Editorial: O.J. spotlight on us

Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007 | 7:04 a.m.

The Sunday arrest and jailing of O.J. Simpson in Las Vegas cemented the immediate travel plans of hundreds, and who knows, maybe thousands of media representatives from all over the country and world.

They are either in Las Vegas already or on their way. And thousands of news outlets around the world will be carrying their reports, with many even interrupting regular programming with bulletins about the latest development in the case.

Such is the public fascination with the former college and professional football star. Ever since Simpson was arrested and charged in the 1994 killings of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, he has either been reviled or strangely revered.

No one, it seems, no matter where he lives , is neutral about Simpson's murder trial, which ended with his infamous acquittal in 1995. And it is safe to say that much of the world's population will have at least a passing interest in what is next in store for Simpson, given the six felony charges he faces in Las Vegas.

There is no predicting the amount or types of information and activities that will spring up as Simpson sits in jail on accusations of barging into a room at Palace Station in the company of five men, some of them brandishing guns, and confronting two sports memorabilia collectors.

Already an audio recording of the incident, purportedly made by one of the men with Simpson at Palace Station, is being played on an Internet site that features celebrity news. This is an early buildup to the same question that captivated the world 13 years ago: Is he guilty?

Like all people facing charges, Simpson is presumed innocent. But his murder trial in Los Angeles, which became a circus, proved that he is not like other people - the mere sight of him in handcuffs creates an international sensation.

We trust that our criminal justice authorities will show that justice in Las Vegas is the same - fair and competent - be it a low-profile local matter or one in which practically the whole world is watching.