Blood money for O.J.
NORMALLY, we do not comment on books we haven't read, but in the case of O.J. Simpson's "If I Did It," we'll make an exception. This supposed tell-all degrades the publishing business and calls into question the integrity of everyone responsible for putting it into print or arranging the television interviews to publicize its release. No one should buy it, or watch the two-part interview that will precede its release Nov. 30. And advertisers should shun the programs as well.
According to Simpson's lawyer, only one chapter will focus on the murder of Simpson's former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in 1994. The account will be accompanied by a disclaimer that it is fiction, the lawyer said.
But Judith Regan, publisher of the book, told the Associated Press: "I consider this his confession." She hopes to profit from the widespread belief that Simpson, despite his acquittal in the killings, really was the murderer and is now offering a first-person account of how he stabbed two people to death.
In a civil case, a jury found Simpson responsible for the deaths, but the families of the victims have collected only a couple of thousand dollars of the $33.5 million judgment. They would be right to try to seize whatever Simpson is making from the book, but it is likely he will try to hide the money in some foreign account or other shadowy vehicle. Anyone who buys "If I Did It" should assume that he or she is funneling money directly to Simpson.
Much of the profit also will go to Regan's ReganBooks, part of the Rupert Murdoch media empire. Murdoch's Fox network will air Simpson's two-part interview with Regan that will precede publication. Murdoch properties are known for their edgy offerings, but this one goes too far. NBC is to be commended for turning down an offer to televise a Simpson interview. It didn't want to be an accomplice in Simpson's attempt to profit from crime. Any company tempted to buy advertising on the Fox programs should be aware that they would be abetting this repugnant act by both Simpson and the network.
But readers will be tempted by what promises to be a lurid tale, and yesterday the book was already No. 33 on the
No one is saying ReganBooks should be prevented from publishing "If I Did It." US Supreme Court rulings protect the rights of murderers, convicted or not, to write and profit from books about their crimes. Only the moral sensibility of readers, viewers, and advertisers will prevent publishers from putting out more first-person accounts of murders. "If I Did It" should be left to molder unbought in the remainder bins.
