November 17, 2006

K. Rupert Murdoch

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

News Corporation

1211 Avenue of the Americas

New York, New York 10036

Dear Mr. Murdoch:

I am writing to protest News Corporation's shocking decision to publish If I Did It by O.J. Simpson and to air a two-part interview (described by interviewer Judith Regan as a "confession") with Simpson on Fox.  The cruel exploitation of this crime, by revisiting and reenacting two grisly murders as a "hypothetical" exercise, both mocks and retraumatizes the victims' families.  The  emotional trauma that Simpson's "confession" is likely to cause the Brown and Goldman families, the children of O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson, and all victims of violent crime in our nation is incalculable.

The book and the interview will not only retraumatize the victims but also intensify the sense of grief and injustice they feel.  Although Simpson was acquitted of the murders in criminal court, he was held civilly liable--by a preponderance of evidence--for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman and ordered to pay damages of $33.5 million.  As yet, none of those damages have been paid, and Simpson remains unaccountable. By publishing and promoting Simpson's book through a prime-time interview, News Corporation helps Simpson profiteer from the murders for which he was held liable and mock our system of justice with impunity. 

Simpson's "hypothetical" reenactment is not a confession--but rather a guidebook for abusing and murdering one's wife. By publishing the book and airing the interview, News Corporation will promote and glorify homicide as entertainment, inflict intentional distress on the victims' families, and fan public mistrust of the criminal justice system.  Such recklessness has no place in a civilized society.

On behalf of all victims of violent crime, I strongly urge you to revoke the book contract and cancel the interview.

Sincerely,

Mary Lou Leary