, does get a soundbite in the film. By then, Scruggs had been dead for a decade. Photo: Lionsgate. 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. 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. Who is Will Cain? The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Shestruggled with chronic health issues and had been on medical leavefrom the newspaper for about a year when she died, Kiss said. Louis Freeh is the real culprit in the Richard Jewell story ", Olivia Wilde defends her 'Richard Jewell' character amid backlash, Olivia Wilde said she heavily researched her role in "Richard Jewell," emphasizing Kathy Scruggs' "dynamic, multidimensional, nuanced personality.". The (Journal-Constitution's) claims are baseless and we will vigorously defend . Within days, the law enforcement wannabe becomes the FBIs number one suspect, vilified by press and public alike, his life ripped apart, a Warner Brothers press release obtained by Oxygen.com states. Scruggs died in 2001 of a morphine overdose. Then-AJC columnist Dave Kindred, who wrote a column comparing Richard Jewell to murderous pedophile Wayne Williams, does not. She was never at peace or at rest with this story. 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. Olivia Wilde addresses controversy around her 'Richard Jewell She was never at peace as she was facing possible jail time together with the media blaming her for destroying Jewells life and reputation. What kind of person does all that add up to? The other questionable element of Richard Jewell is the portrayal of Kathy Scruggs, played in the movie by Olivia Wilde. This movie that supposedly aims to set the record straight often ends up regurgitating lazy assumptions. She worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a reporter. The New York Times wrote a 3,000-word cover story about his poor treatment after the FBI cleared him. Richard Jewell's lawyer agrees the movie smeared Atlanta newspaper reporter While other outlets settled, the AJC didn't. Required fields are marked *. In January 2002, Craig was issued an American Meteorological Society Broadcast Seal of Approval, Indoor Cycling Instructor AFAA. He filed several lawsuits against media companies and others, like The Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, NBC, and his former employer Piedmont College. Instead, she quit.". 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 . 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? While there were a number of bad actors this includes journalists who did considerable damage to Richard Jewell's reputation, I've not seen where Kathy Scruggs' reporting went beyond the facts. One of the people she called got back to her and said Meet me in a bar after work. And so she goes to the bar and she learns that Richard Jewell, who up to that point had been the hero, was the guy that the FBI believed was the prime suspect., Translation: the FBI fed her the story. As an actor, its more complicated, and I want to share my perspective on my role in the film Richard Jewell. Cinemablend is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Kathy Scruggs was the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper reporter whose reporting on the Atlanta Olympics bombing has been extremely controversial. Once Scruggs got the scoop, she wrote up the story with her co-author, Ron Martz. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution then read the full text of the story to an FBI spokesperson before publication specifically to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has taken issue withtheway that itsformer reporter Kathy Scruggs is depicted in "Richard Jewell," amovie about the 1996 Summer Olympics Bombing case. Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 1, Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 2. In 2017, the series Manhunt was released depicting the FBIs hunt for the Unabomber. 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. Stream it here (opens in new tab). However, there are some things that dont quite come across in the film that are stated in the article. Longtime friend Lisa Griffin told the Journal-Constitution that she spoke with Scruggs on the phone shortly before she died. Oh, well, its not like he received a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court or anything. For example, Bryant finds out about the FBI investigating Jewell from seeing the newspaper on the stands, not from Nayda showing it to him (as shown in the film). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Richard Jewell Case Study What Happened To Kathy Scruggs, 'Richard Jewell' Journalist? | True Scruggs writes a story saying just that, which turns Jewell (and the implication of his guilt) into a global news event. Every single criminal investigation and civil lawsuit the ex-president is currently facing, including the ones youve probably never heard about. However, there are two major things that the movie portrays in questionable ways. Nicholas Confessore of the New York Times wrote, An accurate movie script about a female reporter would involve her being constantly propositioned or harassed by people she covers, while being invited to evening meetings that somehow turn into involuntary dates with sources, and bombarded with rape threats on Twitter. Added Melissa Gomez of the Los Angeles Times, Hollywood has, for a long time, portrayed female journalists as sleeping with sources to do their job.

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