As If I Didn't Need Another Reason to Hate Oprah

As most of you know, I am not exactly Oprah's biggest fan. Yes, I know that she does a lot of good with her money. The problem is that as soon as she does it she turns around and has a special program about how much good she just did. Plus, it's just annoying the way many of her viewers blindly believe her every word.

Oprah had never taken a public stance on an election until this year when she announced that she was supporting Sen. Barack Obama and had him as a guest on her show. Now, I am not begrudging her the right to support the candidate of her choice and have any guest she wants on her show. However, according to the Drudge Report, Oprah has refused to interview Gov. Sarah Palin on her show. The same Oprah who continually tries to empower women and young girls (a noble goal) has refused to interview the woman who could be our nation's first female Vice President. Regardless of your politics, this interview would be a great lesson in female accomplishment and empowerment for our nation's daughters.

In a statement released shortly after Drudge broke the news, Oprah decried the story as "categorically untrue." Her O-ness further stated:

"There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show. At
the beginning of this Presidential campaign when I decided that I was going to
take my first public stance in support of a candidate, I made the decision not
to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates. I agree that Sarah Palin
would be a fantastic interview, and I would love to have her on after the
campaign is over."

Here's the problem: her claim that she "made the decision to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates" is, to use her words, "categorically untrue." First, Oprah interviewed Sen. Obama on her show in December of 2006. Then, in the November 2007 issue of "O Magazine" (when it was clear that Obama would seek the presidency), she interviewed Michelle Obama. Most recently, Michelle Obama was interviewed by Oprah's best friend, Gayle King, on XM Radio's "Oprah and Friends" channel on August 25, 2008 - the eve of Mrs. Obama's speech before the Democratic National Convention. Additionally, a visit to her website reveals a series of interviews and stories on Sen. Obama and his family.

While the interview with Sen. Obama on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" occurred at the end of 2006, before he had officially announced his run for President, the other interviews and feature stories on the Obamas have come since Sen. Obama became a candidate. So, although it is true that Oprah has not used her TV show as a platform for the candidates, she has used her media empire (magazine, XM radio channel, and website) as well as personal campaign appearances to promote the candidacy of Sen. Obama.

I am not saying that Oprah should be forced to interview Gov. Palin on her show. However, she can't lie to the American people by telling us that she has never used your show or empire to promote a particular candidate. It is Oprah's right as a businesswoman to use her business as she sees fit. Just be honest about it. If Oprah truly wants her show to be neutral, then she should give equal access to both sides and interview Gov. Palin. If not, she should be clear that she is supporting Sen. Obama and, because of that support, will be using her show to promote his candidacy alone.