Running head: OLYMPIC PARK BOMBING DAMAGED TRUST IN MEDIA TOO

Olympic Park Bombing Damaged Trust in Media Too

Andre M. Walker

JOUR 4800 | Summer 2018

Georgia State University

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“Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair” (Society of Professional Journalists

[SPJ], 2014, para. 3). Those seven words from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)

Code of Ethics form the backbone of credible reporting by U.S. news outlets. Unfortunately,

fewer Americans than ever before have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in

journalists to report the news “fully, accurately, and fairly” (Swift, 2016). A September 2017 poll

from the Gallup organization indicated that only 41% of Americans express confidence in

reporters to get the stories right, down from a high of 72% in 1976 (Swift, 2017).

This decline of the public’s faith in mass media comes from a series of high-profile

blunders over the years (Beaubien, 2015, para. 4). Former Chicago Tribune freelance feature

writer Greg Beaubien stated, “Mass news media may have themselves to blame for some of the

lost trust.” (Beaubien, 2015, para. 4). In addition, the 24-hour news cycle and increased

competition seems to have helped create an environment where these mistakes are more

common. Dallas Morning News columnist Carl Leubsdorf said, “News is very different in the

CNN era than in the pre-CNN era” (Herbers and McCartney, 1999, p. 54). Andrew Glass,

former managing editor of The Hill, elaborated further:

In the old days, on the first day we would report what happened. On the second

day, we would tell what the reaction was. On the third day, we would analyze

what it means. Now CNN tells you what happened and five minutes later some

professor from Fordham University is telling you what it means. That’s the

problem. We have to find a way to package it all the first day or we’re out of

business. If we tried today to do traditional coverage in the traditional way, it

would be ignored. The papers wouldn’t run it. (Herbers and McCartney, 1999, p.

54)
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The United Press International motto of “get it first, but first get it right” (Cook and

Martin, 2004, p. 282) appears to have been abandoned in favor of get it first, analyze it first and

correct it later. The new media landscape described by Leubsdorf and Glass presents several

ethical dilemmas for reporters under pressure to produce content that is both accurate and fast,

especially in an era where even the slightest media mistake is used to accelerate the decades-long

erosion of trust in journalism. This paper will explore the ethical choices faced by journalists

against the current environment’s backdrop, and offer possible solutions that could restore the

American people’s faith in the free press.

The Case of Richard Jewell

The year is 1996. Atlanta played host to a record number of athletes from 197 nations for

the Centennial Olympic Games (Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games [ACOG], 1997, p.

64). Countless spectators flocked to Georgia’s capital city to see their favorite sports stars

compete for international fame and glory. At the heart of the excitement is a 21-acre park

envisioned as a central gathering spot for the games by Atlanta Committee for the Olympic

Games (ACOG) President and CEO Billy Payne (ACOG, 1997, p. 87 – 88). Centennial Olympic

Park attracted between 250,000 and 300,000 visitors daily during the Atlanta Olympics for food,

fun and festivities (ACOG, 1997, p. 91).

In the early morning hours of July 27, 1996, Centennial Olympic Park security officer

Richard Jewell discovered an abandoned bag stuffed under a bench near a light and sound tower

in the park (Freeman, 2011, p. 83). Jewell notified Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agent

Tom Davis of the suspicious package (Freeman, 2011, p. 83). Davis alerted the bomb squad

(Freeman, 2011, p. 83). Davis and Jewell then proceeded to move people away from the

backpack without causing a panic (Freeman, 2011, p. 83). 15,000 souls remained in the park at
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the time (Freeman, 2011, p. 80). Still, Jewell and Davis were able to clear a “25-foot-square area

around the backpack” (Brenner, 1997, para. 63) before the bomb exploded.

At 1:21 the morning of Saturday, July 27, 1996, a loud boom rocked the park and

shattered the peace of the games (Gleick & Coatney, 1996, p. 22). Two people were killed and

110 others injured by the blast (Bonvillian, 2018, para. 3). Investigators immediately converged

on the scene, began collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses; including park security

guard Richard Jewell (Brenner, 1997, para. 69). By sunrise, it became clear that Jewell’s quick

thinking only hours before saved lives and made him a hero.

CNN and USA Today were among the first news outlets to interview Jewell about his

heroism (Freeman, 2011, p. 134). New York Times reporter Kevin Sack (1996) highlighted

portions of the CNN interview where Jewell said, “The only thing I wish we could have done is

got everybody out of the area” (p. B6). Jewell next appeared on NBC’s Today show, where

anchor Katie Couric heaped praise on him, saying, “You did the right thing” (Davison, 1996,

para. 10). While Richard Jewell basked in this well-deserved glory, Atlanta’s hometown

newspaper prepared to drop a bomb on him that would destroy his reputation.

In the Atlanta Journal Constitution newsroom, managing editor John Walter faced

several dilemmas. Crime reporter Kathy Scruggs had a story, based on an anonymous source,

which said the FBI was investigating Richard Jewell as a possible suspect in the Centennial

Olympic Park bombing (Freeman, 2011, p. 136). Walter, according to Vanity Fair writer Marie

Brenner (1997), had to decide whether to publish the story and “whether the paper had enough

facts to support the scoop” (para. 93). Another issue considered by Walter was whether to

actually name Richard Jewell in the story (Brenner, 1997, para. 93).
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The SPJ code of ethics states: “Journalists should balance a suspect’s right to a fair trial

with the public’s right to know. Consider the implications of identifying criminal suspects before

they face legal charges” (SPJ, 2014, para. 28). Put more succinctly, “A suspect in a criminal case

is not identified until after he or she has been arrested and charged in court” (Giles, 1996, p.

247). Richard Jewell was never arrested, indicted or charged with a crime relating to the

Centennial Olympic Park bombing (Morris & Scott, 2007, para. 9).

David Hawpe (1997), writing for Social Responsibility: Business, Journalism, Law,

Medicine, said the “issue was a no-brainer” (p. 34) and argued Jewell’s name should have been

released:

I think the Atlanta newspaper was obliged to supply what information it could,

quickly, to readers who wanted to know whether the incident was being

investigated appropriately, and who wanted some hint about the nature of the

attack. Was it a terrorist plot originating in, say, the Middle East, but manifesting

itself in Olympic Park? Or was it the pathetic gesture of some attention-needy

local nut case? Or what else might it be? Readers needed to know. The desire,

indeed the need, for answers was immediate, and obvious. So I am certain the

media should have identified Richard Jewell, even given the predicament that

naming him would create for the poor guy. (Hawpe, 1997, p. 34-35)

Atlanta Journal Constitution managing editor John Walter chose to run the story on

Tuesday, July 30, 1996, with the headline “FBI Suspects ‘Hero’ Guard May Have Planted

Bomb” (Freeman, 2011, p. 138). The media frenzy was immediate. Under the banner of

breaking news, CNN aired the Atlanta Journal Constitution report verbatim (Freeman, 2011, p.

138). NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw took it a step further, saying, “They probably have
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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 holes in this case” (Brenner, 1997, para. 100). The

result was swift. Richard Jewell, the Centennial Olympic Park security guard once hailed as a

hero, was now the villain.

According to Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel (as cited in Logan, 2000), the 24-hour

news cycle often results in a press “as concerned with ferrying accusations as with ferreting out

the truth” (p. 206). Kovach and Rosenstiel (as cited in Logan, 2000) also noted that the

“prospect of being viewed as hopelessly behind the curve” launches a “race to the ethical bottom,

where the lower standards of what used to be fringe journalism pressure and often prompt the

mainstream press to launch a report” (p. 206). In other words, doing “traditional coverage in a

traditional way” would be ignored in favor of first to report (Herbers and McCartney, 1999, p.

54).

The Atlanta Journal Constitution was the first to report. The Atlanta Journal

Constitution had to be first. The Centennial Olympic Park bombing took place just steps away

from the Atlanta Journal Constitution newsroom. To let another newspaper or television scoop

them on a major story occurring on their own turf would subject the Atlanta paper to ridicule,

accusations of “withholding information from the public, or both” (Giles, 1996, p. 248). Bert

Roughton (2016), an Atlanta Journal Constitution editor who was part of the decision-making

process to run the Jewell story, continues to defend the paper’s choice:

I believed then and I believe now that we not only were legally justified to report

that the U.S. government had targeted a citizen in its investigation. I also believe

we had a journalistic obligation to do so. That’s what we do. I would never argue
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that everything we did was perfect; but we wrote in a crucible, did the best we

could and acquitted ourselves well. (para. 18)

Legal and ethical are not mutually exclusive terms. Roughton’s claims that the Atlanta

Journal Constitution was on a good legal foundation when publishing the Richard Jewell story

does not detract from the debate about whether the paper’s actions were ethical. Atlanta Journal

Constitution managing editor John Walter had hard, ethical choices to make; ones that

superseded the law.

Choices

The first choice to consider is the most difficult one. Simply wait. Wait until more

information becomes available. Wait until the anonymous FBI source is willing to go on the

record. Wait until Richard Jewell is arrested and formally charged with a crime before

publishing the story. Richard Jewell’s reputation is not harmed by John Walter choosing to wait.

However, waiting also came with its challenges.

15,000 journalists were in Atlanta for the Olympics, bringing with them “intense media

competition” and “pressure” for the “hometown” Atlanta Journal Constitution to shine (Giles,

1996, p. 248). Among journalists, according to Vanity Fair writer Marie Brenner (1997), “The

A.J.C. had become something of a joke” (para. 66). “The paper intended to set new standards in

its hometown during the games, but in addition there was a hint of redemption in the air”

(Brenner, 1997, para. 64). The Olympics presented the Atlanta Journal Constitution with a

unique opportunity to raise its stature, especially considering that the publication lost standing in

the eyes of many following the forced resignation of “distinguished editor Bill Kovach in 1988”

(Brenner, 1997, para. 65). Against this backdrop, waiting to run the Richard Jewell story was not

a viable option for Atlanta Journal Constitution managing editor John Walter. 15,000 journalists
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were in Atlanta to cover the games. A bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park. The FBI

was involved in the investigation. It was only a matter of time before another news source broke

the story that the feds suspected Richard Jewell. If that happened, it would have underlined the

perception that the Atlanta paper was “hopelessly behind the curve” (Kovach and Rosenstiel as

cited in Logan, 2000, p. 206).

The other choice, publishing the story and naming Jewell as the suspect, seemed like the

right one. Although the standard is not to “identify suspects where no charges have been

brought” (Giobbe, 1996, para. 15), the Centennial Olympic Park bombing was a “special

circumstance” where the industry-wide standard could be relaxed (Giles, 1996, p. 248). In

addition, the Atlanta Journal Constitution report naming Jewell was not based solely on the

anonymous tip received by journalist Kathy Scruggs.

An Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter talked to the same Piedmont College officials

who were interviewed by the FBI about Jewell (Shepard, 1996, p. 40). An Atlanta Journal

Constitution intern, Christina Headrick, staked out Jewell’s apartment complex and reported

back to managing editor John Walter that Jewell was “clearly under surveillance” (Shepard,

1996, p. 38). Scruggs’ contacts at the Atlanta Police Department told her they knew Jewell was

considered a suspect by the FBI:

I was coming in to work, and I got a beep from the Atlanta police. When I called

them, they said they are looking at the security guard. I said, “How did you know

that?” He said, “Well, we are over here talking about it. Everybody knows it.”

My feelings were that once this had gotten to the Atlanta Police Department, that

it would be pretty much common knowledge. I came into the office and told

them, “I think we need to go with the story.” (Freeman, 2011, p. 138)

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Atlanta Journal Constitution managing editor John Walter, the moral agent in this case

study, chose not to wait. He chose instead to run the story.

Claimants

The people affected by John Walter’s choice are many. First and foremost is Centennial

Olympic Park security guard Richard Jewell. Jewell was hailed as a hero, then turned into a

pariah following the Atlanta Journal Constitution headline “FBI Suspects ‘Hero’ Guard May

Have Planted Bomb” (Freeman, 2011, p. 138). Jewell’s reputation was severely damaged by that

news report and the ensuing media frenzy. John Walter had an obligation to “balance the

public’s need for information” against any “potential harm or discomfort” a report might cause

Jewell (SPJ, 2014, para. 23). In the words of FBI agent Don Johnson, as recounted by Piedmont

College Police Chief Dick Martin, “If we could just have one more day, one more half day even,

without the press, this young man will be able to go on with his life without anybody even

knowing about [this]” (Freeman, 2011, 138).

Still, the public did have a right to know who the FBI was questioning. Thousands of

people were in Atlanta for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. They needed to feel safe. A

bomber on the loose might have spectators and visitors “worrying about pipe bombs under their

seats” (Shepard, 1996, p. 43) or avoiding the games altogether. If, according to columnist Mike

Littwin, the FBI leaked Jewell’s name to “calm the population”, the games could go on (Shepard,

1996, p. 43). It is true that the FBI was investigating Richard Jewell. John Walter had a duty, as

managing editor of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, to inform the public of that. Walter had a

duty to stand behind the journalists who massaged their sources and developed a story that was

factually correct. Atlanta Journal Constitution reporters Kathy Scruggs and Ron Martz did their
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job. They sought truth and reported it (SPJ, 2014). Walter should have stood behind them as

media professionals.

The larger issue here is how Walter’s choice affected the media profession as a whole.

Richard Jewell’s trust in media was shattered. He admitted as much to Clay Calvert and Robert

Richards (2004):

When I was younger, I watched the news at night and I’d say, “I can’t believe that

that person did that.” Now, having been on the other side of it, I’m skeptical

about what I see in the news. I now say, “I’ll believe that when I see what really

happened.” (p. 28)

The lasting damage done to the news media’s reputation started to show itself shortly

after Jewell’s name was cleared by the FBI. An ABC News poll stated that 69 percent of

Americans felt the media treated Jewell “unfairly” (Calvert & Richards, 2004, p. 21). The same

poll said most Americans blamed the media for harming Jewell’s reputation (Calvert and

Richards, 2004, p. 21). Former President Bill Clinton referenced Jewell in comments made to

reporters questioning Clinton campaign contributions received from Indonesia, urging journalists

to “get the facts out” … “remembering what happened to Mr. Jewell in Atlanta, remembering

what has happened to so many of the accusations … that have been made against me that turned

out to be totally baseless” (Brenner, 1997, para. 160). Quips like that from Clinton were

inevitable due to the choice made by Atlanta Journal Constitution managing editor John Walter.

That is not to say that Walter could have known of the effects his choice would cause. It

is saying that he should have been more cautious and considered more fully certain ethical

theories and the “long-term implications of the extended reach and permanence of publication”

(SPJ, 2014, para. 29).

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Ethical Theories

As noted earlier, John Walter had a duty to run the Richard Jewell story. The American

Society of News Editors (n.d.) declares in its statement of principles that, “The primary purpose

of gathering and distributing news and opinion is to serve the general welfare by informing the

people and enabling them to make judgments on the issues of the time” (para. 2). Simply put,

John Walter would be abrogating his duty as a journalist if he did not inform the public, and

allow them to make their own decisions of right and wrong. This line of thought complements

two ethical theories: 1.) the duty-based ethical theory put forth by German philosopher

Immanuel Kant; and 2.) the utilitarianism of British philosopher John Stuart Mill.

Kant believed there are certain things that must be done unconditionally, damn the

consequences (Christians, Fackler, Richardson, Kreshel & Woods, 2017, p. 16). Truthtelling is

one of those moral duties that should be universally applied (Christians et al., 2017, p. 16-17).

Imagine if a journalist only told the truth when they deemed it necessary. They would be

susceptible to claims of bias and be accused of deception (Christians et al., 2017, p. 62). The

journalist’s credibility would suffer and so would the public’s trust in media. There were no lies

in the story written by Kathy Scruggs and Ron Martz. Therefore it was ethical for John Walter to

run the article.

Mill’s utilitarianism says a choice is ethical if that choice produces the “greatest possible

balance of good over evil” (Christians et al., 2017, p. 21). Utilitarianism, in this scenario, would

be applied by asking how much benefit would result in publishing the story naming Richard

Jewell as a suspect in the park bombing; then asking how much harm would result in publishing

the story (Christians et al., 2017, p. 20).

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Without a crystal ball to see into the future, John Walter had no way of knowing all the

consequences associated with running the article. In the immediate aftermath of the bombing,

Walter could only consider what he knew. He knew had an anonymous source saying the FBI

considered Richard Jewell a suspect (Freeman, 2011, p. 136). Walter knew he had an Atlanta

Journal Constitution intern who observed what appeared to be law enforcement officials

maintaining constant surveillance of Richard Jewell (Shepard, 1996, p. 38). Walter knew Atlanta

was on edge, and the public was looking for answers. The benefit outweighed the harm in this

scenario. For John Walter to “knowingly” … “perform any other action” but running the story

would have been a great disservice to his readers and the other people directly impacted by the

park bombing (Christians et al., 2017, p. 21). That would be uncaring.

The ethics of care advocated by Carol Gilligan, Nel Noddings and others relies primarily on

compassion and relationships among people (Christians et al., 2017, p. 25). The word

“hometown” has been frequently used in this case study to describe the Atlanta Journal

Constitution. This is because, for many Atlantans, the Journal Constitution conjures positive

feelings of home. The paper celebrated the city’s triumphs like the Atlanta Braves’ worst-to-first

1991 baseball season, hosting the NFL Super Bowl in 1994, and the successful bid for the

Olympics in 1990. The paper combined “objectivity, neutrality, and detachment” and

relationships with the greater Atlanta community to create “compassionate journalism”

(Christians et al., 2017, p. 25). The Centennial Olympic Park bombing was described as a

“sucker punch to the gut” (Freeman, 2011, p. 84). People were “outraged that someone would

do that to the Olympics” in their “hometown” (Freeman, 2011, p. 84). It would’ve been another

punch to the gut for the hometown newspaper not to fully report and reveal who the FBI

considered a prime suspect. It boiled down to a question of loyalty for Atlanta Journal
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Constitution managing editor John Walter. Was he loyal to the “innocent victims of tragedy” and

the community his paper spent years caring and showing compassion for, or was he loyal to

Richard Jewell (Christians et al., 2017, p. 9). His loyalty, compassion and care were for Atlanta.

Richard Jewell deserved some loyalty, compassion and care too though. He didn’t plant

the bomb. An FBI agent said one more day without the press sniffing around for a story, trying

to be first, would result in Richard Jewell’s name being cleared and no one ever knowing he was

a suspect (Freeman, 2011, 138). Indeed, in the days following the Atlanta Journal Constitution

naming Jewell, other outlets reported it wasn’t “physically possible” for Richard Jewell to “place

the bomb and to have made the call about the bomb to 911” (Shepard, 1996, p. 41). So why not

apply the ethics of care to the decision-making process in this scenario?

Turkish political philosopher Seyla Benhabib believed each person is a “special case with

his or her peculiar history, identity, and emotional responses that should be respected in and of

themselves” (Plaisance, 2009, p. 12). Benhabib argued that a “priority” on a person’s

“humanity” and “individuality” would aid in making ethical decisions (Plaisance, 2009, p. 12).

Benhabib’s theory would certainly have helped Richard Jewell. If John Walter had simply cared

about Jewell’s humanity; if Walter had simply followed Kant’s categorical imperative, Walter

would have held the story.

The categorical imperative states, “Act only on that maxim whereby you can at the same

time will that it should become a universal law” (Christians et al., 2017, p. 16). Would John

Walter want the same standard he applied to Richard Jewell applied to him? If the answer is no,

hold the story. Would John Walter want the benefit of the doubt? If the answer is yes, hold the

story. This position is very similar to John Rawls’ veil of ignorance.

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The veil of ignorance requires the moral agent, John Walter in this case, to “step back” …

“into an ‘original position’” (Christians et al., 2017, p. 22). Walter is not the Atlanta Journal

Constitution managing editor. Walter doesn’t have to deal with increased competition from the

15,000 other journalists in town for the Olympics. Walter isn’t under any pressure to raise the

stature of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. John Walter is just plain ole’ John Walter. Would

plain ole’ John Walter finger Richard Jewell, a person who has not been arrested or charged with

a crime, as a suspect in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing? If the answer is no, hold the

story. Richard Jewell is innocent until proven guilty. He deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Final Choice

There are no easy answers in this situation. CNN and ABC both opted to hold off on

naming Jewell until the Atlanta Journal Constitution story broke (Shepard, 1996, p. 41, 42).

“But as soon as other news organizations named him,” said then-ABC executive producer

Kathryn Christensen, “it validated our information” (Shepard, 1996, p. 42). Ultimately, the final

choice comes from Richard Jewell himself:

You can never have enough sources, and document every detail. Don't leave out

anything. If it's coming up on the deadline and you've got one more source you

want to talk to, sometimes you're just going to have to miss a deadline. I think it's

more important to get all the source information you can and then give a credible

story rather than miss or leave out a couple of things. I think that's probably the

most important thing. (Calvert & Richards, 2004, p. 30)

The final choice goes back to the United Press International motto of “get it first, but first get it

right” (Cook and Martin, 2004, p. 282). That is the only way to “minimize harm” (SPJ, 2014).
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Holding the story until it was solid would’ve shown that John Walter cared about Richard

Jewell’s own humanity. Moreover, holding the story would not have undermined trust in media.

Conclusion

Journalist David Hawpe (1997) believes some of his colleagues “went too far” in their

coverage of Richard Jewell (p. 35). “These things hurt. They erode our credibility,” he writes

(Hawpe, 1997, p. 37). It keeps happening though. In 2000, scientist Wen Ho Lee was the

subject of intense media coverage following a leak that he was suspected of “stealing sensitive

nuclear secrets for China” (Calvert & Richards, 2004, p. 5). Lee was innocent, but his reputation

was tarnished by the media (Calvert & Richards, 2004, p. 5). Three years later, Richard Ricci

died while under the suspicion of kidnapping Elizabeth Smart (Calvert & Richards, 2004, p. 6).

Again, Ricci was innocent, but he too was the victim of journalists not learning from their past

mistakes.

The Olympic Park bombing caused temporary damage to Atlanta, but the city moved on.

The lasting damage that incident inflicted on journalism remains even today. Trust in media is at

all-time lows. That trust can be regained, however, if journalists re-dedicate themselves to the

ethics of care; and remembers that “neither speed nor format excuses inaccuracy” (SPJ, 2014,

para. 5).
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