What a relief that television and publishing officials saw the light and put O.J. Simpson’s supposed work of “fiction” in the trash bin, where it belonged.

The world has had enough of the former NFL star’s skewed view of his ex-wife’s murder. The idea of a two-part television interview and an accompanying book in which Simpson described how he would have killed his ex-wife (a purely fictional account, of course) was nothing short of shameful. Fortunately, it also appeared it would prove to be unprofitable, and the combination of the two factors caused the project’s demise.

Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. owns Fox Broadcasting and publisher HarperCollins, announced Monday that both the book and television special featuring Simpson would be canceled. Murdoch isn’t one to shy from controversy, but even he had to admit the project had been “ill-considered.” His apology to the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, who was killed with her, came a little late, but it at least acknowledged the hurt the proposed project had caused.

Many Americans had expressed outrage at the O.J. Simpson project and especially the idea that he or anyone would profit from the murders for which he was acquitted in one of the century’s most controversial trials. How much money would have gone to Simpson is unclear. That’s not surprising, given that any proven profit from the project might have been seized to help pay the $33.5 million judgment against him in a wrongful death civil lawsuit filed after his acquittal. It is reported the former football star has not paid a penny of this judgment.

Although Murdoch might have been swayed by the ethical arguments in this situation, the money issues probably also spoke loudly. A number of Fox affiliates already had announced they would not air the Simpson interview, and advertisers willing to sponsor the broadcasts probably were becoming scarce. Many bookstores had said they wouldn’t sell the Simpson book and after a brief burst of interest that put “If I Did It” on Amazon.com’s top 20 last weekend, the book had fallen to No. 51 by Monday.

It’s not often that American public opinion can trump a money-driven decision by a huge media conglomerate, but this case shows it still can happen. Perhaps the financial losses News Corp. will suffer by withdrawing already printed books and canceling its television interviews with Simpson will prompt it and other media voyeurs to think twice before tackling such “ill-conceived” projects in the future.