From hero to scapegoat the myth of the scapegoat in newspaper coverage of Richard Jewell as bombing suspect : a textual analysis /

by 1976- Myers, Thomas J.

In 1996, a bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park during a concert held as part of the celebration for the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. After initially being hailed in the press as a hero for his efforts to save lives during the moments following the bombing, security guard Richard Jewell emerged as a suspect in the FBI investigation of the bombing. The story was revealed in the press by the Atlanta Journal Constitution on July 30, 1996. What followed was an intense media investigation of a man who was not arrested or charged with any crime. This study examines the existence of the Scapegoat Myth as defined by Jack Lule, in the newspaper coverage of Richard Jewell. A textual analysis of 64 newspaper articles found in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution and The New York Times forms the basis of this project. The findings show distinct patterns of the Scapegoat myth in the AJC coverage, and an overall sense of objectivity in the New York Times coverage.