Atlanta Newspaper demands retraction on Richard Jewell’s portrayal of journalist
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.
But there's no evidence it happened, and Scruggs died in 2001 and cannot defend herself. https://t.co/47KhEZoBsb
- Zack Stanton (@zackstanton) December 9, 2019
The new film by Clint Eastwood tells the story of Richard Jewell, a security guard who came under suspicion for orchestrating the Centennial Olympic Park bombing before being exonerated.
While trying to set the story straight on Jewell, the movie doesn’t seem to mind making up facts about other people, like suggesting reporter Kathy Scruggs (who passed away in 2001 at the age of 42) slept with sources in exchange for information;
The Atlanta Newspaper Kathy worked for, is currently demanding that a disclaimer be added to the film, acknowledging it took dramatic license when it portrayed journalist Kathy Scruggs as trading sex for tips.
Kevin G. Riley, current editor of the Journal-Constitution newspaper claims ”(the film) trades in harmful stereotypes about female journalists, such as those seen in movies like “Absence of Malice” and “Thank You for Smoking” that have depicted female reporters sleeping with sources (...) The film literally makes things up and adds to misunderstandings about how serious news organizations work,” said Riley. “It’s ironic that the film commits the same sins that it accuses the media of committing.”
...Meanwhile, Olivia Wilde (who plays Kathy in the film), offers this gem as a defense of the film’s choices: “I think it’s a shame that she has been reduced to one inferred moment in the film,” Wilde told Variety‘s Marc Malkin on the 2019 Gotham Awards red carpet. “It’s a basic misunderstanding of feminism as pious, sexlessness. It happens a lot to women; we’re expected to be one-dimensional if we are to be considered feminists. There’s a complexity to Kathy, as there is to all of us, and I really admired her.”
Olivia Wilde says she did “an extraordinary amount of research,” including talking to Kathy Scruggs' close friends and family.
That’s news to those who knew Scruggs best, including her brother. https://t.co/UR2NiL3mwt
- AJC (@ajc) December 5, 2019
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