O. J. Simpson Facts and Fictions
News Rituals in the Construction of Reality

Analyses media coverage of O. J. Simpson trial and divided reactions of 'White' and African Americans.

Darnell M. Hunt (Author)

9780521624688, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 15 April 1999

364 pages, 11 tables
22.6 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.53 kg

"...an important scholarly examination of the various discourses related to this case." CSMC Bookends

Abundant popular discourses surround the O. J. Simpson double murder case. By contrast, Darnell M. Hunt scrutinizes these very discourses in order to further our understanding of the interests underlying them. Exploring the relationships between O. J.'s trial, the social location of television viewers (their race, gender and class) and everyday consciousness of social issues, his textual and audience analyses consider the incredible allure of the trial as 'media event'. Looking beyond the obvious explanations of celebrity, scandal and voyeurism, Dr Hunt asks: why was America so obsessed by this case? Why were so many people interested in particular outcomes? and what are we to make of the apparent racial divide in attitudes about the case, as shown in the opinion polls? O. J. Simpson Facts and Fictions incorporates insights from sociology and cultural studies to examine the implications for race relations in the United States at the dawn of the new millennium.

Introduction: knowing O.J.
Part I. Theory: 1. O. J. and ritual
2. O. J. and politics
Part II. News Construction: 3. Press rites and O. J. wrongs: behind the scenes at 'camp O. J.'
4. Celebrating the process: O. J. and KTLA-TV
5. (Re)affirming official sources: O. J. and the Los Angeles Times
6. (Il) legitimate transgressions: O. J. and the Los Angeles Sentinel
Part III. Audience Reception: 7. Raced ways of seeing O. J.
8. Raced ways of seeing O. J. revisited
Part IV. Conclusions: 9. O. J. and reality
Appendices.

Subject Areas: Black & Asian studies [JFSL3]