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O.J. Simpson: A Tragic Figure of Epic Proportion
OJ Simpson 13 Years Later
The Vital Role of Forensic Science
I think OJ is despicable [link widoczny dla zalogowanych], wildly arrogant, and there is no doubt in my mind that he did it. But I was planning on watching the special. Like a lookyloo at a car accident, I wouldn't have been able to help myself, and I'd be willing to bet that I'm not alone on that. Fox's critics called it a tasteless shot to bolster sagging ratings during sweeps month. It undoubtedly was exactly that; but it also would have worked. We live in a society obsessed with fame and scandal, and for all their posturing, Americans would have watched this special. We were obsessed with this story for years: the criminal and civil trials, the books, the couldn't get enough.
My first instinct upon hearing about OJ's new venture was probably very similiar to the rest of America: "That's disgusting," and/or "Who get's the money from all this?" Was it in poor taste for Judith Regan to sell a book like this, and for Fox to then air her interview as a TV special? Yes. However, as ghostwriter Pablo Fenjves (coincidentally [?] also a witness at Simpson's criminal trial) told the New Yorker [link widoczny dla zalogowanych], " I think you'd be hard pressed to find a reporter in this country who [link widoczny dla zalogowanych], given the opportunity to sit down and take a confession from OJ SImpson, no matter how oblique, would have refused to do so." As a writer myself, I can say that yes, I probably would have taken that job, because I agree with Judith Regan, who said that she believed the book to be OJ's confession.
NewsCorp counted on that. Their only misstep was that they may have underestimated the current self-righteousness of the American public. "I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-inconsidered project," said NewsCorp Chairman Rupert Murdoch. "We are sorry for any pain this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson." Yeah, sure you are. I'm more inclined to picture Rupert Murdoch pissed off that he was put in a position of having to apologize; seething over the potential profits he would be losing.
There are some lessons to be learned following the OJ debacle. The first is that the American public may have better taste than they are given credit for. The second lesson is a two parter, and half is still to be proven. Fact - the American public loves a scandal. Not quite fact - the American public is eit
My biggest issue with all of this is not NewsCorp (parent of ReganBooks and Fox) actually publishing the book and airing the special. Deplorable as it is, I think they have the right to do whatever they want. My concern was for the families, who still have yet to be paid more than a couple of thousand dollars from OJ. Dan Abrams said on the Today show, "There is a big difference between what should happen and what will happen. " In other words, no, the families will not see a dime. But it's not about the actual money, it's about the principle. I don't want to see OJ profiting from these murders. And what about OJ 's family? Do his kids really want to read a book about how their dad might have murdered their mom?
But Murdoch may get the last laugh. NewsCorp was probably right in their belief that there was an audience for this story. If anyone knows about the power of the internet, it is MySpace-owning NewsCorp. Bootlegged copies of the book have already been found online selling for as high as a million dollars. (Yes, you read that right) It's only a matter of time before a cut of Regan's interview with Simpson is leaked to online sites. I doubt this was their original intention, but if ayone knows how to make lemonade, it's Rupert Murdoch.

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