Atlanta Journal-Constitution Editor Questions Accuracy of Clint Eastwood's 'Richard Jewell' Ahead of Premiere

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is questioning the accuracy of Clint Eastwood’s film “Richard Jewell” ahead of its premiere on Wednesday.

In a letter obtained by TheWrap, AJC editor-in-chief Kevin G. Riley challenged the portrayal of the newspaper in the film, according to an unnamed colleague Riley said had seen it. Riley said Eastwood depicted Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs trading sex with an FBI agent in exchange for a tip on a story, but he stated that there is no evidence this ever happened and that Scruggs herself is deceased.

Riley also defended the paper’s reporting of the Richard Jewell case, challenging the notion in the film that the paper ran its story based on questionable sourcing, that the paper’s decision making was unsound and that the paper failed to challenge law enforcement’s investigation.

Also Read: Clint Eastwood Takes Aim at the FBI and the Media in 'Richard Jewell' Trailer (Video)

“This is essential because the underlying theme of the movie is that the FBI and press are not to be trusted. Yet the way the press is portrayed often differs from reality,” Riley said in the letter to TheWrap on Monday. “As more and more filmmaking has come to Atlanta and Georgia, we’ve gotten a taste of just how difficult it can be to cover this industry. I share this information in the spirit of a fellow journalist who knows how crucial it remains to have solid information when covering demanding stories. It’s also ironic that a film purporting to hold the media to account disregards such crucial facts.”

Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Richard Jewell” is the story of a security guard at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta who was wrongfully accused of being a terrorist in connection with a bombing attempt at Centennial Olympic Park. Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) had discovered a backpack filled with explosives and was initially deemed a hero for helping to evacuate attendees and alert law enforcement, but he was later considered a suspect before finally being cleared.

Eastwood directed the film from a screenplay by Billy Ray based on a magazine article by Marie Brenner. It makes its world premiere Wednesday at the AFI Film Festival and opens in theaters Dec. 13.

Also Read: Clint Eastwood's 'Richard Jewell' to Premiere at AFI Fest

Riley says he has not personally seen the film, but that the paper’s reporting on the movie is based on a colleague who attended a preview screening.

Riley’s first point of clarification involves reporter Scruggs, who died in 2001 at age 42. Riley says there is no evidence that Scruggs ever exchanged sex with an FBI agent for a tip on a story.

“There is no evidence that this ever happened, and if the film portrays this, it’s offensive and deeply troubling in the #MeToo era,” Riley said. “Kathy Scruggs was the AJC reporter who got the initial information that law enforcement was pursuing Jewell. Scruggs was known as an aggressive reporter and committed journalist who sought always to beat her competition.”

Riley said the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was also the first to report that authorities were questioning Jewell as a suspect in the bombing. He added that the AJC delayed the story to obtain independent confirmation of the story’s key facts beyond the original source and that an AJC reporter read the entire story to an FBI spokesman to confirm its accuracy before publishing. However, Riley said that Eastwood’s film shows the paper publishing the story calling Jewell a suspect despite questionable sourcing.

Also Read: Clint Eastwood to Shoot 'Richard Jewell' in Georgia Despite Boycott Over Anti-Abortion Law

“The decision to publish was influenced by several factors, including the AJC’s confirmation from law-enforcement sources that they were focusing on Jewell, and highly visible FBI activity at Jewell’s apartment — where agents were preparing to execute a search warrant,” Riley wrote.

He said the film portrays Journal-Constitution reporters and editors as “unthoughtful,” but that the paper’s actions helped get law enforcement’s investigation into the public eye.

“By publishing the story, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was the first to make the public, including Jewell’s own lawyer, aware of the government’s pursuit of Jewell as a suspect,” Riley said. “The AJC’s leaders also recognized that law enforcement’s suspicions of Jewell were about to be made public whether or not the AJC published its story. The story placed law enforcement’s investigation in the public’s view and within its scrutiny.”

Also Read: 'The Mule' Proves Clint Eastwood Is Still a Box Office Draw at 88

Finally, Riley says the film credits Jewell’s legal team with being the first to call out the FBI’s flawed theory in making Jewell a suspect, but that the AJC first challenged the investigation with a front page story. Riley says the film suggests the AJC never questioned law enforcement and stuck to its original story, but that by continuing to pursue the story, the paper helped lead to Jewell’s exoneration.

“Two and a half months before the federal government cleared Jewell, our reporters demonstrated that the FBI’s theory was impossible,” Riley said. “They showed that the 911 call made from a pay phone by the bomber could not have been made by Jewell; they simply paced off the time it took to walk from the phone to Jewell’s position in Centennial Olympic Park when he reported the finding the bomb. The newspaper published that story on its front page, and it changed the course of the investigation. Jewell’s lawyer made a similar walk with TV reporters in tow after the AJC reporters did.”

Riley acknowledges that the film is not a documentary but an entertaining film based on real life events, but stands by the paper’s reporting as undisputed.

“We welcome an accurate review of what happened and our role. And some of our key folks in this story are still around,” Riley said.

21 Hollywood Stars Who Served in the Military, From Clint Eastwood to Adam Driver (Photos)

This Veterans Day, take a moment to honor someone who took the time out to serve our country in the military. On top of that, you can check out a film or show featuring one of these Hollywood stars who served in the military. Some of the actors on this list have military careers that date back to World War II. While this list excludes celebrity veterans who have died, including people like Jimmy Stewart, Elvis Presley, Kirk Douglas and Bea Arthur, there's more than enough patriotism on this list to go around.
Courtesy Rodney Wright/Getty Images
Adam Driver

Adam Driver joined the Marines shortly after 9/11 and served for two years and eight months before being medically discharged after suffering a mountain biking accident. He was assigned to Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines. Though he was never deployed, he did get a nickname from his fellow Marines: "Ears Two." He explained to Stephen Colbert that he was one of two guys in his battalion with big ears, but that he avoided most of the verbal ridicule. Driver also told The Guardian how serving changed his outlook on life. “There’s something about going into the military and having all of your identity and possessions stripped away: that whole clarity of purpose thing. It becomes very clear to you, when you get your freedom back, that there’s stuff you want to do.”
Courtesy Rodney Wright
Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman turned down a partial scholarship for acting and instead opted to join the Air Force. From 1955 to 1959, he served as a radar technician and rose to the rank of Airman 1st Class. He told AARP magazine (via military.com) that he felt as though he were sitting "in the nose of a bomb" once he finally trained to fly a fighter plane. "You are not in love with this; you are in love with the idea of this," Freeman said.
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Tom Selleck

"Magnum P.I." actor Tom Selleck served in the California Army National Guard between 1967 to 1973. Selleck has previously said he's proud of his time in the military. "I am a veteran, I'm proud of it," he told military.com. "We're all brothers and sisters in that sense."

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Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett, now in his 90s, was drafted to serve in World War II in November 1944, and by March 1945, he was sent to the front line through France and into Germany as part of the 63rd Infantry Division, better known as the "Blood and Fire" division. In his autobiography "The Good Life," Bennett recalled the experience as having a "front row seat in hell."
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Rob Riggle

Comedian Rob Riggle served in the Marines for 23 years, first joining in 1990 when he said he would rather be a "Top Gun" pilot than be a waiter. He served in Kosovo, Liberia, Afghanistan and Albania during his time, becoming a decorated lieutenant colonel in the process. Though he wanted to enter into flight school, Riggle realized it would hinder his dream of one day doing comedy. "I stopped flying, became a ground officer, had a short contract, fulfilled my contract and pursued comedy and acting," he told CBS News. "I stayed in the reserves though and did the reserves for the last 14 years. And I just retired in January from the Marines. This is a great country, you can do it all."
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Clint Eastwood

Though he's more well known as a cowboy and cop, Clint Eastwood was drafted into the Korean War and served as a lifeguard while training at Fort Ord in California. He was discharged in 1953 and was able to attend acting school during his tenure thanks to the G.I. Bill.
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Robin Quivers

Robin Quivers, a co-host on Howard Stern's radio show, rose to the rank of captain while enlisted in the U.S. Air Force between 1975 and 1978. She was discharged shortly after, but remained a member of the reserve with no active duty until 1990, according to the biography "Howard Stern: King of All Media."
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Ice-T

In an effort to support his girlfriend and newly born daughter, Ice-T enlisted in the military to get off the streets and found himself stationed in Hawaii in the 25th Infantry Division between 1977 to 1979. In Hawaii, he met people who would inspire him to pursue a music career.
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Mel Brooks

The comedy legend served in World War II as a combat engineer, defusing land mines as a corporal in the 1104 Engineer Combat Division. "I was a combat engineer. Isn’t that ridiculous? The two things I hate most in the world are combat and engineering," Brooks joked to military.com. "War isn’t hell... War is loud. Much too noisy. All those shells and bombs going off all around you. Never mind death. A man could lose his hearing."
PBS
Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris joined the U.S. Air Force as an air policeman in 1958, and was sent to Osan Air Base in South Korea. It was there where he developed his signature martial arts form, the Chun Kuk Do. He was discharged in 1962.
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Gene Hackman

On an episode of "Inside the Actors' Studio," Hackman said that when he was 16, he lied about his age and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1946. He spent four and a half years as a field radio operator and was stationed in China for a time before being assigned to Hawaii and Japan.
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James Earl Jones

Though he was recruited during the most active time during the Korean War and eventually rose to the rank of first lieutenant, James Earl Jones was stationed at a cold-weather training command base in Leadville, Colorado beginning in 1953.
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Sinbad

The comedian Sinbad told Ebony that he nearly had a dishonorable discharge for going AWOL while he was serving in the Air Force as a boom operator. He frequently left base to perform stand-up comedy.
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Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier lied about his age to enlist during World War II and wound up in a VA hospital in Northport, New York, serving for a year before obtaining a discharge in 1944. (Poitier died in 2022 at age 94.)
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Zulay Henao

Colombian-American actress Zulay Henao served three years in the U.S. Army and enlisted after high school. She immediately felt the pressure of basic training at Fort Bragg. "It was miserable. I quickly realized I’d have to change my attitude if I was going to get through it. I’ve always tried to make the most out of my experiences, but that one was tough," she told Maxim.
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Drew Carey

Drew Carey still has his crew cut and signature glasses that he first wore during his Marine Corps days. He served as a field radio operator in the 25th Marine Regiment in Ohio. The comedian served for six years and has frequently given back to the military in the form of performances for the USO.
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MC Hammer

MC Hammer served in the Navy in the early '80s and worked as an aviation storekeeper for three years before he was discharged and finally kick started his music career.
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Alan Alda

While best known as a military doctor on "M.A.S.H.," Alda completed a minimum six-month tour of duty in the Korean War as a gunnery officer.
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Oliver Stone

Director Oliver Stone's combat experience in Vietnam directly contributed to "Platoon" and "Born on the Fourth of July," which would be two of his signature films. Stone served in the Army for just over a year between 1967 and 1968 and was wounded twice in battle. He's been honored with a Bronze Star with "V" device for heroism in ground combat and a Purple Heart with an Oak Leaf Cluster.
TheWrap
Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall may be known for his role in "Apocalypse Now," but he did briefly serve in the Army shortly after the Korean War. He acted in plays while stationed in Camp Gordon in Georgia. He served for two years and left as a private first class. He did have to clarify the extent of his service however, telling People in 1984 (via military.com), "Some stories have me shooting it out with the Commies from a foxhole over in Frozen Chosen. Pork Chop Hill stuff. Hell, I barely qualified with the M-1 rifle in basic training."
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Sunny Anderson

Anderson, a long time Food Network host and an Army nerd, joined the Air Force in 1993 and worked as a radio broadcaster stationed in Seoul and San Antonio, she told ABC News.
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Honor celebrities who served their country like Drew Carey, Morgan Freeman and Rob Riggle this Veterans Day

This Veterans Day, take a moment to honor someone who took the time out to serve our country in the military. On top of that, you can check out a film or show featuring one of these Hollywood stars who served in the military. Some of the actors on this list have military careers that date back to World War II. While this list excludes celebrity veterans who have died, including people like Jimmy Stewart, Elvis Presley, Kirk Douglas and Bea Arthur, there's more than enough patriotism on this list to go around.

View In Gallery

21 Hollywood Stars Who Served in the Military, From Clint Eastwood to Adam Driver (Photos)

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