 Fox kills O.J.
O.J. found guilty of bad taste. News Corp. has canned plans for a book and Fox TV special about former accused murderer O.J. Simpson provocatively titled O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened. In the interview, Simpson reportedly discusses how he would have hypothetically killed his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and friend, Ron Goldman, who were murdered in 1994.
In a statement released today, News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch said, "I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project. We are sorry for any pain this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown-Simpson."
The controversy erupted last week when Fox announced it would air the two-night, four-hour interview on November 27 and November 29, the last few days of the November sweeps period. The next day, the book of the same name would hit shelves.
Over the weekend, Fox affiliates Lin Broadcasting and Pappas Broadcasting, which own a total of nine Fox stations in seven states, announced they would not air the special. Fox stars Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera also publicly railed against the network.
Pappas Broadcastiong told The Washington Post that they did not want to help Simpson profit from the show.
Fox has often courted controversy and condemnation, with shows like When Animals Attack and How to Marry a Millionaire drawing the ire of TV watchdogs. This time, the network had gone too far. "This is the first time that I've been embarrassed to say that I'm a Fox affiliate," Richard Jones, general manager of Fox affiliate XETV in San Diego, told Broadcasting & Cable.
Simpson was accused of the double homicide in 1994 but was acquitted after a lengthy trial that received widespread media coverage. He was later found liable for their deaths in a civil case and ordered to pay the families $33.5 million--none of which he has yet paid.
The book, which was to be published by Regan Books, had drawn anger from Simpson's lawyer, Yale Galanter, who said he was kept in the dark about the deal. "I definitely would not have approved this," Galanter told Newsweek. "I wouldn't have done it for a gazillion dollars."
Fred Goldman, father of Ron Goldman, said he hoped consumers would express their disgust via their wallets. "I would hope that the message from people in this country is sent to his publisher, is sent to Fox, that this is disgusting, despicable," Goldman said on Larry King Live.
Regan Books owner Judith Regan said she had conducted the interview because she had been a victim of abuse, and that she considered the interview his "winking confession." "I wanted, as so many victims do, to hear him say 'I did it and I am sorry," Regan said in a statement.
Even Fox anchor Geraldo Rivera, himself no stranger to tabloid TV, expressed dismay in an interview on Good Morning America. "I think this project, whoever created it, is just about as low as you can go. This is an appalling idea involving a lowdown and dirty double[murderer] who's allowed to cash in on his crime," Rivera said. "Everybody in the world knows[O.J.] did it."
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