New York Times Tweaks O.J. Simpson Obit After Sparking Outrage

Phillip NietoApr 11th, 2024, 5:21 pm
 
New York Times Building NYC

Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via AP

The New York Times came under fire on Thursday over its obituary for former NFL running back O.J. Simpson.

Simpson died on Wednesday at the age of 76 following a battle with prostate cancer. After a successful career in football and in Hollywood, Simpson was put on trial in 1995 for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. He was acquitted.

The Times published its obituary for Simpson shortly after the announcement of his death. It described the athlete’s lifetime accomplishments and controversies. The paper drew some outrage, however, because the obituary stated the following: “He ran to football fame on the field and made fortunes in movies. But his world was ruined after he was charged with killing his former wife and her friend.”

The line was changed to: “He ran to football fame and made fortunes in movies. His trial for the murder of his former wife and her friend became an inflection point on race in America.”

Another line within the piece was changed from this: “The infamous case, which held up a cracked mirror to Black and white America, cleared Mr. Simpson but ruined his world.”

To this: “The jury in the murder trial cleared him, but the case, which had held up a cracked mirror to Black and white America, changed the trajectory of his life.”

Social media users took issue with the paper describing the gruesome murders as ruining his world:

After Simpson was acquitted of the murder charges, a civil court ordered him to pay $33 million in damages to the families of Brown and Goldman.

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