There are many true stories that confirm the extreme power that the media has over us. One of the stories that come to my mind is the life story of Richard Allensworth Jewell. May his soul rest in peace. He was a victim of the media and is THE perfect example of how the media misuses its power and is able to destroy someone's life for no reason!
If you haven't heard about this true story, watch the film, and you'll see what I mean.
Richard Allensworth Jewell (born Richard White; December 17, 1962 – August 29, 2007) was an American security guard and law enforcement officer who alerted police during the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He discovered a backpack containing three pipe bombs on the park grounds and helped evacuate the area before the bomb exploded, saving many people from injury or death. For months afterward, he was suspected of planting the bomb, resulting in adverse publicity that "came to symbolize the excesses of law enforcement and the news media".
Initially hailed by the media as a hero, Jewell was soon considered a suspect by the FBI based on psychological profiling. Though never charged, Jewell experienced what was described as a "trial by media", which took a toll on his personal and professional life. He was cleared as a suspect after 88 days of intense public scrutiny. In 2005, Eric Rudolph confessed and pleaded guilty to that bombing and other attacks.
Jewell's life has been the subject of popular culture, including the 2019 Oscar-nominated film Richard Jewell directed by Clint Eastwood and the ten-episode drama Deadly Games, the 2020 season of the anthology series Manhunt.
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