Warner Bros. and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are battling it out over Clint Eastwood’s “Richard Jewell,” which has escalated in the AJC now legally threatening the studio that they must add a disclaimer before the film starts insinuating that Eastwood took “dramatic liberties” to tell the story. ‘
Why is the newspaper so scared of “Richard Jewell”? Because it exposes the outright irresponsible journalism they conducted back in 1996 when they basically destroyed the life of a security guard at the Atlanta Olympics who found a bomb, evacuated the entire Olympic village, but was then smeared by the FBI and the AJC as the guy responsible for the bomb.
And yet, despite the irresponsible journalism that this Atlanta newspaper conducted, they are threatening to sue for the WB defamation? You can’t make this stuff up.
Warner Bros. responded to the newspaper’s December 9 legal threat by defending Eastwood’s movie.
“The film is based on a wide range of highly credible source material,” Warner Bros.’ statement reads (via Variety). “There is no disputing that Richard Jewell was an innocent man whose reputation and life was shredded by a miscarriage of justice. It is unfortunate and the ultimate irony that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has been a part of the rush to judgment of Richard Jewell, is now trying to malign our filmmakers and cast. ‘Richard Jewell’ focuses on the real victim, seeks to tell his story, confirm his innocence and restore his name. The AJC’s claims are baseless and we will vigorously defend against them.”
AJC reporter Kathy Scruggs was responsible for naming Richard Jewell as a suspect in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bombing. Jewell was innocent, but, as mentioned, that didn’t stop the newspaper from conspiring with the FBI to destroy Jewell’s life. Warner Bros. suggested that by threatening legal action over “Richard Jewell” the newspaper is attempting to divert attention away from its questionable reporting at the time.
Boyle's answer was met with a shout of "Never do that shit again" from the crowd, and the TIFF moderator swiftly brought the Q&A to a close, thanking everyone for coming.