Which is still the case and not despite the movie, but because of it. The incident took place in Atlanta in 1996, during the Summer Olympics. Eric Rudolph eventually admitted to the bombing and other attacks and pleaded guilty. She struggled with chronic. It was as much a contributor of her death than anything, her brother Lewis Scruggs Jr. told the AJC. Olivia Wilde, the actress who portrays Scruggs in thefilm, took to Twitter on Thursday to share her perspective. IE 11 is not supported. "She was just out there, charging ahead," Gouch said. All rights reserved. Kathy did not personally apologize to Richard Jewell, However, the story haunted her until her death. Again, a chapter that goes unmentioned in the film. Referring to the newspaper by its commonly used nickname, Wood wrote: "I handled Richard Jewell's case against AJC for 16 years. "She would announce herself. In a thread on Twitter on Thursday night, Lin Wood, the prominent defamation lawyer who represented Jewell in lawsuits against The Journal-Constitution and other media organizations, joined the movie's critics. That would be an appalling and misogynistic dismissal of the difficult work she did.". After the interrogation, sometime later, Shaw and other FBI members hand Jewell and Bryant a letter that states they will no longer be investigating him as a suspect. Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 1, Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 2. Shewas young and driven, according to those who knew her. Then-AJC columnist Dave Kindred, who wrote a column comparing Richard Jewell to murderous pedophile Wayne Williams, does not. 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. 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. "That story might not win anyone an Oscar, but it is the truth under the evidence," Wood wrote. The Complete Guide to All the Ways Donald Trump Is Legally Screwed. However, there are two major things that the movie portrays in questionable ways. The claim was that Jewell's reputation had been injured by the AJC and others. As for Olivia Wildes notion of why people arent complaining about Jon Hamms character, thats an easy one: Tom Shaw isnt a real person. 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. To play this as Kathy Scruggs willingly burning her source and jeopardizing an investigation is unfair. When. However, there are some things that dont quite come across in the film that are stated in the article. The FBI greenlit the entire thing. Prior to this meeting, Jewell undergoes a polygraph test that proves hes telling the truth. They compared him to noted mass murderer Wayne Williams. (Perhaps not coincidentally, The Suspect reports that Bryant teamed up with Jewells mother to sell the movie rights.) Who is Nikki Battiste? It crushed her like a junebug on the sidewalk., But even facing litigation over the article, Scruggs would not reveal her source in reporting that Jewell was a suspect. Kathy was known for her solid reporting. All the cops knew her and respected her and kidded her a lot, said Coram, who based a character in Atlanta Heat on Scruggs. 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. 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). In Eastwood's highly-anticipated film, "Richard Jewell," reporter Kathy Scruggs is depicted as trading sex for stories and information. Kathleen "Kathy" Scruggs was a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution who broke the story that the FBI was investigating security guard Richard Jewell as a possible suspect in the. 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. There was NO evidence to support a storyline that Ms. Scruggs traded sex for tips about Richard. That sort of portrayal of her, its an insult not only to her, but to just about any other woman whos been a reporter.. MANHUNT: DEADLY GAMES Official Trailer (HD) Cameron Britton, MANHUNT: DEADLY GAMES 2020 TRUE CRIME DRAMA CAMERON BRITTON MANHUNT: DEADLY GAMES will chronicle one of the largest and most complex manhunts on U.S. soil the search for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Park Bomber and the media firestorm that consumed the life of Richard Jewell in its wake. She nonetheless gets the information, while fondling for his crotch. Another such figure was Kathy Scruggs, who was a reporter at Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time of the bombing. Read More Craig Herrera FOX Weather Salary, Age, Husband, Leaving KING 5Continue, Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). ", Eric Rudolph, the actual bomber, was found in 2003, rummaging through trash behind a grocery store in Murphy, North Carolina. Related: Lauren Snchez (Jeff Bezos Girlfriend), Age, Children, Husband, Family, Net Worth, Journalist. Scoop in hand, she convinces her bosses to run with the story over their concerns. Marie Brenner, who wrote the Vanity Fair feature on which the film is based, hopes that Richard Jewell might impact audiences the way the story affected her in 1996. 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. "If they had actually contacted me, it might have ruined their idea of what they wanted the story to be," Martz told the newspaper. Scruggs was born and raised in Atlanta. I feel like we were struggling throughout to give more and more time to her story and to really help you understand her world and the toll that these events took on her life., Without enough time to spend with her story, she becomes a culprit. 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 the park, he bombed a gay nightclub and abortion clinics. In 2020, Manhunt: Deadly Gameswas released following the hunt for Eric Rudolph, who was the perpetrator of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing after suspicion initially fell on security guard Richard Jewell. (Ed: note: The sources name, according to The Suspect, was Don Johnson. The Idaho Murders, Part 1: How 4 College Kids Lived and Loved. 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. We dont do that to men, we dont do that to James Bond we dont say James Bond isnt a real spy because he gets his information sometimes by sleeping with women as sources. The film implies Scruggs gave sexual favors to get the information, according to multiple media outlets. She was also known for a foul mouth, low-cut dresses, and general wildness. 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? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution then read the full text of the story to an FBI spokesperson before publication specifically to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. She liked a good party, too. 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. By Doug Monroe - July 1, 2003 A crowd gathers on July 30, 1996, in. Im thinking D-cups, movie-Scruggs growls, cupping her breasts for effect. She worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a reporter. 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.. Shewould wear that frustration on her sleeve. "Nothing in my research suggested she did so, and it was never my intention to suggest she had. ", 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.". In the film, Atlanta-Journal Constitution reporter Scruggs, played by Olivia Wilde, is depicted as offering sex in exchangefor information about the case from an FBI agent, NBC News reports. It was chosen by the National Board of Review as one . "She was aggressive. In the movie, much of the blame for that seems to land on Kathy Scruggs, a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC). 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. And two, that it was accurate, said Alexander. It haunted her until her last breath, her former colleague Tony Kiss told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a 2019 feature about her. According to the Columbia article, they also tried to be careful with the wording. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Getty She responded earlier Thursday in a long Twitter thread, saying she wanted to share her perspective on the role and clarify previous comments in which she said she thought the controversy was a "basic misunderstanding of feminism as pious sexlessness.". The man, Richard Jewell, went from being hailed a hero to the most hated villain when Kathy Scruggs, a journalist with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, broke the news about Jewell being looked at as the main suspect by the FBI. She became popular in the 1990s for breaking the story that the FBI was investigating security guard Richard Jewell as a possible suspect in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics bombing. One wonders if it was because none of them were attractive, foul-mouthed women who wore fishnets and miniskirts. She was never at peace as the story continued to get bigger and bigger with everyone crucifying Richard Jewel. "She was so, so alive." Scruggs was born Sept. 26, 1958 into a prominent Athens family. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Will Cain is one of the prominent journalists for CNN. Kathy Scruggs was an American reporter working for Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC). Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. 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. Kathy Scruggs herself wrote follow-up stories about Jewell's shabby treatment and interviewed criminal profilers about how criminal profiling had been mishandled in the Jewell case. 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.
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