As we watched the film we found ourselves hoping that Wilde’s Scruggs would be a composite of multiple reporters, much in the same way Hamm’s Agent Shaw is. It wasn’t, and it’s hard to imagine Eastwood, Wilde and company thinking portraying Scruggs as someone that sleeps with sources to get key info was a good move. She’s largely cast as the villain, along with Hamm, shown as a conniving headline chaser with no scruples. A late (and modest) redemption arc does nothing to really redeem the character.