Fbi, Media Were Just Doing Their Jobs Fair On The Whole, The System Worked.

Feel sorry for Richard Jewell if you must. But he’ll turn out just fine.

There are, after all, the upcoming lawsuits. And it won’t be long before his tell-all victim’s tale hits bookshelves everywhere. Something like “Too Quick to Judgment: Richard Jewell’s Story of a Life Under Siege by an Overreaching Government and an Overzealous Media.” Drew Carey will star in the movie.

In all seriousness, Jewell did suffer considerable anguish and damage to his reputation after being identified as a suspect in the bombing at last summer’s Olympic Games in Atlanta. But the question remains: Was the attention paid to him by the FBI and the media inappropriate?

That’s a tough one. Clearly, an encampment of satellite trucks and reporters for months on Jewell’s block overstepped the boundaries of legitimate journalism. But on the whole, the system worked as it should - law enforcement investigates, media report and suspect is arrested or suspect is exonerated.

In Jewell’s case, he recently received a letter from the FBI saying he no longer is a suspect in the bombing. It didn’t come as quickly as he would have liked, but the FBI has the right indeed, an obligation - to make sure it’s completely satisfied about a person’s guilt or innocence before clearing or not clearing that person.

To correctly evaluate Jewell’s ordeal, one has to remember the atmosphere in which it started. America was stunned and frightened when a bomb shook a public park in Atlanta. That bomb struck at the heart of the country, and people hoped for answers.

Jewell seemed to provide them. He fit the FBI profile of a person who might do such a thing - a loner who sought attention, a cop-wannabe who had shown interest in bomb-making. His name was leaked to the media, which then did their own investigating by asking friends and neighbors about Jewell.

Fair reporting examines all angles of a story. Sure, there were early articles and news reports that quoted people saying “I always thought he was a little weird,” but later stories showed it would have been nearly impossible for Jewell to have placed the bomb and made the 911 call under the time line the FBI stands by.

So, did the system work?

It did. Jewell was cleared and has the sympathy of the nation. Federal law enforcement and the media will undergo a little self-examination, and they’ll be better off for it.

Yes, it’s a messy system, but ultimately, it’s fair.

, DataTimes MEMO: For opposing view, see “FBI, media hit shameful low point”

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