O. J. Simpson Facts and Fictions: News Rituals in the Construction of Reality [Paperback]

Darnell M. Hunt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 1999

Darnell M. Hunt explores the relationship between social identity (race, class, gender, etc.), our perceptions of everyday reality and the O. J. Simpson double murder trial to ask: why was America so obsessed by this case? Why were so many people invested in particular outcomes? And what are we to make of the apparent racial divide in attitudes about the case captured by the opinion polls? O. J. Facts and Fictions tackles these questions and considers the implications for race relations in the United States at the dawn of the new millennium.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...illuminates the cultural media event with clarity, freshness, rigorous scholarship, and with insights that inform both black and white readers." Choice

"A superb book, Hunt writes with a passionate clarity about one of the most significant cultural events of our time. His multi-dimensional analysis, his persuasive arguments and his insightful conclusions show us not only the importance of the O.J. affair itself, but also how an avowedly non-racist society keeps its racism alive and kicking. Anyone who wants to understand how race is made to operate in America, and anyone who wishes to intervene in its operations, will need to read this book and to refer to it frequently." John Fiske, University of Wisconsin, Madison

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

Book Description

Darnell M. Hunt explores the relationship between social identity (race, class, gender etc), our perceptions of everyday reality and the O. J. Simpson double murder trial to ask: why was America so obsessed by this case? why were so many people invested in particular outcomes? And what are we to make of the apparent racial divide in attitudes about the case captured by the opinion polls? O. J. Facts and Fictions tackles these questions and considers the implications for race relations in the United States at the dawn of the new millenium.

Product Details

• Paperback: 362 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (May 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521624681
• ISBN-13: 978-0521624688
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #758,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a unique perspective, very informative, June 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: O. J. Simpson Facts and Fictions: News Rituals in the Construction of Reality (Paperback)

What Hunt provides is an explanation about why blacks and whites disagreed about the OJ Simpson trial, getting at the underlying assumptions different groups took into the trial and examining how the media played on these assumptions. Actually, he's more sophisticated than simply discussing "blacks and whites," noting divisions within these categories and at times challenging them. He uses a range of methods, including communciations theory, focus groups, quantitative analysis, etc. Much more sophisticated than most of the stuff out there on the trial and its larger meaning.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Look out!, September 19, 2006

By 

Brian Moore - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: O. J. Simpson Facts and Fictions: News Rituals in the Construction of Reality (Paperback)

Or as I like to call it, "O.J. Simpson Facts and Fictions: New B.S. for the Acquisition of Tenure."

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars One Overview of the Publicity, February 3, 2006

By 

Acute Observer (N. Jersey Shore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: O. J. Simpson Facts and Fictions: News Rituals in the Construction of Reality (Paperback)

The author is a sociologist and tells of testing the opinions of two groups as to OJ's guilt. [There was no test as to the extent of their actual knowledge!] You won't learn anything new from this book. It has a long list of books on the subject, but the author gave no ratings or summaries on them. Were they all equal in quality?

The OJ case received more publicity than the Oklahoma City bombing or the Clinton impeachment. The National Association of Editors and Publishers has never told of the reasons for its play in the news. Could it have been intended as a distraction from other news? In May 1994 the newspapers carried stories on how North Korea was ready to attack and start a war; this was repeated weekly. In 1999 I read that President Carter had been sent on a diplomatic mission to North Korea (must have been a success, since the propaganda stopped).

Could the double murders in Brentwood have been well-publicized as a distraction? Isn't two murders a day the usual LA statistics? How many other waiters (just from Mezzaluna) were murdered each year? Are murders by organized crime often solved?

The book "Killing Time" noted that restaurants and health clubs (in LA and elsewhere) were often used a fronts for drug dealing and prostitution. If this explains the murders, you won't find much in this book. [My experience is that most white Americans made up their minds in June 1994 and never let the new facts interfere with their prejudgment.]