Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4A
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2020
Opinions
“Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent. ”
- Henry Ward Beecher ~
Richard Jewell
and the media
Clint Eastwood's latest movie initially drew rave
reviews but in the end fizzled out of the gate at the
box office after a sparring match took place be
tween the film’s creators and various media outlets
over its content.
It’s ironic because one of the main culprits the
movie wanted to portray was the media, especially
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It remains to be
seen how many, if any, Oscar and Golden Globe
nominations the movie receives, but that is not
what the main issue is here.
No doubt any of us who lived in Georgia in 1996
know Richard Jewell’s story. He was working as
part of a security detail when
he discovered a suspicious
backpack during the Olympic
Games. Jewell reported the
discovery and was credited
with saving several lives.
Immediately after the
bombing, Jewell was hailed
the hero he truly was. How
ever, the FBI began to look at
Jewell as someone who may
have planted the bomb in an
attempt to seek fame and glo
ry and a possible prime job in
law enforcement. Federal law
enforcement was also portrayed in a negative light
in Eastwood’s new film for obvious reasons.
The news of Jewell suddenly being a suspect was
front page news across the country (the world ac
tually) and his life, as well as that of his mother,
became a true living nightmare of which none of
us can truly comprehend.
A now famous headline that appeared in our
state’s largest newspaper declared he was a sus
pect. Of course, as it turned out, Jewell was not
responsible for planting the bomb.
Yet even with the real bomber, Eric Rudolph,
now serving a life sentence as a result of that crime
(and others), it wouldn’t take too much effort to
find someone who would tell you Jewell was the
one who was really guilty. Rudolph was an extreme
anti-abortionist who had placed bombs at various
clinics in his one-man crusade against doctors and
medical personnel who performed legal abortions.
For Jewell, however, once a seed of that nature is
planted in people’s mind it is often difficult to re
move, His life was ruined. During the time he was
a “suspect” every detail of his life, both profession
al and personal, became front page news and was
covered on local and cable news shows.
The spotlight was so bright that no one can really
imagine what that was like. None of us would want
that kind of scrutiny over every detail of our lives.
Jewell sued several media outlets and many
settled. They didn’t admit guilt, per se, but rather
than spend more money defending themselves they
simply offered to settle.
The AJC was the exception as the paper said it
did nothing to defame Jewell. The owners, publish
ers and editor said Jewell was a suspect and that is
what they reported.
In huge stories of this nature, the best defense
is always the truth. However, many contend that
the media’s portrayal of Jewell was so vicious that
it led to an early death for the man who was only
in his 40s when he passed away. Jewell also had
medical issues but you cannot deny the stress he
was under from this contributed to his early death.
Jewell, to his credit, rebuilt his life the best he
could. He worked to get himself in better physical
shape and worked for a time for the Jefferson Po
lice Department.
Still his life was never the same. The money he
did win in his lawsuits (estimated to be around $2
million total) clearly did not make up for what he
had been through.
This story has always bothered me. As a member
of the media, I understand how getting something
wrong can impact someone’s life. And while the
AJC never said Jewell “did it,” the details of his
personal life were splashed for all too read. A man
who was in reality a hero was portrayed as a pa
thetic loner who would do anything to live out a
fantasy of being a cop.
The media can play a big role in shaping opin
ion on someone. It’s not just the Jewell case. Once
a person forms an opinion, it typically does not
change despite future developments.
Eastwood’s movie drew criticism for implying
that the AJC reporter who broke the story got her
information in exchange for several favors. The re
porter, who has also died, was strongly defended
by her colleagues and editors who said she would
never do that sort of thing.
The AJC wanted the movie distributor to put a
disclaimer at the beginning of the film but it was
not done. It should be noted that any film based on
actual events is going to have some parts that are
fictionalized.
No film can be 100 percent accurate because
even people who witness the same event are going
to have differences in their version of what took
place.
Controversy involving Eastwood’s films is noth
ing new. and that goes for ones he has starred in and
ones he has directed. Eastwood, who is almost 90
years old, received criticism for his films “Ameri
can Sniper” and “J. Edgar.” His well-remembered
Dirty Harry series of movies was not well-received
in some circles and the same can be said for his
westerns, often deemed too violent.
See Bridges, page 6A
A preview of 2020
If you thought 2019 was a year of
disdainfulness and discernment in pol
itics and media reporting, then you had
better hold on to something because of
what the year 2020 is about to dump
upon us.
While the United States is financially
enjoying the best of times in several de
cades right now, expect the Democrats
to give a different story. They
will argue the opposite even
though we have low em
ployment, a strong economy
supported by the financial
market standings and we are
spending more on updating
and rebuilding our military.
The left continues its lean
toward socialism and push
ing the American voters to
support higher taxes, free
college, free medical care
and an erosion of our rights
as guaranteed by the U.S.
Constitution. We can expect continued
attacks on the First and Second amend
ments by limiting free speech and
pushing new gun control laws.
The left hates Donald Trump and
wants to remove him from office. The
right doesn’t always like Trump but ap
pears to be supportive of his repeat can
didacy while wanting to win the House
and keep the Senate right of center.
“The swamp” would like for every
one to be quieter so it can return to
business as normal, stuffing pockets,
calling in favors and telling our gov
ernment what to do.
Here’s a list of what to expect in the
New Year!
Topping the list will be final prepa
rations for the 2020 presidential elec
tions. Both parties will spend hundreds
of millions of dollars in a fight for the
right to occupy the Capitol in Washing
ton. Not only do the parties want the
White House, both houses in Congress
have also been targeted.
Next will be the formal impeach
ment of President Donald Trump.
The House doesn’t seem to know
what to do next and many think the
House will simply sit on what it has
done, hoping that will cause Trump
voters to desert the Republican ticket at
the ballot box.
The Senate hasn’t tipped its hand
and appears to be waiting for the
Democratic-controlled House to make
the first move. The two articles of im
peachment could very well still be on
Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk in No
vember without any formal action be
ing taken by the Senate.
We can expect nothing less from the
national news media than what we re
ceived last year. The gift box will in
clude fake news, he said-she said finger
pointing, accusations and political bias.
Regardless of who holds the majori
ty in Congress, both parties need to be
concerned about North Korea and Chi
na situations.
Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s lead
er, has demonstrated that he is not the
most trustworthy person holding the
keys to rockets and nuclear weapons.
His people are starving by all accounts
and he continues to rattle his small but
significant sword.
Jobs, cost-of-living indexes and
prosperity depend heavily on our tar
iffs and trade with foreign countries. It
Write a Letter to the Editor:
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would benefit all Americans to see an
agreement worked out on trade tariffs,
especially with China.
Russia remains an enemy and we
could very well be in the early stages
of another Cold War. Russian President
Vladimir Putin, a holdover from the
previous Cold War, does not like be
ing in second or third place and he is
willing to more than rattle a
bigger sword.
Russia is flexing its mil
itary muscle in places not
seen before and is develop
ing new military arms and
weapons.
Governments are already
suspecting Russia of field
ing assassination teams tar
geting people who are in
public disagreement with
the Russian government.
There is no reason not to
believe such a team would
strike here in America, eliminating
dissidents who have found sanctuary
on American soil. Such a strike would
create fear in smaller eastern countries
that border Russia.
Putin would like nothing more than
to rebuild the old Soviet empire.
We will have to deal in some way
with the Mexican drag cartels. They
are destroying the American lifestyle
and culture at a tremendous cost.
The big pharmaceutical companies
are taking money from everyone’s
pockets with soaring drug costs. Med
ical facilities and medical practices are
enjoying record payments for medical
procedures and tests that cost much
less in other countries.
Other medical health costs and in
surance rates are unreal and literally
draining the pockets of hard working
Americans trying to raise families.
We must resolve the legal issues sur
rounding the Federal Bureau of Investi
gation and the abuse of the federal For
eign Intelligence Service Act (FISA),
as well as the Hillary Clinton violations
of federal law concerning her emails
and illegal servers.
Unfortunately, it is hard to believe
we will get much of anything done in
2020.
The best we can expect is Congress
will continue to collect their checks
and travel fees.
Finally, we can expect the Democrat
ic Party to continue to try to change the
face and heart of America while our
poor and sick continue to suffer and
those on the international scene will be
emboldened to do all of us harm.
It’s not a very pretty picture.
Jimmy Terrell is retired from a career
in law enforcement and is a Winder city
councilman. He can be reached at ej-
terrell65 @gmail. com.
The Barrow News-Journal
Winder, Barrow County, Ga.
www.BarrowJournal.com
Mike Buffington Co-Publisher
Scott Buffington Co-Publisher
Scott Thompson Editor
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Ron Bridgeman Reporter
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Trump has been
consistent, give
him that
Donald Trump has been exactly as
advertised, I would venture.
He has been crude, rude and con
cerned only with his pleasure or satis
faction.
The recent impeachment of him by
the U.S. House was nearly foreordained
when he was elected president. Trump
was so different from other presidents
his impeachment became a necessity if
we take our Constitution at all serious
ly-
(Aside: It should
ing attention that
Trump loves the
electoral college,
one of many com
promises required
to pass the Consti
tution, because it
made him president
and denigrates the
impeachment pro
cess, which also is
a part of the Consti
tution.)
Trump always has
been a blusterer and
bloviator, spouting off about subjects
he does not know but pretends he does.
He always has been prone to extreme
language and opinions of himself. Long
before he was a presidential candidate,
he offered contradictory and often false
comments about other political figures.
After three years as president, he still
makes derogatory remarks about Bill
and Hillary Clinton, who attended one
of his weddings. (Seriously, couldn’t
he pick a less obvious target.) He was
a Democrat (largely because everyone
in New York was) for a decade or two.
Yes, some of us have wanted him
impeached, and assumed he eventually
would be, since before he was inaugu
rated. Yes, it has been completely po
litical.
Yes, Trump made it inevitable with
his actions.
If he were not in the position he occu
pies, his ranting could, and should, be
ignored. He would be the small, weak
man he always has been - if not for his
position.
Trump has now reached the point
where few people pay much attention
to what he says.
Trump created his impeachment. We
always should remember - and say to
his supporters - he asked for a political
favor and help from a foreign country
and withheld money for that country
that had been approved byCongress. He
was not “fighting” corruption. He was
seeking personal help.
He did that. He was not held at gun
point and forced to say those things. He
did it.
Impeachment then became a necessi
ty - much as I hate to say it - and in
evitable.
His contradictory comments are am
ple evidence of his inability or unwill
ingness to recognize reality. When he
was a real estate guy trying to make this
or that deal by bullying and lying, we
could ignore him. He should be ignored
now and he largely is by other coun
tries’ leaders.
Elected officials take all sorts of
oaths, presidents and members of Con
gress among them. They should pay
attention to the content of those oaths
- things such as upholding the Consti
tution.
Those are not simply words. They
should be recognized and honored, not
trashed and ignored as Trump has done.
Trump’s lies and actions make him
unfit for office - from president to dog-
catcher. I apologize to dogcatchers and
other presidents.
The differences he exhibits are what
endears him to supporters - he makes
people like me furious.
I have been a moderate all of my adult
life and my political heroes - Dan
iel Patrick Moynihan, Howard Baker
and Sam Nunn have been in that line.
Trump has changed me.
I have become a Never Trumper. I will
vote in November 2020 for any creature
but him. My dog, Doodle, is smarter
and more civilized than our president. I
would vote for her.
Ron Bridgeman is a reporter for
MainStreet Newspapers. Send him
email to ron@mainstreetnews.com.
jimmy
terrell
tell anyone pay
roll
bridgeman