O.J. Simpson: "If I Did It"

Fox is planning on airing an interview with O.J. Simpson, in which he promotes his new book, unbelievably titled "If I Did It," and describes how he would have murdered Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman if he had actually "done it." It's appalling to me that Simpson is going to profit even more from the death of two people, regardless of whether he killed them or not. And I'm even more disheartened to see a television station, not surprisingly, Fox, give him an open platform to promote his book. Here's a short article about the planned interview, scheduled for Nov. 27 and Nov. 29. And for those who can't wait to see what Simpson has to say, here's a small preview:

In a video clip on the network's Web site, an off-screen interviewer says to Simpson, "You wrote 'I have never seen so much blood in my life.'"

"I don't think any two people could be murdered without everybody being covered in blood," Simpson responds.

What does Fox have to say about the interview?

"This is an interview that no one thought would ever happen. It's the definitive last chapter in the Trial of the Century," Mike Darnell, executive vice president of alternative programming for Fox, said in a statement.

Now, I do realize that as a business, television networks are only interested in viewership. And this interview will almost certainly draw its fair share of viewers. But is that more important than, say, allowing someone who is clearly attempting to profit off the deaths of two people to come on your network and promote his book? This has to be a new low, even for Fox.

Tracy Bratten @ November 15, 2006 - 5:09pm

This is appalling. As journalists, we cringe at the thought of the likes of Stephen Glass or Jayson Blair exploiting their own scandal-made-celebrity status to turn a profit. Both of these men were granted book deals in the wake of their monumental indiscretions, and while their autobiographical ventures may not have necessarily proven lucrative, it is the thought that counts.

But O.J. Simpson didn't plagiarize, nor did he fabricate sources or facts. He is a Heisman trophy winning former football star who was famous long before he was accused of the murders of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman. That's right, MURDER! And now he's chosen to exploit his own controversial scandal to turn a profit.

Shame on him. Shame on the publisher. And shame on Fox for airing the interview.

Aimee Rawlins @ November 15, 2006 - 9:06pm

It will certainly be interesting to see how other news outlets react to this book and the press ops surrounding it. Most people probably find the book itself deplorable but how will this translate into coverage? I wonder whether the other major networks will refuse to give the book face time from a purely moral standpoint or whether the ratings, as well as that fact that it is a major story, will prove too hard to ignore.

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