In January 2002, Craig was issued an American Meteorological Society Broadcast Seal of Approval, Indoor Cycling Instructor AFAA. The trial by the media seemed vicious and not shown nearly as intense in the film. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Her father was a Gridiron Secret Society member at the University of Georgia and a pilot in the Army Air Corps during World War II. It was as much a contributor of her death than anything, her brother Lewis Scruggs Jr. told the AJC. "She was aggressive. That article headlined FBI Suspects Hero Guard May Have Planted Bomb set off a media firestorm around Jewell from which he never really recovered, even after being cleared of the crime.
Olivia Wilde addresses controversy around her 'Richard Jewell By discovering the device and swiftly reporting it, Jewell helped ensurethe area was able to be cleared enough to avoid mass casualties, although two people still died and 111 were injured when it exploded. The reporters attire, according to Alexander and Salwen, did little to dispel a growing sleeps with her sources reputation. But in a statement to Vanity Fairs Joe Pompeo this week, the authors clarified that their five years of researchwhich encompassed dozens of interviews about Scruggs and an examination of thousands of pages of her deposition testimony and news articlesnever turned up evidence that Scruggs ever traded sex for a story. 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. The police caught on to Rudolph when he did a bombing in Birmingham. The implication about Scruggs in Richard Jewell is seemingly rooted in the films extra source material, the book by Georgia U.S. Attorney Kent Alexander and Wall Street Journal reporter Kevin SalwenThe Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle. 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. She was at least doing the job as it was understood; he was the unscrupulous one. To say that Kathy Scruggs had sex with an FBI agent (or at the very least fondled his crotch) to get the Jewell scoop when theres no evidence of that is defamatory enough, and that has nothing to do with sexism or double standards. Based on the Vanity Fair article, the film follows the facts told in it pretty closely. 3 Might Make You An Emotional Wreck, How Bail Bag Helps The Formerly Incarcerated Get Back On Their Feet, Advice From A Finance Pro For How To Survive (And Thrive) In This Economy, Why We Shouldnt Forget About The Game Stop Short Squeeze, Five Cities Where Latinx Street Art Is Alive And Well, Travel Budgeting Pro Gabby Beckford Shares Her Best Financial Advice For 2023 Adventures, We Blind Tested Our Favorite Fast Food Double Cheeseburgers & Crowned A New Champ, How To Actually, Truly Buy Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon For Real, Were Picking The Very Best Air Jordan IIIs Of All Time, In Control: Quentin Grimes Is Writing His Own Story With The Knicks, Amanda Renner On Getting To Dig Deeper With Player Interviews At The Masters, Charlotte Flair Continues To Carve Out My Own Path Ahead Of WrestleMania 39, Maxo Decries The Face Of Stone Portrayed By A Fake Friend For UPROXX Sessions, Talib Kweli & Cormega On The Realness II, Nas, The Firm, Large Pro, Queens, Luh Tyler Goes Behind The Video For His Law & Order Visual, Sandra Mejia Is Bringing The Healing Power Of Plants To The Green Desert Of South Central Los Angeles, The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, The FBI, The Media, And Richard Jewell, The Man Caught In The Middle, trope of reporter-who-sleeps-with-sources. Even as a kid Jewell seemed driven by. Clint Eastwoods new movie, Richard Jewell, adapted by screenwriter Billy Ray partly from a 1997 Marie Brenner Vanity Fair article, tells the story of the FBI and the medias rush to judgment in the case of Richard Jewell, a security guard who discovered a bomb in Atlantas Centennial Olympic Park and then became the prime suspect, beaten up in the press even though he actually helped save peoples lives. The movie focuses on the security guard who was heralded for saving lives when a bomb went off in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park in 1996, but who later became a suspect in the bombing. 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.. It was the early 1980s when Scruggs arrived in Anderson to be an education reporter. 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. Ezra Millers Messiah Delusions: Inside. 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. Powered by. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution then read the full text of the story to an FBI spokesperson before publication specifically to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. Bryant also had help from other lawyers to clear Jewells name. Her heart gave away. In Eastwood's highly-anticipated film, "Richard Jewell," reporter Kathy Scruggs is depicted as trading sex for stories and information. Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. The Georgia Court of Appeals dismissed the Jewell case against the AJC in 2011. We further demand that you add a prominent disclaimer to the film to that effect.". There was NO evidence to support a storyline that Ms. Scruggs traded sex for tips about Richard. However, the film was criticized for its portrayal of a real-life reporter, Kathy Scruggs. ", 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.". Her father, Lewis "Bubber" Scruggs Sr., was a Gridiron Secret. On Thursday, Ray defended the filmexplaining that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution seems to be pulling focus to one single minute in a movie thats 129 minutes long. Wilde also tweeted to respond to the controversy, saying,I do not believe Kathy traded sex for tips and it was never my intention to suggest she had. Ray and Brenner, among others, claim that the outsize focus on the Scruggs scene is a deliberate effort to deflect from the real story: the Atlanta Journal-Constitutions flawed, and destructive, reporting on Jewell. Unlike Tom Shaw, Kathy Scruggs, who died in 2001, was a real reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution who really did break the news that Jewell was the focus of the FBI investigation. While other outlets settled, the AJC didn't. ", She went on to say, I think people have a hard time accepting sexuality in female characters without allowing it to entirely define that character. Please consider becominga subscriber. In addition to suffering from depression, she had a chronic back problem. That adjective haunted Richard Jewell long before he became known as the FBI's leading suspect in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing on July 27, 1996. We never made such a false & damning claim. At the 2020 Television Critics Associaton winter press tour, creator/executive producer Andrew Sodroski said of the character, We portray her as a fully well-rounded character. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. All the cops knew her and respected her and kidded her a lot, said Coram, who based a character in Atlanta Heat on Scruggs. AJC ace Kathy Scruggs broke the story that made Richard Jewell a household name. The screen fades to black and the audience is informed that Jewell died at 44, Bryant and his assistant Nayda (played by Nina Arianda) were married and have two sons that Richards mother, Bobi (played by Kathy Bates) watches every Saturday. Kathy was known for her solid reporting. When I'm not writing about pop culture, I can be found channeling Gordon Ramsay by kicking people out the kitchen. True, Jewells lawyers surely got a chunk of that only one of whom, Watson Bryant, appears in the film, played memorably by Sam Rockwell. She had this big personality the kind you never forget.". Even highly respected journalists like Katie Couric tracked Jewell down when he canceled an interview with her. Her own brother said of her, I loved Kathy, but she was crazy.. 'Manhunt Deadly Games,' an American true-crime drama, will premiere its second season in the year 2020. Who is Julia Morales? 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. "There was NO evidence to support a storyline" that Kathy Scruggs traded sex for tips about Richard Jewell, his attorney tweeted. 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.
Richard Jewell Ending Explained: What Happened And What - CINEMABLEND New York, ET. In addition to the park, he bombed a gay nightclub and abortion clinics. I have mixed feelings about it. 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.". It was in 1998, and he then spent over five years on the run living and surviving in the wilderness. 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. They deflect and distortopting to challenge one assertion in the movie rather than accepting their own role in destroying the life of a good man. As for Olivia Wildes notion of why people arent complaining about Jon Hamms character, thats an easy one: Tom Shaw isnt a real person.
Eirianedd Munro (Adam Peaty Girlfriend) Bio, Age, Height, Family, Boyfriend, Son, Artist, Job, Net Worth, Lauren Snchez (Jeff Bezos Girlfriend), Age, Children, Husband, Family, Net Worth, Journalist. 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. As Martz told the New York Times: [Kathy] could be flirtatious, but she wouldnt have done that sort of thing, because she was very conscious of her role as a reporter and she wanted to be known as a top-notch reporter. 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. Prior to this meeting, Jewell undergoes a polygraph test that proves hes telling the truth. With The Good Doctor Losing A Character, How Worried Should Fans Be For The Season 6 Finale? "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. Julia Morales is an American sportscaster as well as a pregame and post-game talk show star. Why is that anyones business? Brenner told Vanity Fair. "The AJCs reporter is reduced to a sex-trading object in the film, the letter states, according to AJC. Kathy had an elder brother called Lewis Scruggs Jr. who worked in the insurance business. This led to him being scrutinized and ridiculed by the media before he was cleared as a suspect. Days later, Scruggs was told by a trusted law-enforcement source that Jewell was also the FBIs foremost suspect. And I think that we spent more time with her [than the movie did], added director/executive producer Michael Dinner. She was also known for a foul mouth, low-cut dresses, and general wildness. Richard Jewell is an interesting exploration of this fascinating case of a man wrongfully accused. The attorney for Richard Jewell, who came under suspicion in the 1996 Olympic Park bombing before he was exonerated, criticized the movie "Richard Jewell" on Thursday night, calling its depiction of a reporter at the center of the movie "false and damning.".
Reporters Enraged Over Media Portrayal in 'Richard Jewell' The most electric character in Clint Eastwoods new film, [Richard Jewell] (https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/12/richard-jewell-warner-bros-legal-letter)and now the most controversialis Kathy Scruggs, the hard-charging, real-life Atlanta Journal-Constitution journalist played by Olivia Wilde.
TIL reporter Kathy Scruggs who broke the story of Richard Jewell being Age, Height, Salary, Net Worth, Podcast, Andrew Nichols CBC Salary, Age, Height, Wife, College, Net Worth, Ashley Willcott Court Tv Husband, Age, Height, Salary, Net Worth, Craig Herrera FOX Weather Salary, Age, Husband, Leaving KING 5. In hindsight, its easy to cast Scruggs as the villain, but Gugino said its not that simple. Richard Jewell is an Academy Awards nominated film directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. The second season of "Manhunt: Deadly Games'' takes on the saga of Eric Rudolph and Richard Jewell. Wilde seems to infer that Richard Jewells critics are basing their criticisms of the Kathy Scruggs character solely on the idea that the movie infers that Scruggs had sex with a source for a story (true, the film doesnt show the actual penis going in, but when two people say theyre going to have sex and leave for a hotel room its not much of a leap to assume that they did).
Richard Jewell Controversy: Fact, Fiction, And Reporter Kathy Scruggs Theres even another agent in the story named Tubbs. Heres how it works. How that actually played out is an interesting, quasi-Coen Brothers-esque story in itself. He joined the station in September 2021 from KING 5. Shes flawed, and really complex, and really interesting. She was the real deal when it came to being a dedicated reporter, her family friend Edward Tolley told the AJC. After Jewell was cleared, the media blamed her for making it public that Jewell was a suspect. Y'all stay away from each other, if at all possible. Ya know?, Brenner never reported on rumors about Scruggss romantic life. "Contrary to a swath of recent headlines, I do not believe that Kathy 'traded sex for tips,'" Wilde tweeted. ", It really, really bothered her. The Suspect does*, painting him more as a rogue FBI agent whose leak infuriated his bosses. She works as a sports anchor and reporter for AT&T SportsNet Southwest and the sideline reporter for Houston Astros. Why should Kathy Scruggs get named and shamed while the FBI agent who revealed the suspects name receives anonymity? She was so empty.. In 1996, after security guard Richard Jewell discovered a bomb at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park, helped clear the crowd and saved hundreds of lives, Jewell was declared a hero by the. I have been a life long lover of pop culture, especially television, turned that passion into writing about all things entertainment related. 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. Unfortunately, Scruggs can't come forward to defend herself, either: She died in 2001 at the age of 42from an overdose of prescription pain pills, according to Poytner. And this was after he had saved hundreds of lives. At issue is the film's portrayal of the late reporter Kathy Scruggs. Perhaps, but its hard to have that discussion when the movie unfairly paints one of the players in it as an unscrupulous news ghoul. Scoop in hand, she convinces her bosses to run with the story over their concerns. 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. 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. 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. The newspaper, in a letter to the filmmakers, has criticized the depiction of the reporter, indicating that there is no evidence to suggest this actually happened. 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. 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? Heres a guy who hadnt had a date in a year and the first time he goes out, it turns out the woman is a reporter that writes a story about him, Alexander says.
The film also takes liberties with how information and events unfolded.
Requiem for a Reporter: Kathy Scruggs - Atlanta Magazine Why doesnt the film give time to people whose conduct wouldve actually warranted the villain treatment? 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. "He was a suspect at the time she reported that he was. Scruggs isnt alive to defend herself, but Richard Jewells depiction of her had Scruggs colleagues at the AJC calling foul before theyd even seen the film. It starts with them in a conference room conducting an interrogation of Jewell. Such a portrayal makes it appear that the AJC sexually exploited its staff and/or that it facilitated or condoned offering sexual gratification to sources in exchange for stories. 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.. Kathys downfall began when she realized how her story destroyed Richard Jewells life.
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. Should they call Jewell a "suspect," "focus" or "target?"
Richard Jewell: Roommate Objects to Portrayal of Journalist - Variety 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." Who is Craig Herrera? ', there is no evidence that Scruggs slept with anyone.
Clint Eastwood, you must apologize to Kathy Scruggs | David Ramsey Who is Ashley Willcott? Movie Kathy not only sleeps with her source to get the Jewell scoop, but: Insults her fellow reporters
Richard Jewell's lawyer agrees the movie smeared Atlanta newspaper reporter Andrew Nichols is an American bilingual journalist. I never heard any of them, even when they were drinking, say anything negative about her personally or professionally. But she was a good reporter. That wouldve been a fun movie. This is very specific to female characters, weve seen it over and over again, and I think that Kathy Scruggs is an incredibly dynamic, nuanced, dogged, intrepid reporter. However, Jewell soon became a public villain when it was leaked that the FBI was investigating him (Jewell would quickly be cleared of all suspicion). When Elisabeth Finch met Jennifer Beyer in 2019, the two women forged a fiercely loyal friendship, and eventually got married.
'Richard Jewell' backlash leads Atlanta newspaper to demand disclaimer Related: Lauren Snchez (Jeff Bezos Girlfriend), Age, Children, Husband, Family, Net Worth, Journalist. Richard Jewell was under FBI scrutiny for about three months before he was cleared. That is entirely false and malicious, and it is extremely defamatory and damaging.. The movie doesnt address these lawsuits, but they play an important part in Jewells continued quest to have his name cleared and repaired. Clint Eastwood slanders reporter Kathy Scruggs in "Richard Jewell," his otherwise powerful and honest film. However, that dismissal came 10 years after Scruggs died. She was never at peace or at rest with this story. 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. or the Coen Brothers. Clint Eastwoods film is based on the Vanity Fair profile piece (linked earlier) American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell and the book The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle. Shewas young and driven, according to those who knew her. 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. 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. He was caught in 2003 when a police officer saw him behind a dumpster searching for food.
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..
Clint Eastwood says no one really knows whether AJC reporter Kathy Jewells death is noted at the end. ", In addition to her depiction in Richard Jewell, out in theaters Friday, December 13,her life inspired two fictional characters. Another such figure was Kathy Scruggs, who was a reporter at Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time of the bombing. We did not.. Jewells biker pal who stuck by him throughout the ordeal, Dave Dutchess, appears in a single scene. 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. According to the 1997 Vanity Fair piece by Marie Brenner that the movie is partially based on, the case was being handled by an FBI division that had been formed to fight the Cold War, whose strength was intimidation and manipulation rather than the deliberate gathering of evidence to be presented in court.. The media circus that surrounded the investigation was widely cited as an example of law enforcement and media excess. 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. 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. He informed the FBI officials right away. 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. 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." Kathy Scruggs would walkinto the Independent Mail newsroom anddrop her purse and notebook on her desk, a daily effort that caused two loud, distinct thuds. An article published on Columbia colleges website entitled Richard Jewell Case Study, discussed Scruggs more and showed her in a more professional manner. The media as a whole certainly wasnt innocent in the case. She was never at peace or at rest with this story, said Scruggss former co-worker Tony Kiss. Could never apologize or admit she got it wrong, and put someone through utter hell for it Such a portrayal makes it appear that the AJC sexually exploited its staff and/or that it facilitated or condoned offering sexual gratification to sources in exchange for stories. 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.