In 1996, a bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park during a concert held as part ofthe celebration for the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. After initially being hailedin 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. Thestory was revealed in the press by the Atlanta Journal Constitution on July 30, 1996. Whatfollowed was an intense media investigation of a man who was not arrested or charged with anycrime. This study examines the existence of the Scapegoat Myth as defined by Jack Lule, in thenewspaper coverage of Richard Jewell. A textual analysis of 64 newspaper articles found in theAtlanta Journal and Constitution and The New York Times forms the basis of this project. Thefindings show distinct patterns of the Scapegoat myth in the AJC coverage, and an overall senseof objectivity in the New York Times coverage.