VIDEO: Denise Brown Says News Corp. Offered ‘Hush Money’ To Keep Quiet About O.J. Interview
VIDEO: Denise Brown Says News Corp. Offered ‘Hush Money’ To Keep Quiet About O.J. Interview
Right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch has portrayed his decision to cancel the O.J. Simpson book and interview as a principled stand, calling it an “ill-considered project.” But new details seriously undermine that claim.
An executive from Murdoch’s News Corporation told the New York Times that the rights to the Simpson’s book “could still be sold to another publisher,” meaning that Murdoch would still profit from the project. And this morning on NBC’s Today Show, Nicole Brown Simpson’s sister Denise accused News Corp. of trying to buy her family’s silence for “millions of dollars.”
They wanted to offer us millions of dollars. Millions of dollars for, like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry’ money. But they were still going to air the show. … We just thought, ‘oh my god.’ What they’re trying to do is trying to keep us quiet, trying to make this like hush money, trying to go around the civil verdict, giving us this money to keep our mouths shut.
Watch it:
AP reports that spokesman for News Corp. “confirmed that the company had conversations with representatives of Nicole Brown Simpson’s and Ron Goldman’s families over the past week and that the families were offered all profits from the planned Simpson book and television show, but he denied that it was hush money.”
Full transcript:
LAUER: Denise Brown is Nicole BrownÂ’s sister. Denise, good morning again, good to see you.
BROWN: Good morning.
LAUER: So I read a portion of Rupert Murdoch’s statement a second ago. “I and senior management agree with the American public this was an ill-considered project.” You reacted by saying, “Yay for the American people.” The outrage was important. What about you? Did you have any personal contact with Fox on this?
BROWN: Well, actually we did. They contacted us, News Corp. contacted us, and what they wanted to do was, they wanted to offer us millions of dollars—
LAUER: Millions of dollars?
BROWN: Millions of dollars for, like, “Oh, I’m sorry” money, but they were still going to air the show.
[Snip]
BRONW: Well when this offer from News Corp. came to us, we just thought, “Oh my God!” Well, what they’re trying to do is trying to keep us quiet, try to make this like hush money, trying to go around the civil verdict. Giving us this money to keep our mouth’s shut.
LAUER: Let me just make sure I understand for the record. When this call came to your attorneys from Fox, the family’s reaction was absolutely not.
BROWN: Absolutely not. We were not going to take it. We are taking the high road. We are taking the legal road. The public, the American public has spoken. Their outcry to have this TV show and the book banned, not to be aired, was the people talking, and we felt the same way. We are not going to take – it doesn’t matter how many millions of dollars someone offers us – we are not going to take it.
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Wow, sounds no different than throwing them under a moving bus, but them promising to pay them the collected bus fare.
November 21st, 2006 at 11:50 am
Denise Brown has a mouth on her — I admire that. Keep talking, girl.
November 21st, 2006 at 11:54 amHmm, I wonder how long before Bill O’Reilly dispatches a band of his semi-literate disciples to swamp TP’s threads.
November 21st, 2006 at 11:55 amThe FOX association with OJ has backfired onto them! Best thing to have happened, because OJ is radioactive to them!
November 21st, 2006 at 11:59 amWhere is Roger_Roger to tell us that Bill O’Rielly is responsible for the show and book being yanked?
November 21st, 2006 at 12:07 pmSo Fox pays ransom money to kidnappers, and it attempts to pay hush money to people offended by its programming.
Inquiring minds – and shareholders – want to know: what other miscellaneous expenses is Mr Murdoch incurring?
November 21st, 2006 at 12:07 pmFox cancelled it because it attracted no advertisers, which meant Nielson wouldn’t even include it in the ratings. Now Fox wants to act like they are doing the principled thing, even though anyone with a shred of principles would have never imagined doing such a thing in the first place. This was a business decision that backfired and now they want credit for cancelling the show.
November 21st, 2006 at 12:09 pmAppalling and totally reprehensible! That’s a synonym for Fox News and Murdoch these days. They’re a sham and probably involved in corrupt, criminal activities with this “hush money”….a form of blackmail.
November 21st, 2006 at 12:13 pmI don’t work for O’Reilly. I speak my own mind. But I do hand it to Bill. He stepped up and so the American People and Fox pulled the show. I don’t think they should have even started the process. OJ did it. Everyone knows it. No need to hear form him. It was wrong for them to promote OJ. So Fox did the right thing and pulled it. I don’t think whatever money offered to the families was hush money. I believe it was a cut of the profit as jester of good will. The family (rightfully so) did not want it. Fox made a mistake and have apologized for it. But you progressives only forgive people that agree with you 100%.
November 21st, 2006 at 12:19 pmFox, the “white trash network”
November 21st, 2006 at 12:25 pmI don’t work for O’Reilly. I speak my own mind. But I do hand it to Bill. He stepped up and so the American People and Fox pulled the show.
Comment by Kevin — November 21, 2006 @ 12:19 pm
Kevin, Fox cancelled it because their affiliate stations revolted and refused to broadcast the interview. It’s all about money, so quit trying to defend your guy BO.
As for thinking for yourself, sure, I suppose that is possible, but it seems unlikely of a BO fan.
November 21st, 2006 at 12:30 pmnoting the post below — what has neil cavuto told his sons about this …
November 21st, 2006 at 12:45 pmThat’s exactly what Bill O’Falafel does? So if you are not working for him, you must be him.
November 21st, 2006 at 12:50 pmI believe it was a cut of the profit as jester of good will.
November 21st, 2006 at 12:58 pmKevin,
No, that title ‘jester of good will’ would go to you.
You’re always good for a quick laugh and a ’scratch the head’ moment.
A jester is a King’s clown, paid to make him laugh.
Now, I don’t know, or care, who’s paying you to make me laugh, but ‘bring it on’! ROTFLMFAO!
Do you believe that because I don’t agree with you 100%? How can anyone not be a “progressive†and still have free will? Is that how you think? And if so who told you to think like that?
November 21st, 2006 at 1:00 pmKevin,
November 21st, 2006 at 1:02 pmIs this you?
This guy is married to his cousin, has three washing machines on his front porch, two cars on concrete blocks in his front yard, his mother is really his aunt, and they just got cable.
Thought so.
Get back home soon, they need you to carry out another washing machine!
No, it wasn’t “hush” money it was “shut up and go away so we can make money on your grief” money.
Yes, this was “ill considered”…from the beginning, but you thought you could make a buck on it and thought that the rest of America was like the morons that watch your networks and you could get away with it.
November 21st, 2006 at 1:03 pmGee, a personal attack. What a shock. And something so creative. Wow.
November 21st, 2006 at 1:16 pmGee, a lame retort to a personal attack. Not a shock. And somethign so thrid grade. Wow.
When you gusy go to post something like this, you should think twice. It makes you look even more silly than the original attack ever could have.
November 21st, 2006 at 1:41 pmYou’re right. I should act like the attack didn’t happen. The attack was my fault. I asked for it. And I should never defend myself. I don’t have a right to say anything because I’m conservative. I should just learn to hate like you progressives.
November 21st, 2006 at 1:55 pmjeez…this is why I don’t watch Faux News….it’s too damn stupid.
November 21st, 2006 at 2:15 pmThe Today show is on NBC
November 21st, 2006 at 2:22 pmI never said don’t say anything. I said don’t post dumbass retorts. Come up with something good.
Oh and BTW, I learned how to hate from your side of the aisle. People like Bill O’Rielly and Sean Hannity are great teachers of hate.
November 21st, 2006 at 2:31 pmI got $500 says Karim was talking about the OJ piece, not this interview.
November 21st, 2006 at 2:32 pmDon’t tell the Government you have $500. You may owe it to the IRS.
November 21st, 2006 at 3:39 pmI don’t owe the Government one penny.
Not that I agree with being forced to pay voluntary taxes. But, I still pay them.
November 21st, 2006 at 4:21 pm[...] You can watch a video of the appearence here (flash video) or here (multiformat choice- Quicktime or Windows Media). Associated Press reports that Murdoch’s Newscorp admits that they offered money to the victim’s families, but denies that it was a bribe to shut them up: A spokesman for News Corp, owner of Fox Broadcasting and publisher HarperCollins, confirmed that the company had conversations with representatives of Nicole Brown Simpson’s and Ron Goldman’s families over the past week and that the families were offered all profits from the planned Simpson book and television show, but he denied that it was hush money. [...]
November 21st, 2006 at 6:21 pm“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” – Voltaire
But I guess being liberals we get to pick and choose which liberal right we really want to defend, right ;)
November 22nd, 2006 at 2:26 amGood for Denise Brown!! These right wing creeps (Murdoch, et al…) deserve all the criticism they get.
Oh and let’s not forget. O.J. Simpson was a huge conservative Republican and a self proclaimed Dittohead.
November 22nd, 2006 at 8:11 pmtitle for a new book on another known liar and criminal: what if i were president, by g. bush.
November 24th, 2006 at 10:40 amThe stuff on this web site is really witty and cool wise
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