So she did socialize with them, there’s no doubt about that, but the guys didn’t come to the house. It also started her downward spiral. Furr, who was also critical of the "Richard Jewell" movie, told Oxygen.com that Scruggs didn’t do recreational drugs. Ron Martz, a former fellow AJC reporter, remembers her as "really tough and hard-nosed" in a 2019 AJC piece. The second season of “Manhunt: Deadly Games'' takes on the saga of Eric Rudolph and. In real life, and as depicted in Eastwood’s movie, Scruggs was a reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution whose story on the Atlanta bombing named Richard Jewell as … By. The movie is directed by Clint Eastwood. She could be aggressive but she felt she had to be successful.”. “She was reporting what she was being told by law enforcement. Kathy Scruggs was the Atlanta newspaper reporter who first reported, through a source, that the FBI was investigating hero security guard Richard Jewell in the Atlanta Olympics bombing. Requiem for a Reporter: Kathy Scruggs . Olivia Wilde Opens Up About Her 'No Assholes' Set Policy Following Shia LaBeouf Firing, Olivia Wilde, Shia LaBeouf Reportedly Clashed Over Music Video After 'Don't Worry' Firing, How to Watch and Livestream Joe Biden's Presidential Inauguration, 'The Underground Railroad': Everything You Need to Know About Barry Jenkins' Amazon Series. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Kathy Scruggs was the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper reporter whose reporting on the Atlanta Olympics bombing has been extremely controversial. 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. Furr. Scruggs suffered a fatal overdose of prescription pain pills taken for chronic back pain in 2001, She also attributed Scruggs' early death, at least partly, to the fallout from initial coverage of Jewell story. Jewell, working as a security guard during the Games, discovered the suspicious package, and initiated an evacuation. Scruggs, who was a reporter … No character in Richard Jewell more thoroughly embodies the film’s view of an amoral, mercenary media than Kathy Scruggs, the cackling, trash-talking crime reporter who breaks the … They became friends a few years earlier when Furr was working on a murder case as a defense attorney, a case Scruggs was covering for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Furr remembers Scruggs as assertive and ambitious, but also a person with integrity. Clint Eastwood's workmanlike account of a man falsely accused of the 1996 Olympic bombing clears Jewell's name while baselessly and maliciously smearing a real-life reporter… Still, Jewell was quickly viewed with suspicion by authorities and, once his status as suspect was reported in the media, his reputation was ripped apart. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. “Richard Jewell” screenwriter Billy Ray is getting pushback from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor of reporter Kathy Scruggs, saying that Ray … The second season of “Manhunt: Deadly Games'' takes on the saga of Eric Rudolph and Richard Jewell. Kathy didn’t do coke. 1. She said that Scruggs once dated a detective, years before they lived together. Clint Eastwood’s historical drama “Richard Jewell” made its world premiere this week at AFI Fest and is already generating controversy for its depiction of reporter Kathy Scruggs, played in the film by actress and “Booksmart” director Olivia Wilde. The movie received mixed-to-positive reviews from film critics, with some Oscar pundits suggesting the performances from Hauser, Rockwell, and Bates could make noise in the awards races. Scruggs was a driven reporter who, he worked there for years, and was known for being, Scruggs' former roommate and lawyer Penny Furr told, While colleagues and friends described her as ambitious yet fundamentally ethical, the 2019 film “Richard Jewell,” portrays Scruggs as willing to do anything to get a story. Another such figure was Kathy Scruggs, who was a reporter at Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time of the bombing. What makes you think you could fuck it out of me?” The line suggests Scruggs had a history of offering sex for scoops. 'Richard Jewell' Slammed For Its Depiction Of Reporter Kathy Scruggs — What Happened To Her? Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Richard Jewell (2019) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. A spokesperson for "Manhunt: Deadly Games" did not respond to. ”. Though he was ultimately exonerated, the ordeal unalterably damaged his life. Still, Jewell was quickly viewed with suspicion by authorities and, once his status as suspect was reported in the media, his reputation was ripped apart. While working as a security guard at the Olympic … “That didn’t happen. The device detonated, killing one person and injuring 111 others, though the toll would have been far higher if not for Jewell's vigilance. In addition to Wilde, Hamm, and Hauser, “Richard Jewell” co-stars Kathy Bates and Sam Rockwell. Perpetuating false tropes about female reporters and journalism itself shouldn’t go unchallenged in a time when our profession finds itself under almost constant attack.”. Copyright © 2021 Penske Business Media, LLC. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has taken issue with the way that its former reporter Kathy Scruggs is depicted in "Richard Jewell," a movie about the 1996 Summer Olympics Bombing case. 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Richard Allensworth Jewell (born Richard White; December 17, 1962 – August 29, 2007) was an American security guard and law enforcement officer who was the hero during the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. The FBI agent responds, “Kathy, you couldn’t fuck it out of them. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is demanding an official retraction from the makers of “Richard Jewell,” the new Clint Eastwood movie about what befell the security guard at … Retrieved October 30, 2019. All rights reserved. The device detonated, killing one person and injuring 111 others, though the toll would have been far higher if not for Jewell's vigilance. In another, she’s injecting drugs confiscated at a crime scene and given to her by an officer at a club. “When she went after a story she did what was necessary to get the story, within legal and ethical bounds," he said. Picture: Warner Bros. Entertainment "Manhunt: Deadly Games” continues the controversial portrayal of Scruggs. She was 42. Clint Eastwood's "Richard Jewell" misrepresents a reporter's actions, but its bigger lie is its Trumpian view of American institutions. This Article is related to: Film and tagged Clint Eastwood, Olivia Wilde, Richard Jewell. She did drink but I never saw her do any sort of cocaine or anything.”. The film, written by Billy Ray, finds Scruggs offering to sleep with an FBI agent (Jon Hamm) in exchange for information about the bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. “She was reporting what she was being told by law enforcement. She said her friend also had Krohn’s disease later in life. That depiction was widely criticized. Carla Gugino as Kathy Scruggs in 'Manhunt: Deadly Games'. Clint Eastwood's upcoming film "Richard Jewell" is facing heavy criticism over its depiction of a real-life female reporter. In one scene, she is doing cocaine with a cop at her home. Clint Eastwood and Olivia Wilde on the set of Richard Jewell. While they don’t depict her trading sex for tips, there are other questionable scenes. Richard Jewell was under FBI scrutiny for about three months before he was cleared. In … 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, … (Kevin Winter/Getty Images, File) 2020 GOLDEN GLOBE'S BIGGEST SNUBS AND SURPRISES. Riley said in a statement to IndieWire “there is no evidence that this ever happened” and called the film’s suggestion that Scruggs traded sex for news info “offensive and deeply troubling in the #MeToo era.”, “Kathy Scruggs was the AJC reporter who got the initial information that law enforcement was pursuing Jewell,” Riley said. Reporter Kathy Scruggs maligned in Clint Eastwood’s ‘Richard Jewell’ » Bill Hemmer is the new Shepard Smith » Objectified at work, on air Warner Bros. is opening “Richard Jewell” in theaters December 13. The report turned Jewell’s life into a media circus. How an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter helped Richard Jewell Atlanta columnist Bill Torpy on how his colleague Bill Rankin helped Richard Jewell during accusations that … In it, her character appears to offer sex to an FBI agent in exchange for information about the case. She has been described by one of her contemporaries as ‘irreverent and savvy.’ She is deceased.”, “As always, stories and people are complicated,” Riley continued. Richard Jewell has generated controversy for its portrayal of Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde), who was the first journalist to state that Jewell was a suspect. IndieWire has reached out to the studio for comment. Furr told Oxygen.com that Scruggs was diagnosed with bipolar disorder following the Jewell story. athy would never intentionally go after an innocent person,” she said. That depiction was, “Did Kathy go drinking with the cops?” Yes,” Furr told. 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. Rudolph constructed a pipe bomb and placed it in the usually crowded Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta on July 27, 1996, aiming to do maximum damage. “I didn’t like that,” she said of the scene showing Scruggs doing cocaine with a police officer in the new series. While colleagues and friends described her as ambitious yet fundamentally ethical, the 2019 film “Richard Jewell,” portrays Scruggs as willing to do anything to get a story. However, she said Scruggs would have never brought police officers in to party with her. 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. In "Manhunt: Deadly Games,” reporter Kathy Scruggs, who broke the story that authorities were looking at Richard Jewell as a suspect in the 1996 Olympic Bombing in Atlanta, is depicted as doing drugs with cops. Music, Theatre & Arts Critics have lambasted Clint Eastwood's new biographical drama, Richard Jewell, over its depiction of female reporter Kathy Scruggs, who's played by actress Olivia Wilde. The new Richard Jewell movie gets the broad outline of what happened to Jewell right – the FBI’s relentless pursuit of the hero security guard and the leak to a newspaper reporter … “Kathy would never intentionally go after an innocent person,” she said. Kevin Riley, the editor in chief of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has slammed “Richard Jewell” for its portrayal of Scruggs. The series shows Scruggs, played by Carla Gugino, partying with crooked police officers. Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs was the first to break the news that Jewell was being looked at as a possible suspect by the FBI, which kicked off a media firestorm with Jewell at the center. Scruggs suffered a fatal overdose of prescription pain pills taken for chronic back pain in 2001, according to Poynter. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. The second season of “Manhunt: Deadly Games'' takes on the saga of Eric Rudolph and Richard Jewell. Kevin Riley, the editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, called it "the worst kind of trope," NBC News reported in 2019. “Did Kathy go drinking with the cops?” Yes,” Furr told Oxygen.com. Kathy Scruggs, the AJC reporter depicted in Richard Jewell movie directed by Clint Eastwood, isn’t alive to defend herself against ‘floozy’ portrayal. “Kathy Scruggs died in 2001 of an overdose of prescription drugs she was taking for chronic back pain. A spokesperson for "Manhunt: Deadly Games" did not respond to Oxygen.com's request for comment. It … She also attributed Scruggs' early death, at least partly, to the fallout from initial coverage of Jewell story. … She worked there for years, and was known for being lively, bright and a bit gruff, before breaking the Jewell piece. The 2003 Atlanta Magazine article, like the new series, also claims that the reporter dated cops. 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. remembers Scruggs as assertive and ambitious, but also a person with integrity. 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