This week, Newsweek decided to put Oprah on their cover. But, it wasn’t to celebrate Oprah, it was to disparage her. The cover of the magazine (see for yourself) depicts an angry-looking Oprah and is titled, “Crazy Talk: Oprah, Wacky Cures & You.”

Obviously, this picture is not flattering to Oprah and it definitely makes her look a little ‘crazy;’ hence, the headline.  But is it fair?  The writers of the article,  Weston Kosova and Pat Wingert, are of the belief that Oprah uses her influence to promote certain health remedies that could be dangerous to viewers.  Now, granted, Oprah does have a lot of clout amongst her viewers, and she does seem to have the ability to sway people to see things her way, but this article may be stretching things a little too much, don’t you think?

 I mean, just because Oprah has allowed Jenny McCarthy to voice her opinion that vaccinations caused her son’s autism, in addition to showcasing a viewer who admitted swallowing 60 supplements a day, does this mean that Oprah is of the same belief?  Not really.  In fact, I know quite a few people who believe that vaccinations cause autism,  and they’ve felt this way long before Jenny McCarthy appeared on Oprah. 

You would think, based on my defense of Oprah, that I am a fan.  Well, believe it or not, I’m really not.  I think her topics, as well as her show are, for the most part, boring.  But, that’s neither here nor there.  I do recognize that Oprah is a talk show host presenting a slew of topics — some of which you may agree with, and well, some you may not. 

Oprah defended herself against the Newsweek article with the following response, “”For 23 years, my show has presented thousands of topics that reflect the human experience, including doctors’ medical advice and personal health stories that have prompted conversations between our audience members and their health care providers.  ”I trust the viewers, and I know that they are smart and discerning enough to seek out medical opinions to determine what may be best for them.”

What do you think about this?  Can Oprah easily sway people?  Or are the authors of the Newsweek article just trying to stir up more buyers for the magazine by putting Oprah on the cover?