At issue is the film's portrayal of the late reporter Kathy Scruggs. Ezra Millers Messiah Delusions: Inside. If you couldnt f*ck it out of them, what makes you think you can f*ck it out of me? Hamms character asks her. After Jewell was cleared, the media blamed her for making it public that Jewell was a suspect. As for Olivia Wildes notion of why people arent complaining about Jon Hamms character, thats an easy one: Tom Shaw isnt a real person. 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. When Jewell died of a heart attack in 2007, he at least got to see the real bomber, Eric Rudolph, go to prison (six life sentences, plus 120 years). Scruggs died of a morphine overdose in 2001. Scruggs died in 2001 of a morphine overdose. 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. However, the film was criticized for its portrayal of a real-life reporter, Kathy Scruggs. What kind of person does all that add up to? Its both incorrect and unfair, blaming her for things she didnt do and turning her into a less compelling character in the process. That decision ultimately led her to Asheville and then Atlanta, to the story that would change her life. 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." And she would get frustrated if people were keeping something from her. "Kathy was just luminous," Parke said. Another such figure was Kathy Scruggs, who was a reporter at Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time of the bombing. Decades later, how Scruggs is portrayed as a journalist is at the center of controversy that surrounds the film "Richard Jewell." "There was NO evidence to support a storyline" that Kathy Scruggs traded sex for tips about Richard Jewell, his attorney tweeted. Wilde concluded her string of Twitter posts on Thursday by saying that Scruggs "unfortunately became a piece of the massive puzzle that was responsible for the brutal and unjust vilification of. 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. 6+ Thoughts I Had Watching When Harry Met Sally For The First Time, How Wolf Entertainment's New Cop Drama Will Be Fundamentally Different From Chicago P.D. The other questionable element of Richard Jewell is the portrayal of Kathy Scruggs, played in the movie by Olivia Wilde. Scruggs left the Independent Mail in Anderson after she got into an altercation at a bar, Kiss said. Why should Kathy Scruggs get named and shamed while the FBI agent who revealed the suspects name receives anonymity? 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. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. 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. Her heart gave away. Her mother owned a travel agency. Kathy did not personally apologize to Richard Jewell, However, the story haunted her until her death. 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). Read More Craig Herrera FOX Weather Salary, Age, Husband, Leaving KING 5Continue, Your email address will not be published. This movie is about a hero whose life was completely destroyed by myths created by the FBI and the media, specifically the AJC, Ray told Deadline. Hes a composite. Referring to the newspaper by its commonly used nickname, Wood wrote: "I handled Richard Jewell's case against AJC for 16 years. 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. All rights reserved. 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. "It's obvious to me they did not go to any great lengths to find out what the real characters were like. 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. 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. Stream it here (opens in new tab). ", 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. 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. Theyre one of Hollywoods brightest starsand most troubled actors. But there's no. Longtime friend Lisa Griffin told the Journal-Constitution that she spoke with Scruggs on the phone shortly before she died. They launch a distraction campaign. 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 . When she died, she was facing possible jail time though eventually, the Journal-Constitution was cleared, with the Georgia Court of Appeals finding that the articles in their entirety were substantially true at the time they were published.. 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. That sort of portrayal of her, its an insult not only to her, but to just about any other woman whos been a reporter.. One wonders if it was because none of them were attractive, foul-mouthed women who wore fishnets and miniskirts. He appeared on the 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list all five years, and there was a million-dollar reward offered for any info. She was at least doing the job as it was understood; he was the unscrupulous one. (Ed: note: The sources name, according to The Suspect, was Don Johnson. . He joined the station in September 2021 from KING 5. "Contrary to a swath of recent headlines, I do not believe that Kathy 'traded sex for tips,'" Wilde wrote. 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. 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. The FBI Confirms Its Brett Kavanaugh Investigation Was a Total Sham. 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. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. For our 29th annual Hollywood cover, a dozen captivating young stars gather for the after-party of our dreams. Early buzz for Clint Eastwoods latest film indicates that both Paul Walter Hauser and Sam Rockwell have a fighting chance. How this story and source was gotten was never my interest., When Brenner read the rumor about Scruggs trading sex for stories in Alexander and Salwens book, she felt it was deeply problematic: Inevitably men get it wrong when they try to write about a womans sexuality., Both Brenner and Billy Ray, though, say the focus on Scruggs is a diversionary tactic. 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. Read More Ashley Willcott Court Tv Husband, Age, Height, Salary, Net WorthContinue. Jewell and Bryant confront Scruggs, demanding a retraction and apology, but she stands . 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. She was great at that, and I think thats one of the reasons why she was so successful working with cop sourceswhether it was beat cops or detectives in the homicide squad. Jewells death is noted at the end. Which is still the case and not despite the movie, but because of it. Then-AJC columnist Dave Kindred, who wrote a column comparing Richard Jewell to murderous pedophile Wayne Williams, does not. Alex Johnson is a reporter and editor for NBC News based in Los Angeles. 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.". ', there is no evidence that Scruggs slept with anyone. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. The bomb detonated before it could be removed, killing. But she was a good reporter. Please consider becominga subscriber. Jewell, a security guard at the park, helped to evacuate the area after the bomb was discovered. The Complete Guide to All the Ways Donald Trump Is Legally Screwed. Pronouns: she/her. ", 1/ I handled Richard Jewells case against AJC for 16 years. Nor does Nancy Grace, a then-assistant DA who said on television that Richard Jewell did not deserve the presumption of innocence. 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. There was nothing unethical about how she did her work.". That would be an appalling and misogynistic dismissal of the difficult work she did.". That is entirely false and malicious, and it is extremely defamatory and damaging., The letter demands a statement publicly acknowledging that some events were imagined for dramatic purposes and artistic license and dramatization were used in the films portrayal of events and characters. It was in 1998, and he then spent over five years on the run living and surviving in the wilderness. The films depiction of her is not only wrong, but unnecessary. 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. The reporters outside his home would even yell and harass Bobi and Richard to try to get a reaction to catch on film. 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. 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. The small changes here and there are understandable because its a film that needs to entertain as much as its trying to inform. Fair enough, and certainly Jewell deserves that, but Jewell already received the benefit of being exonerated during his lifetime. 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. 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. Read More Nikki Battiste (CBS News) Net Worth, Age, Husband, Son, Wedding and ABCContinue. "The AJCs reporter is reduced to a sex-trading object in the film, the letter states, according to AJC. Jewell becomes emotional about regaining his freedom. When you reach the Richard Jewell ending, you feel a deeper understanding of him as a human and his friendship with lawyer Watson Bryant. She was never at peace as the story continued to get bigger and bigger with everyone crucifying Richard Jewel. The deputy attorney general called that morning, and said, essentially, Get that woman off the air. Related: Lauren Snchez (Jeff Bezos Girlfriend), Age, Children, Husband, Family, Net Worth, Journalist. 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). 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. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! If you wanted to draw a Hollywood stereotype of a hard-charging female cops reporter, Kathy would fit that bill pretty well, King said during a phone call with Vanity Fair on Wednesday. She really always felt like they were supporting her.. Dreams of implants Says a prayer directly after the bombing not for the victims, but for the murderer to be interesting Richard Jewell is one of the great movies currently available to stream on HBO Max. And she could be loud and brash if the mood struck her. "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. 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. Her former colleagues said she didn't cross ethical boundaries to land a story,as is suggested in "Richard Jewell," the movie thatincludes a portrayal of her as a reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Could never apologize or admit she got it wrong, and put someone through utter hell for it 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). "Her heart gave away. He filed several lawsuits against media companies and others, like The Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, NBC, and his former employer Piedmont College. That is entirely false and malicious, and it is extremely defamatory and damaging.. They compared him to noted mass murderer Wayne Williams. 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. The Independent Mail is seeking a copy of the letter from Lavely & Singer, the California law firm that sent it on behalf of the AJC and the newspaper's parent corporation, Cox Enterprises. The film explores Jewells crucifixion by the media and the FBIs manipulative quest to incriminate him. In January 2002, Craig was issued an American Meteorological Society Broadcast Seal of Approval, Indoor Cycling Instructor AFAA. But as Beyer would soon realize, Finchs past wasnt what she claimedand Beyers own difficult history was up for the taking. TIL reporter Kathy Scruggs who broke the story of Richard Jewell being investigated as the Atlanta Olympics bomber, died of a drug overdose in 2001. . Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. There was NO evidence to support a storyline that Ms. Scruggs traded sex for tips about Richard. However, that dismissal came 10 years after Scruggs died. I probably will wind up watching it. 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.. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Getty Wilde also said in her Twitter thread that Scruggs was at the center of the "brutal and unjust vilification" of Jewell and that the film centered on the tragedy of the accusations against him. In hindsight, its easy to cast Scruggs as the villain, but Gugino said its not that simple. 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 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics bombing. I think we understand her. By the time the case ended, Richard & Ms. Scruggs had both passed away. She was also known for a foul mouth, low-cut dresses, and general wildness. Ashley Willcott is a former judge, trial lawyer, television anchor, and media consultant for lawyers child welfare influencer. The guy on the other end, agent Jay Spadafore, is a part-time PR guy, intentionally kept completely away from the investigation. I am sorry, but it is not enough to say, law enforcement thinks. And they didnt even say that. Citing the paper that reported there was no evidence against Jewell, Brenner said, The New York Timesand its editor Joe Lelyveld knew better., King acknowledged that the Richard Jewell case was a turning point in a lot of newspaper discussions about where to draw the line when on identifying suspects. And I think those are good lessons to share with a movie-going audience, that there are people who are the subject of newspaper stories and of government investigations who look as guilty as Richard appeared to look in those initial stories but who ultimately are totally innocent and whose reputations are dragged through the mud for all the wrong reasons., Scruggs died in 2001 from a prescription drug overdose, due, in part, to a chronic back problem, still troubled by the repercussions of her Jewell reporting. "You always knew when Kathy was in the room," said her former colleagueJohn Gouch. READ NEXT: New Reality Star Lost Her Son to a Drug Overdose in 2009, The Sad End to Atlanta Bombing Reporter Kathy Scruggs Life, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Why is that anyones business? Brenner told Vanity Fair. 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. ", Eric Rudolph, the actual bomber, was found in 2003, rummaging through trash behind a grocery store in Murphy, North Carolina. 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. Clint Eastwood slanders reporter Kathy Scruggs in "Richard Jewell," his otherwise powerful and honest film. The AJCs reporter is reduced to a sex-trading object in the film, theletter says, according to the newspaper. 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. Richard Jewell is an Academy Awards nominated film directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. Carla Gugino portrayed Kathys character. 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. The movie actually does Scruggs worse than that. 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. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). That wouldve been a fun movie. People have begun to do just that, and the criticism has, if anything, only intensified. Perhaps, but its hard to have that discussion when the movie unfairly paints one of the players in it as an unscrupulous news ghoul. She was charming and kind, generous and profane, according to Tony Kiss, a former colleague at the newspaper in Anderson, South Carolina, who became her longtimefriend. Reporter Kathy Scruggs broke the story that the FBI was looking at Richard Jewell as the Atlanta Olympics bomber. Always Marlboro Lights. Y'all stay away from each other, if at all possible. Ya know?, Brenner never reported on rumors about Scruggss romantic life. "She had very good contacts with. "Contrary to a swath of recent headlines, I do not believe that Kathy 'traded sex for tips,'" Wilde tweeted. 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. It was like a vacuum, she said. Wow, "Richard Jewell" depicts Kathy Scruggs a real Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter sleeping with an FBI agent to land a scoop about the '96 Olympic bombing. 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. 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 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. She was once arrested drunk and naked, sitting in the drivers seat of a taxi outside a bar. Richard Jewell, a security guard, also discovered the explosives. 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. To coincide with the premiere of Manhunt: Deadly Games, a Spectrum original series about the bombing that makes its broadcast TV premiere Monday, September 21 on CBS, here is what you need to know about Scruggs, including how she died and how she too never fully recovered from the debacle of the 1996 Atlanta bombing. But ever since the film premiered at the AFI Fest in November, the Atlanta Journal-Constitutions editor-in-chief, Kevin Riley, has insisted that the filmwritten by Oscar-winning screenwriter Billy Ray (Captain Phillips)gets integral facts wrong. It feels unfair that Kathy has been minimized in this way. [] Its a misunderstanding of feminism to assume that all women have to be sexless.. 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. Powered by. 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.". Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. It states that she was given a tip about the FBI and Richard Jewell and respected the request to not publish it without finding more sources, so Scruggs and co-writer Ron Martz found more sources. 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. It was chosen by the National Board of Review as one . NBC even featured him on an SNL skit to joke about the incident. 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. Warner Brothers has fired back at the AJC, saying that having been a part of the rush to judgment of Richard Jewell, [the AJC] is now trying to malign our filmmakers and cast., Olivia Wilde, who plays Scruggs in the film, defended the films depiction of her character on feminist grounds, saying the films critics were holding it to a sexist double standard., She was incredibly successful as a cop reporter. Shewas young and driven, according to those who knew her. Wood went on to write that evidence showed Scruggs was dating an Atlanta police officer at the time of the investigation and that the newspaper independently confirmed with the FBI that Jewell was a leading suspect before publication. Scruggs' former reporting partner, Ron Martz, played by David Shae in the movie, said no one from the film contacted him. Should they call Jewell a "suspect," "focus" or "target?" It was as much a contributor of her death than anything, her brother Lewis Scruggs Jr. told the AJC. The (Journal-Constitution's) claims are baseless and we will vigorously defend . In 1996, after security guard Richard Jewell discovered a bomb at Atlantas Centennial Olympic Park, helped clear the crowd and saved hundreds of lives, Jewell was declared a hero by the press. I have mixed feelings about it. If there was a double standard, it was one Ron Martz complained of at the time: that Kathy Scruggs seemed to be getting all the criticism over a story on which Martz was a co-author. She broke the story that security guard Jewell at that point a hero for saving countless lives in the Centennial Olympic. She was never at peace or at rest with this story, said Scruggss former co-worker Tony Kiss. The story contributed to her stress and failing health. It crushed her like a june bug on the sidewalk..