Historically, I have not agreed with Bill O'Reilly or Geraldo Rivera about very much. However, they're right about O.J. Simpson, Judith Regan, and Fox.
As a human being, not to mention an African-American, I have been and remain horrified by O.J. Simpson's actions during and after the tragic deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Now, Fox is bankrolling a book and television special spearheaded by tabloid-reporter-turned-publisher Regan, in which Simpson supposedly "speculates" how he "might" have killed his wife and her friend. Further, this heinous deal may have been approved by Simpson's children, according to reports published in "Newsweek" and elsewhere.
Well, enough. O.J. Simpson has in my lifetime plummeted from an icon of hope and achievement for people who look like him and me to a symbol of everything that can go wrong when success degenerates into narcissism and denial of responsibility. "The Juice," as he had been known, has gone way, way past bad.
Please, PLEASE boycott O.J.'s book and Fox's shameful upcoming TV special. Check out Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson's recent piece on the subject, "Blood Money." (As of right now, at least, you can find it at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/16/AR2006111601360.html.) Bring copies and your own comments to your local booksellers. Write to your local news outlets, encouraging others to boycott and be outraged.
Encourage your local Fox affiliate not to carry the TV show. And if your local Fox affiliate DOES carry the show, please boycott every supporting advertiser -- companies you'll probably have no problem identifying, even if you don't watch the show. You might also consider dropping a line to your local Fox affiliate, and perhaps contacting Fox News itself (at +888/369-4762 and/or feedback@foxnews.com from within the U.S., or foxaroundtheworld@foxnews.com from other countries).
Perhaps most important, tell everyone you know to spread the word about this morally and ethically essential "Juice Fast." Who knows? If we threaten to influence enough dollars, maybe we can actually get Rupert Murdoch's attention, by demonstrating that he in fact CAN overestimate our appetite for the tawdry and tasteless. Thanks.
