About Buckhead reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2019)
Community | 9 DECEMBER 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net ► JOHN RUCH From left, panelists Bert Roughton, former senior managing editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and “The Suspect” co-authors Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen, joined by moderator John Pruitt, listen to an introduction by Atlanta History Center President and CEO Sheffield Hale at the Nov. 12 panel discussion. just encourage everybody not to prejudge the movie,” Alexander said. Salwen said the book leaves moral les sons up to the readers to conclude, be cause “it’s not so, necessarily, black-and- white.” The FBI’s obsession with Jewell was one of those gray areas, Alexander and Salwen said. Jewell was one of three ma jor suspects, Alexander said, but added that the FBI had some cause to zero in on him with their theory that he planted the bomb to look like a hero. But the FBI also delayed the use of oth er evidence while focusing on Jewell, Al exander said. One witness described a suspect at the bomb scene who later was confirmed to be Rudolph. “That will haunt me forever,” Alexander said. At the AJC, Scruggs’ scoop about the in vestigation turned into the paper’s most notorious and controversial story. Rough- ton strongly defended its publication, while acknowledging some mixed feel ings and certain personal qualms he had with it then and now. He also disagreed with Alexander and Salwen’s assertions that the paper may have rushed the story due to competitive pressure. “Fine, I’m happy to be a pinata,” Rough- ton joked at one point. But he later said, “We lose track of the fact that we’re writ- Continued on page 10 BEST LOBSTER ROLL * HALF-PRICED OYSTERS Monday & Tuesday CHECK OUT OUR DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS order online www.crab404.com NOW OPEN IN SANDY SPRINGS! THE PREMIER SEAFOOD BAR Private space available for Holiday parties CALL 770-457-7161 TO RESERVE CRAB404 I 4969 Roswell Road I (770) 457-7161
