Spent most of my life in various parts of Illinois, including attending college in Evanston. 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. "She was so, so alive." Scruggs was born Sept. 26, 1958 into a prominent Athens family. In a feature last month, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that Scruggs was disturbed by a lawsuit naming the AJC. Carla Gugino plays her in Manhunt: Deadly Games on CBS. Read More Craig Herrera FOX Weather Salary, Age, Husband, Leaving KING 5Continue, Your email address will not be published. Scruggs was the Atlanta Constitution-Journal reporter who first wrote about Jewell being on the FBIs suspect list. And she could be loud and brash if the mood struck her. All the cops knew her and respected her and kidded her a lot, said Coram, who based a character in Atlanta Heat on Scruggs. Stream it here (opens in new tab). Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 1, Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 2. 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. Jewells death is noted at the end. "Nothing in my research suggested she did so, and it was never my intention to suggest she had. She would get upset when people were supposed to tell her something but wouldn't. Your email address will not be published. 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 slanders reporter Kathy Scruggs in "Richard Jewell," his otherwise powerful and honest film. She and Martz had been held in contempt for refusing to reveal their source. ", 1/ I handled Richard Jewells case against AJC for 16 years. The suit was dismissed in 2011 when the Georgia Court of Appeals concluded the articles in their entirety were substantially true at the time they were published. But Scruggs was not alive to see her name cleared, and friends told the AJC that stress related to the case exacerbated her failing health. Read More Julia Morales (Astros) Husband, Daughter, Age, Height, Salary, Net worthContinue. Reporter Kathy Scruggs broke the story that the FBI was looking at Richard Jewell as the Atlanta Olympics bomber. Scruggs died in 2001 of a morphine overdose. Download the NBC News app for breaking news. The FBIs theory was that Jewell left these bombs so that he could be the one to find them and gain hero status. Shewould wear that frustration on her sleeve. https://t.co/Wii3yiCK7y. 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. "It's obvious to me they did not go to any great lengths to find out what the real characters were like. Without an inkling of self-awareness, Awful Announcing is concerned about the destruction of a dead reporter's reputation eternally. Want to get a room or just go to my car? Scruggs asks after he reveals Jewells name. Olivia Wilde, the actress who portrays Scruggs in thefilm, took to Twitter on Thursday to share her perspective. Carla Gugino as Kathy Scruggs in 'Manhunt: Deadly Games'. Hes a composite. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. 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. 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. Kathy Scruggs was the colorful and controversial Atlanta Journal-Constitution news reporter who broke the story that the FBI was investigating hero security guard Richard Jewell in the 1996 . A few days before Richard Jewells release, King was unsure whether he would see the film. Kathy Scruggs herself wrote follow-up stories about Jewells shabby treatment and interviewed criminal profilers about how criminal profiling had been mishandled in the Jewell case. She was the real deal when it came to being a dedicated reporter, her family friend Edward Tolley told the AJC. 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. Kathy Scruggs, the AJC, and other media had no qualms about. Another such figure was Kathy Scruggs, who was a reporter at Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time of the bombing. The story contributed to her stress and failing health. 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. They had her back. Burns her source, breaking her promise to be off the record and jeopardizing an ongoing investigation. Whereas Scruggs important job, local police reporter, is increasingly an anachronism, we still seem to have plenty of Brokaws, Kindreds, and Graces to go around (admittedly fewer Hollis Gillespies). We understand why she was trying to make it in her world, and I think shes a pretty three-dimensional character.. Centennial Olympic Park bombings are depicted in a film. I never heard any of them, even when they were drinking, say anything negative about her personally or professionally. In fact, nine law. I think we understand her. 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. 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. Scruggs died in 2001 at age 42. When you reach the Richard Jewell ending, you feel a deeper understanding of him as a human and his friendship with lawyer Watson Bryant. 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. Kathy Scruggs was the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper reporter whose reporting on the Atlanta Olympics bombing has been extremely controversial. "She would announce herself. In the 1990s, Scruggs was known for her solid reporting, her tight relationship with local law enforcement, and also her hard-partying ways, something that was exacerbated after she set off the media firestorm directed at Jewell. Heres how it works. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. She struggled with chronic. 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). Shewas young and driven, according to those who knew her. 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. In December 2019, a biographical drama film Richard Jewel was released portraying the real life of Jewell. In hindsight, its easy to cast Scruggs as the villain, but Gugino said its not that simple. But as Beyer would soon realize, Finchs past wasnt what she claimedand Beyers own difficult history was up for the taking. That sort of portrayal of her, its an insult not only to her, but to just about any other woman whos been a reporter.. Should they have known what the unprecedented 24-hour news cycle would do with Jewell? Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. They editorialized wildly and printed assumptions as facts. It was in 1998, and he then spent over five years on the run living and surviving in the wilderness. Nikki Battiste is an American journalist working as a correspondent anchor as well as a reporter for CBS News in New York City. 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. 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. His own FBI partner, Agent Thomas Dauenhauer, complained to higher-ups that [he] rarely, if ever, took out a notepad when interviewing witnesses and suspects, and would then craft his official reports from memory. Reading through [his] 302s, Dauenhauer would fume this is bullshit, and refuse to add his initials. 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. Moreover, of all the players who deserve scrutiny in this saga, why demonize the one who, at the very least, did sourced, factual reporting? Y'all stay away from each other, if at all possible. Ya know?, Brenner never reported on rumors about Scruggss romantic life. (This post will contain both spoilers for the movie Richard Jewell and historical facts. He really didnt know. 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. 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. Read More Ashley Willcott Court Tv Husband, Age, Height, Salary, Net WorthContinue. It was just hard living," her brother told the AJC. 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. Richard Jewell takes an interesting real-life character and flattens her into a lame trope of reporter-who-sleeps-with-sources, not to mention a woman who uses her sexuality to get what she wants and needs to be humbled and tamed. The (Journal-Constitution's) claims are baseless and we will vigorously defend . "Contrary to a swath of recent headlines, I do not believe that Kathy 'traded sex for tips,'" Wilde tweeted. 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. 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. 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 brutal murders of four Idaho college students shocked millions. She was once arrested drunk and naked, sitting in the drivers seat of a taxi outside a bar. Alex Johnson is a reporter and editor for NBC News based in Los Angeles. Who is Julia Morales? Theres even another agent in the story named Tubbs. "We never made such a false & damning claim. Martz, who made the call to confirm the story with the FBI, said he wanted to make sure that, one, the story wasnt going to screw up the investigation. ET. 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. 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). 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. Its both incorrect and unfair, blaming her for things she didnt do and turning her into a less compelling character in the process. She had this big personality the kind you never forget.". Who is Will Cain? They compared him to noted mass murderer Wayne Williams. 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. 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. How that actually played out is an interesting, quasi-Coen Brothers-esque story in itself. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The media as a whole certainly wasnt innocent in the case. 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. 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. Eric Rudolph eventually admitted to the bombing and other attacks and pleaded guilty. Support stories like this by supporting local journalism. Which is still the case and not despite the movie, but because of it. "That story might not win anyone an Oscar, but it is the truth under the evidence," Wood wrote. 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. He is serving multiple life sentences for his role in several bombings. However, there are some things that dont quite come across in the film that are stated in the article. While other outlets settled, the AJC didn't. "She had very good contacts with. She was just 42 when she died in 2001. The real bad guy turned out to be someone else, caught 7 years after the bombing. Please consider becominga subscriber. 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. Her soul was gone. Richard Jewell, a security guard, also discovered the explosives. Scruggs writes a story saying just that, which turns Jewell (and the implication of his guilt) into a global news event. Related: Eirianedd Munro (Adam Peaty Girlfriend) Bio, Age, Height, Family, Boyfriend, Son, Artist, Job, Net Worth. 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. Im thinking D-cups, movie-Scruggs growls, cupping her breasts for effect. It haunted her until her last breath, her former colleague Tony Kiss told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a 2019 feature about her. But she was always agood reporter with a tremendous work ethic, said Gouch and Kiss. As for Olivia Wildes notion of why people arent complaining about Jon Hamms character, thats an easy one: Tom Shaw isnt a real person. Cinemablend is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. And I think that we spent more time with her [than the movie did], added director/executive producer Michael Dinner. Its like, well, the names out there. But according to various sources, including Kevin Riley, the current. Now a movie comes along 23 years later, a perfect chance for the AJC to atone for what they did to Richard and to admit to their misdeeds. It was just hard living, her brother toldthe AJC. Scruggs was the Atlanta Constitution-Journal reporter who first wrote about . The movie doesnt address these lawsuits, but they play an important part in Jewells continued quest to have his name cleared and repaired. Ezra Millers Messiah Delusions: Inside. 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. 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 . Olivia Wilde as Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs in the movie "Richard Jewell." Warner Bros. "I am Kathy Scruggs' brother and only remaining member of our immediate family. Why is that anyones business? Brenner told Vanity Fair. "It's heartbreaking to think that the only thing some people will ever hear about Kathy is how she is portrayed in that movie.". "She was aggressive. On July 27, 1996, Jewell was working security at concerts going on in Centennial Park. Once Scruggs got the scoop, she wrote up the story with her co-author, Ron Martz. 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 . She did her job as it was then understood. Kathys downfall began when she realized how her story destroyed Richard Jewells life. Scruggs left the Independent Mail in Anderson after she got into an altercation at a bar, Kiss said. Kathy Scruggs was an American reporter working for Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC). "Her heart gave away. She liked white wine and Johnnie Walker Red, and she smoked "like a chimney," Kiss said. The Vanity Fair article only briefly discusses Scruggs, and calls her an FBI "groupie. It also mentions her being kind of a tough journalist, but never demonizes her in the way the film does. 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.