Murdoch pulls the plug on OJ book

Rupert Murdoch today announced the cancellation of a controversial book and television interview by OJ Simpson being planned by divisions of his News Corp company.

In a statement, Mr Murdoch described the Simpson book and interview as “ill-considered” and offered an apology for any pain caused to the families of the former American football star’s alleged victims.

“I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project,” Mr Murdoch said.

“We are sorry for any pain this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown-Simpson.”

Fox Broadcasting announced last week that Simpson would conduct a two-part interview on November 27 and 29 entitled: If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened, chronicling how he would have murdered his ex-wife and her friend in 1994.

Simpson was acquitted of the brutal slayings after a racially charged trial in 1995, a verdict that was greeted with widespread outrage across the US.

The former American football star was subsequently found liable for the deaths in a 1997 civil suit and was ordered to pay damages to the victims’ families totalling $US33.5 million ($43.55 million).

According to one report, Simpson, who has always vehemently denied the killings, was due to receive $US3.5 million for the book, that was due to be published by Regan, a division of News Corp’s Harper Collins publishing arm.

The Australian is published by News Corp.
A statement from the publishers promised Simpson’s book would deliver “a bone-chilling account of the night of the murders”.

But news of the Simpson media blitz sparked widespread condemnation, with the families of victims leading a chorus of disgust.

Fred Goldman, the father of Ron Goldman, described the book as “sick”, voicing astonishment that Simpson had found a publisher and a television network willing to give him air time.

“It’s amazing to me that this whole thing has gotten as far as it’s gotten … but the fact that someone is willing to publish this garbage, that Fox is willing to put it on air is morally despicable to me,” Goldman said.

The Simpson project also brought blanket condemnation across the media, not least from several prominent Fox television journalists and affiliates.

Bill O’Reilly, the host of Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor, said Fox’s decision to air the program was “simply indefensible and a low point in American culture”.

O’Reilly later vowed to boycott the book, the interview and any companies that paid for advertising slots during the program.

“I’m not going to watch the Simpson show or even look at the book,” he said. “If any company sponsors the TV program, I will not buy anything that company sells – ever.”

Reports said Saturday that Pappas Telecasting Companies, which owns Fox affiliate television stations in Nebraska, Iowa and California, had informed Fox on Friday their stations would not be broadcasting the interview.

Another telecaster, Lin Broadcasting, which owns five Fox affiliates, pledged not to show the program, the New York Daily News reported.