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The Mark Fuhrman Tapes and the OJ Simpson Trial
How Using “N-Word” Was Invented to Keep From Constantly Repeating a Racial Slur on National Television
The recent death of OJ Simpson brought back several images from his life, most revolving around the time just preceding and during his infamous trial for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
Much of the news coverage focused on the slow-speed chase in his white Ford Bronco when he was alleged to have a gun and to be suicidal. Every news network dropped coverage while waiting to see if OJ would kill himself rather than turn himself into the authorities.
Moments during the trial were highlighted, such as when prosecutor Christopher Darden asked Simpson to try on a pair of gloves that didn’t fit—the lyrical summation by defense attorney Johnnie Cochran and prosecutor Marcia Clark’s bad hair days. Hardly mentioned was the testimony that made the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), in particular, and police forces in general, look so bad that the media had to find a new way to talk about race. It was when they began replacing the word “nigger” with “the N-word” to lessen the impact of describing the racism in America.
The discussion of whether or not to allow the introduction of the “Fuhrman Tapes” and how…
