Richard Jewell

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Richard A. Jewell (December 17, 1962 – August 29, 2007) was a central figure of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Jewell, working as a private security guard, discovered a pipe bomb, alerted police, and helped to evacuate the area before it exploded, saving many people from injury or potential death. Initially hailed by the media as a hero, Jewell later was considered a suspect.

Despite having never been charged, he underwent what was considered by many to be a "trial by media" with great toll on his personal and professional life. Eventually he was exonerated completely: Eric Robert Rudolph was later found to have been the bomber.^[1][2]

Contents 1 Bombing 2 Investigation and the media 3 Libel cases 3.1 Richard Jewell v. Piedmont College 3.2 Richard Jewell v. NBC 3.3 Richard Jewell v. New York Post 3.4 Richard Jewell v. Cox Enterprises (d.b.a. Atlanta Journal-Constitution) 4 Aftermath 5 Media and public appearances 6 Death 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Bombing

Main article: Centennial Olympic Park bombing

Centennial Park was designed as the "town square" of the Olympics, and thousands of spectators had gathered for a late concert and merrymaking. Sometime after midnight, July 27, 1996, Eric Rudolph, a terrorist who would later bomb a gay nightclub and two abortion clinics, planted a green knapsack containing a shrapnel-laden pipe bomb underneath a bench. Jewell, in his capacity as a security guard, discovered the bag and alerted Georgia Bureau of Investigation officers; this discovery was nine minutes before Rudolph called 9-1-1 to deliver a warning. Jewell and other security guards began clearing the immediate area so that a bomb squad could investigate the suspicious package. The bomb exploded 13 minutes later, killing one woman and injuring over one hundred others. A cameraman also died of a heart attack while running to cover the incident.

[edit] Investigation and the media

In early news reports, Jewell was lauded as a hero for helping to evacuate the area after he spotted the suspicious package. Three days later, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed that the FBI was treating him as a possible suspect, based largely on a "lone bomber" criminal profile. For the next several weeks, the news media focused aggressively on him as the presumed culprit, sifting through his life to match a leaked "lone bomber" profile that the FBI had used. The media, to varying degrees, portrayed Jewell as a failed law enforcement officer who may have planted the bomb so he could find it and be a hero.^[3]

Richard Jewell's hunting rifles were confiscated and never returned, having been presumably sold. His mother's family photographs and Tupperware collection were taken as "evidence" and returned vandalized. Two of the bombing victims filed lawsuits against Jewell on the basis of this reporting. In a reference to the Unabomber, Jay Leno called him the "Una-doofus".^[4] Other references include "Una-Bubba," ^[5] and (of his mother) "Una-Mama." Jewell was never officially charged, but the FBI searched his home, questioned his associates, investigated his background, and maintained twenty-four hour surveillance of him. The pressure only began to ease after Jewell's attorneys hired an ex-FBI agent to administer a polygraph, which Jewell reportedly passed. ^[3]

In October 1996, the investigating US Attorney, Kent Alexander, in an extremely unusual move, sent Jewell a letter formally clearing him, stating "based on the evidence developed to date ... Richard Jewell is not considered a target of the federal criminal investigation into the bombing on July 27, 1996, at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta".^[6]

[edit] Libel cases

After his exoneration, Jewell filed a series of lawsuits against the media outlets which he claimed had libelled him, primarily NBC News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and insisted on a formal apology from them.

In 2006, Jewell said the lawsuits were not about money, and that the vast majority of the settlements went to lawyers or taxes. He said the lawsuits were about clearing his name.^[3]

[edit] Richard Jewell v. Piedmont College

According to CNN "Also named in the suit is Piedmont College, Jewell's former employer, located in Demorest, Georgia, Piedmont College President Raymond Cleere, and college spokesman Scott Rawles.

Jewell's attorneys contend Cleere called the FBI and spoke to the Atlanta newspapers, providing them with false information on Jewell and his employment there as a security guard."

[edit] Richard Jewell v. NBC

Jewell sued NBC News for this statement, made by Tom Brokaw, "The speculation is that the FBI is close to making the case. They probably have enough to arrest him right now, probably enough to prosecute him, but you always want to have enough to convict him as well. There are still some holes in this case". Even though NBC stood by its story, the network agreed to pay Jewell $500,000.

[edit] Richard Jewell v. New York Post

Jewell sued the New York Post for libel for $15 million over a series of stories and a photograph caption.^[7] The newspaper reportedly called Jewell "a Village Rambo" and "a fat, failed former sheriff’s deputy." It was never made public how much Jewell received from his out-of-court settlement with the Post.

[edit] Richard Jewell v. Cox Enterprises (d.b.a. Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Jewell also sued the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper, which stated Jewell was "an individual with a bizarre employment history and aberrant personality". It also said Jewell "fit the profile of a lone bomber." According to Jewell, the paper's headline, which read FBI suspects 'hero' guard may have planted bomb, "pretty much started the whirlwind".^[8]

The Atlanta Journal went as far as to compare Richard Jewell's case to that of serial killer Wayne Williams.^[9]

The newspaper was the only defendant that did not settle with Jewell. As of April 2005, the lawsuit remained pending, after having been considered at one time by the Supreme Court of Georgia, and had become an important part of case law regarding whether journalists could be forced to reveal their sources. It was set for trial in January 2008 at the time of Jewell's death, and his attorney said he expected to continue it on behalf of Jewell's estate.^[3]

[edit] Aftermath

In July 1997, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, prompted by a reporter's question at her regular weekly news conference, expressed regret over the FBI's leak to the news media that led to the widespread presumption of his guilt, and apologized outright, saying, "I'm very sorry it happened. I think we owe him an apology. I regret the leak."^[10]

On April 13, 2005, Jewell was exonerated completely when Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty to carrying out the bombing attack at the Centennial Olympic Park, as well as three other attacks across the South. On August 1, 2006, Georgia's Governor, Sonny Perdue, honored Jewell for his rescue efforts during the attack.^[11]

Within the media and those that follow it, Jewell's case became a well known example of the damage that can be done through reporting based on unreliable or incomplete information and marked the pivotal event that began the use of the "alleged" disclaimer widely used today in the media.^[3]

Jewell had worked various law enforcement jobs, including as a police officer in Pendergrass, Georgia. As late as 2006 he worked as a sheriff's deputy in West Georgia. He also gave speeches at colleges.^[3]

[edit] Media and public appearances

Jewell appeared in Michael Moore's 1997 film, The Big One. He had a cameo in the September 27, 1997, episode of Saturday Night Live, where he punched Will Ferrell in character as Janet Reno and jokingly fended off suggestions that he was responsible for the deaths of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana.

On July 4, 2001, Jewell was honored as the Grand Marshal of the Carmel, Indiana's Independence Day Parade. Jewell was chosen in keeping with the parade's theme of "Unsung Heroes".^[12]

[edit] Death

Jewell suffered from diabetes, severe heart disease and kidney disease, which contributed to his death on August 29, 2007 from natural causes, aged 44.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Reno to Jewell: "I regret the leak" (July 31, 1997)
• Olympic bombing suspect cleared, threatens to sue (October 26, 1996)
• Richard Jewell v. NBC, and other Richard Jewell cases
• Statement by Richard Jewell
• Richard Jewell interview a decade later