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See discussion here about why the article has been protected. Thanks. Harr o 5 09:57, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
Oprah rules the world. I believe Oprah's early life needs clarification. The 'speech contest' she won that gained her the scholarship was actually the National Forensic League's National Tournament. In the competition, she won first place in Original Oratory and second place in Dramatic Interpretation. There is evidence on the NFL's website. 4:15 10 January 2007 (UTC)
I have nominated the article for peer review, and would like to ask all fellow editors that continually edit and watch over this article to please give your opinions on what is right, and what is wrong with it. I believe this article is an excellent candidate for Good article status. Thank you all of you. Myrockstar 11:25, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
The Good article nomination for Oprah Winfrey/Archive 2 has failed, for the following reason(s):
I couldn't disagree more. Any good encyclopedia should include as many relevant photographs as possible because photos communicate information far more efficiently than language can. Haven't you heard the expression "a picture's worth a thousand words?". Look at all the photos on the Michael Jackson and Madonna articles. This article is actually far behind in terms of photos. Especially needed are photos from her early life. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Cardriver ( talk • contribs) .
Also, photos are far more NEUTRAL than text. Instead of saying Oprah was beautiful or ugly, thin or fat, etc one simply shows a photo and allows readers to draw their own conclusions. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Cardriver ( talk • contribs) .
Also, the new black and white photos I added are from her early years and are EXTREMELY authentic and informative about the time period, hair styles, peace earings, and add badly needed rich visual diversity to the page. The photo I just added to the influence section is extremely informative because it includes 2 photos of her in one, and so apropo to her World's most Influential woman rankings because it shows the cover of Newsweek with the title "how woman lead". We couldn't have found a more relevant photo if we had taken it ourselves. Who would have thought you could find a photo that describes a concept as abstract as influence, but I found one. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Cardriver ( talk • contribs) .
Please read Wikipedia:Image use policy, Wikipedia:Fair use, Wikipedia:Image copyright tags and Wikipedia:Image syntax. — getcrunk what?! 17:30, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
Getcrunk cardriver really did a great job finding photos that were especially relevant to this article. Sometimes new users don't always know the correct Image syntax etc, (there's so much to read). But I would rather keep the photos in since they can always be changed later. Old photos of Oprah are extremely rare. In fact, prior to coming to Wikipedia I never even saw one, and I've really been impressed by all the unique information you can find in Wikipedia. Zorklift 00:34, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
In all due respect Getgrunk, you also claimed that mentioning that Oprah's an Emmy winning host in the intro violated wikipedia rules so your credibility on these issues is a little shaky. Perhaps you need to revert less and discuss more? Vexel 01:56, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
I really appreciate all the work you do in Wikipedia trying to raise articles to higher standards so I'm curious. Why do you feel the media counterculture sections requires a neutality label? I think the section is quite well written and sources extremely credible people like a sociology professor from one of America's top 3 universities. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Cardriver ( talk • contribs) .
I don't think it was editingoprah that added that paragraph. It's actually been there for months now. There are sources for most of it. For example Time magazine credits Winfrey with adding intimacy to the format. Mark Stein credits Winfrey with introducing sexual confession indeed the word Oprahfication has been defined as confession culture so that's pretty well sourced. And sociologist Vicki Abt wrote a whole book called "Coming After Oprah: Cultural fallout in the age of the TV talk show" where she blamed Winfrey for popularizing the genre. Zorklift 00:26, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
Why is Oprah listed as a Baptist at the bottom of the page??? I don't think you could say she is a Baptist.
Harro 5, based on your edits, comments on the discussion page, and the personal information you've provided, you don't appear to know anything about Oprah Winfrey. Instead your interests appear to be sports and football. I feel very strongly that wikipedia works best when people only edit subjects they have knowledge of Everyone respects you for the previous good work you've done on wikipedia. Don't ruin it by marching authoritatively into topics you know nothing about and by childishly fighting over which picture of Oprah to use in the intro. Thanks for your help with this article but it was doing fine before you got here, and your services are no longer required. Thank you. Kittykash 16:10, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
Just because I was the first to upload the new photos does not mean those that followed are sock puppets. I think you'd be surprised to learn how many people in the world love photographs. Based on the amount of controversy this has generated, you would think I downloaded pornography. If you actually compare the photos to the text you will see how relevant they are. Let's choose our battles wisely and not destabalize this page over something so harmless as a few nice pictures. I would like to add references to the sections that have requested them but first this article must stabalize Cardriver 19:26, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
I apologize for signing right next to the text. A bunch of us are new here and just following the form most recently seen. And as for the photos, I'll improve the sourcing later but right now I need to go to work. I'm actually quite surprised by the backlash. I really think the photos are relevant and am shocked by the controversy. I'm sure if I had uploaded them during a calmer period they would have been fine. Anyway thank you so much for not impulsively reverting.- Cardriver 21:09, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
Dear Getcrunk, I'm not sure why you are so frustrated with the inexpereinced newbies at the Oprah article for including relevant early-life images you consider unsourced, when you as an experienced editor endorsed the use of this Janet Jackson image http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Janetjacksonnew.jpg The only source info provided is speculation on where the photo came from and the link provided does not even work. It's very difficult for newbies to follow the correct standards and procedures of wikipedia when they are applied so inconsistently by the very people endorsing said standards. I understand that you are acting in good faith and do not mean to be creating double standards or confusion, and thus I offer this as the most constructive of criticism. Cardriver 19:01, 6 July 2006 (UTC)
A bunch of us are very elderly so we're new to this whole wikipedia thing. I really feel as though we're being picked on by more experienced users of the technological age. I would really hate to think that any administrators of such a wonderful place as wikipedia would be abusing their power. When I first arrived at Wikipedia I loved it and found everyone welcoming, but once I incorrectly uploaded some beautiful Oprah photos people have been not at all helpful. I've really never felt so bullied in my life. Please show some compassion. Cardriver 20:13, 6 July 2006 (UTC)
Getcrunk was kind enough to send me a polite message enquiring about my relationship with some new users and so because this subject is of general interest and in order to thank Getcrunk publicly, I've decided to respond here.
My relationship with new users is as follows: I was spending the day with a large group of people who live in a retirement community and we decided to surf the web. One of them suggested we check out the Oprah article since we frequently watch her show. We began comparing the Oprah article with those of many other celebrities like Madonna and Michael Jackson and we felt the Oprah article needed more photos to look more like those articles. Not knowing all the procedures of wikipedia, I uploaded some photos that I felt nicely complemented the text already written. We all agreed that the photos were wonderful. Some of them later told me that the hard work I had done had been reverted. "Well that's strange," I thought. "Don't worry" they joked "we'll put them back in. They can't ignore all of us". Some of these people were very upset that the Oprah article was being so seriously scrutinized and held to such a high standard. They felt this refelected an anti-Oprah bias of the "young straight white males" who dominate the web and were just "harassing and bullying anyone who wants to make Oprah's page look nice". Anyway, I didn't think these people were serious enough to actually put those photos back in so I can't say for certain whether the new users are who I think they are, but it would make sense. Cardriver 18:46, 7 July 2006 (UTC)
I propose to use these images:
That would mean deleting the others as excess fair use pics (eg. image with no official source, poor quality screenshot that qualifies as non-notable, an unsourced shot and the other unused images of Oprah). Can we agree that this is a solution which might not please the argument of making the article "visually appealing" and so on? Thanks in advance. Harr o 5 04:55, 8 July 2006 (UTC)
Sorry to have uploaded photos. It's just that as has been mentioned above, there are so many photos in the articles of celebrities like Madonna and Michael Jackson and some are not well sourced. My mother is very frustrated that only the photos in the Oprah article are under attack. Why aren't administrators baby-sitting those articles too? The fact that only this article is under attack makes us feel as though wikipedia does not respect the stay at home moms and older ladies that find inspiration from Oprah. Now if you must get rid of photos (I wish you wouldn't) I think it's essential that the photo with Nate Berkus be kept in. The reason is the influence section is extremely long and it looks good to have at least one photo in the middle of such a long span of text. Also, this photo is very illustrative of the text. The aerly life photo is the onlyblack and white and perhaps the most interesting. I suppose my least favorite photos are Oprah in the Color Purple and Oprah's car give away (just because it's so small) But can you please explain Harro5 why you're so worried about photos in this article and not all the photos in Madonna, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson articles?
I just counted. The Madonna article has about 13 photos. The Oprah article has only 8. So I aska again, why is only this article being attacked? Also, the photos in this article are of a wide variety of copyrights. Some are logos, some are screen shots, some magazine covers. I think 8 is a reasonable number considering how long the article is. You already removed the photos of James Frey and Oprah's best friend Gayle.
Michael Jackson aticle also has 13 photos. More than 50% more than Oprah's has. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vexelsdaughter ( talk • contribs)
One of Michael Jackson's photos is a mug shot. What about the other 11? I agree with Harro5 that we shouldn't be following the example of bad articles, but based on the fact that administrators haven't targeted that article for clean-up, I have no choice but to conclude that it must be quite good. To believe otherwise is to assume that administrators are biased and play favorites with articles, but administrators of all people need to be models when it comes to objectivity and neutrality because they are wikipedia's leading representatives. If they are not interested in being objective and neutral but instead wish to engage in cat-fights over an Oprah article, they should resign from administrative duties because a lack of neutrality damages the reputation of all administrators and indeed all of wikipedia. Cardriver 16:15, 8 July 2006 (UTC)
Harro5 seems to be biased against me for some strange reason, calling my attempts to add photos junk. Yes I understand that there are certain procedures we must follow but I get confused when these standards are only applied to my photos. Maybe Harro5 is just having a bad week so I wont take it personally. Getcrunk seems to be making an effort to communicate with the new users and apply consistent standards. I still wish he would use the Letterman image I uploaded though :-) The point is I am not a troll. I am simply someone who wishes to improve the look of this page. Zorklift 00:21, 8 July 2006 (UTC)
Why is it okay for a white male like Bill Clinton to have 18 photos but a black female like Oprah is having trouble getting only 8? Now I'm not suggesting we increase the number of photos, but we certainly don't need to decrease the number. And George W. Bush has about 14 photos and he's only been famous since the year 2000. Oprah's been famous since 1986. Hillary Clinton has 11 photos. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Vexelsdaughter ( talk • contribs) .
I'm not sure if the argument can be dismissed as circular. The argument is a clear one: Wikipedia should have a very specific photo policy and it should apply to all articles equally. Administrators should not just be selectively picking on only one article because this leads to the perception of bias and causes administrators to lose credibility in the eyes of some new users. If administrators wish to appear fair, they should prioritize the articles they decide to clean up based on objective criteria. A bunch of us are getting frustrated by the fact that this aricle is being so selectively targeted for clean-up when there are so many worse offenders out there. There's a lot more than just the Oprah article on the line here. There is the very perception of wikipedia as a place where rules are enforced without bias. Now I'll take a look at the Bill Clinton article. I don't believe all those photos were created by the government. Cardriver 15:47, 8 July 2006 (UTC)
Okay, I took a look at the Bill Clinton article and many of the photos are indeed in the public domain. But many of the photos in the Michael Jackson article are not, and indeed some of the album covers don't even say who created them. Again it is essential for the credibility of wikipedia that administrators of all people not play favorites but rather prioritize articles for clean-up based upon the degree to which an article has violated standards and procedures. It's only fair Cardriver 16:01, 8 July 2006 (UTC)
The article also says that administrators are trusted members of the wikipedia community. Administrators on this page are in danger of losing the trust of new group of users if they appear to be biased against cetain articles and abusing their powers. The central question is why have we had to go to all out war to get only fraction of the photos that Madonna and Michael Jackson pages get despite the fact that their photos are generally less sourced than the Oprah ones are? Why do users on those pages not face such administrative opposition? With power comes responsibility, and with the power of being an administrator one has the responsibility to not bully users who are acting in good faith and not to hold different articles to different standards. And when administrators use their power fairly, they will find that their power grows because more people will respect them, support them, and will be less likely to oppose them in the future. I sense we're all starting to get along much better now and I hope this trend continues. You all have a great opportunity to show a new group of users just how fair and unbiased you can be. I encourage you all to take advantage of it. We're not asking for special treatment. We just want this article to have the same rights as other wikipedia articles have._ Kittykashsbestfriend 00:30, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
What's up with these new accounts? User:Vexelsdaughter and User:Kittykashsbestfriend? By the way, I will point out that Wikipedia is not a democracy. — getcrunk what?! 01:00, 9 July 2006 (UTC) WP:MEAT, unfortunately. But the community consensus for my proposal seems strong. Harr o 5 02:56, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
I noticed the Legends Weekend section keeps growing. I really think this should be its own article. It doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the Oprah article to have this huge list of celebrity names right in the middle. Also the weekend was not about Oprah. Yes it was Oprah's idea and she hosted it, but it was to honor the legends not Oprah. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Editingoprah ( talk • contribs) .
I vote against making Legends Weekend it's own article. It was already seperate, and was merged into the main Oprah article. There is really nothing else that can be added to that section at this point, and it really doesn't warrant it's own page. Ckessler 18:57, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
I agree it doesn't really warrant its own page, but wikipedia is full of articles that don't warrant their own pages. In a way that's one of the stengths of wikipedia is that you find articles you wouldn't find in a normal encyclopedia. At least if it has its own page it's not harming this page :-) Maybe it's just me, but it just seems a little tacky to have a huge list of names in the middle on this page. I certainly don't think it should be deleted though or any of the information lost. Maybe I can find some other article where it fits in better. An article about black women or award shows perhaps? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Editingoprah ( talk • contribs) .
I don't think the list of names should be in this article, and I'm inclined to remove it. When I merged the Legends Weekend article, I only merged a small number of the attendee names, but it has ballooned since then, and now all the names are listed. I think it's sufficient just to say that it was a gathering of famous African-American women in entertainment, literature, etc. Ckessler 19:40, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
Yeah, I'm inclined to agree with you but I'm still a little conflicted. On the one hand it provides info about Oprah's friends and heroes. On the other hand I agree with you that it could just be reduced to a couple of sentences much like the David Letterman discussion. Giving it its own heading almost seems to blow it out of proportion. On the other hand I'm sure it was very important to a lot of black women to see their heroes honored which is why it was its own article in the first place. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Editingoprah ( talk • contribs) .
I scaled it down to a couple sentences and only mentioned Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King since those are arguabley the 2 most important legends and also the two who lived just long enough to be honored. I'm not against it being its own article and I have more info I could add if someone wants to make one. But I'm not going to create such an article myself. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Editingoprah ( talk • contribs) .
I personally don't feel it's needed now that I removed the superfluous adjectives from the opening that were recently added but I'm eager to hear your opinion. Editingoprah 22:35, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
Good points. I noticed some inconsistency in that some parts refer to her as Oprah and other parts refer to her as Winfrey which sounds more professional. Tomorrow if I have time I'll change all the informal "Oprah"s in the text and the captions to the more formal "Winfrey". Zorkliftsgrandson 01:01, 11 July 2006 (UTC)
The Kylie Minogue article is a feature article so I just wanted to point out that it has 10 photos. Earlier some of you were arguing that we shouldn't pattern this article after Madonna and Michael Jackson articles because they're bad articles. Well Kylie Minogue is a feature article so I think if there are any more disputes about the number of photos in this or any other celebrity article, we need only refer to the feature celebrity article as precident. And Getcrunk, you of all people should agree with me on this because I found that article by reading about the articles you hold in high regard. Zorkliftsgrandson 01:11, 11 July 2006 (UTC)
The crux of a fair use claim is using a small amount of the copyrighted material. Flooding the article with fair use images means that it is very much not a small amount. The people involved in the above discussion should not be playing the race card, and should be aware that it is not the number of pictures, but their copyright status about which we are concerned. Remember, with fair use, less is more. Stifle ( talk) 09:28, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
We are using a small amount of copyrighted material. Many photos have been removed and this article has much less than a featured celebrity article discussed above, and has roughly half the number used by standard celebrity articles like Michael Jackson and Madonna. In fact the reporter photo was just deleted since this discussion started. And I certainly don't endorse the use of the race card but there's obviously some kind of bias against this article or the edlerly women who edit it. There must be, since only the relatively small number of photos in this article have become controversial while others get a free pass. If you're really concerned about copyright status, instead of just fixating so obsessively on this one article out of hundreds of thousands, you would instead being writing up some general wikipedia photo rules and organizing a team of administrators who are willing to police the most serious offenders. It doesn't make any sense to put all your effort into policing one article with only 7 well sourced fair use photos of a variety of types. I understand elderly editors may seem like an easy target, but start with the worst offenders, don't start with us. Don't punish this article simply because our editors are more cooperative and reasonable than other editors who would give you a harder time. Cardriver 16:39, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
Well I'm glad you guys have no problem with the number of photos right now. I'm certainly not planning on uploading any more photos because I feel too many photos will make the page look like a fan page and I'd much rather this page be seen as a credible resource for those looking for information. As long as the current 7 stay (no more, no less) it looks like we'll all be happy Cardriver 22:57, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
Harro5 just edited out the photo from the communication section despite the fact that the consensus on this discussion board is that all 7 photos were reasonable. That was the single most important photo in the entire article because her communication style is largely nonverbal so a photo was especially well-suited for that section. It's just really discouraging when people work hard to negotiate a community consensus and someone just ignores it and does what they want. I could just go ahead and put the photo back but I think it would have more crediblity if Stifle or Zscout did so, in light of the fact that they expressed support for the 7 photo compromise. If becoming a good article or a featured aticle means the article must be stripped of this much content for such arbitrary reasons, I'm not sure if I want this to be a featured article. Cardriver 19:40, 14 July 2006 (UTC)
Yes I too am very pleased with how zscout handled all this. As an administrator he has enough power to do whatever he wants so the fact that he was willing to listen to and respect opposing views is very impressive. Very few people would have done the same if they had his power. Are there not positions higher than administrator that zscout would be interested in pursuing? If so, I nominate him for them. Cardriver 19:22, 15 July 2006 (UTC)
Shouldn't there be a bit about her weight/dieting?
I was thinking that the following sentences are irrelevant to the article (see below).
As someone who is unconcerned about Oprah (and who has a flimsy knowledge of her, at best), I consulted this article as a "layperson-reader" looking for some information, and these bits felt quite out of place in her biography:
o "In June 2005 the first case of mad cow disease in a cow native to the United States was detected in Texas. The USDA concluded that it was most likely infected in Texas prior to 1997."
o "Gamson credits the tabloid talk show fad with making society more socially progressive towards sexual nonconformists. Examples include a recent Time magazine article describing early 21st century gays coming out of the closet younger and younger and gay suicide rates plummeting. Gamson also believes that tabloid talk shows caused gays to be embraced on more traditional forms of media. Examples include sitcoms like Will & Grace, primetime shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Oscar nomianted feature films like Brokeback Mountain." 83.132.98.149 12:35, 18 July 2006 (UTC)
I don't think any of them are irrelevant. Remember this is an encyclopedia so we have to discuss her influence in the context of the world at large, and people coming here to do academic research on Oprah are especially interested why so many people consider her important and influential. This is not just a biography. It's a total article about Oprah and the effect she's had on the world over the last 20 years. Broad info of a scloarly and factual nature is most useful Zorklift 01:26, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
I'm not sure about the claim that Oprah is the world's only black billionaire. Robert and Sheila Johnson preceded her, no? Thoughts? [1]
Forbes magazine never listed Shiela Johnson as a billionaire. Some people assumed she was a billionaire because she was married to Bob Johnson who Forbes briefly listed as a billionaire however she personally was never a billionaire. However following his divorce from Shiela Johnson, Forbes concluded that Bob's fortune was split with Shiela, so he no longer had enough for them to list him as a billionaire. Thus in 2004, 2005, and 2006, Oprah was listed as the world's only black billionaire. Cardriver 14:57, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
By the time she was 50 she had been ranked as the world's only black billionaire by Forbes. Saying "as of" is misleading because it implies she only held the title that one year, when in fact she's held the title every year since. Zorklift 19:24, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
Oprah is the worlds richest African American, but not the World's Richest nor is she the World's only black billionare. Mr Mohamed Al Amoudi a Saudi Arabian citizen, Ethiopian in origin is the world's richest black person. This fact is unknown because there are very few pictures avaliable for Mr Al Amoudi. [2] [3] [4]-- Eltanu 11:25, 4 January 2007 (UTC)
There ARE Black billioniares, they are not as public as Oprah. Please remove this erroneous statement. It is NOT true. Africa has black billionaires, Canada, etc. I do believe that Sheila Johnson was said to be the first Black American female billionaire: [ [5]]
America-Sheila Johnson Photo: [ [6]]
Canada-Michael Lee-Chin: [ [7]]
Sudan-Mo Ibrahim: [ [8]]
( NitaReads 05:50, 8 January 2007 (UTC))
I remember her acting as host or master of ceremonies for some kind of big inter-religious event right after the terrorist attack of 9/11/2001. This might be something worth adding to the article but I don't remember the details. Steve Dufour 17:04, 26 July 2006 (UTC)
Not to mention the lack of citation information on most of the links. Kotepho 21:23, 1 August 2006 (UTC)
"Many of Winfrey's biggest fans are gay males, and she has been described as a gay icon. Many gay men are attracted to Oprah's theatrical touchy-feely personality, her over the top facial expressions, her flamboyant body language, her church-free spirituality, her broadway musical The Color Purple, her enthusiastic support for the Oscars and share her admiration for Mary Tyler Moore, Barbra Streisand and Meryl Streep."
That appears in the article and it seems like a giant list of gay stereotypes that Oprah apparently has which would supposedly attract gay males. While it may be true that she has a large gay fan-base, is that list necessary in any way (and it doesn't have citation anyway)-- 24.96.242.143 23:26, 6 August 2006 (UTC)
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! When/if I ever stop laughing I'll come back to remove that
This talk page was archived by User:Getcrunk on July 9, 06, but there was no archive link provided. Shouldn't there be an archive link ? Jay 05:28, 17 August 2006 (UTC)
Why do they start at something like number 10? And where are all of the references in the text? I noticed this after adding a reference to "channel surving with the Mujahideen." I realized in the list of references there's supposed to be an earlier allusion to this Jill Caroll episode (ref. 9), but I don't see it anywhere. What's going on. Am I missing something? deeceevoice 09:34, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
I'm removing, again, a number of uncited assertions:
- , and placed second in the nation in dramatic interpretation. citation needed - Through Oprah.com Winfrey raised over 3 million dollars for Katrina victims and helped to capture 4 accused child predators. Oprah.com averages more than 100 million page views and more than three million users per month. citation needed - Winfrey's "therapeutic" hosting style and the tabloid talk show genre has been credited or blamed for leading the media counterculture of the 1980s and 1990s which some believe broke 20th century taboos, led to America's self-help obsession, and created confession culture. citation needed The Wall Street Journal' coined the term "Oprahfication" which means public confession as a form of therapy. - especially consisting of stay at home moms. citation needed - Many of Winfrey's biggest fans are gay males citation needed, and she has been described as a gay icon citation needed. Many gay men are attracted to Oprah's theatrical touchy-feely personality, her over the top facial expressions, her flamboyant body language, her church-free spirituality, her broadway musical The Color Purple, her enthusiastic support for the Oscars and share her admiration for Mary Tyler Moore, Barbra Streisand and Meryl Streep. citation needed - She said she spoke with Ludracris backstage after his appearance to explain her position and said she understood that his music was for entertainment purposes, but that some of his listeners might take it literally. citation needed
Fact check 16:55, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
I know a lot about Oprah and happen to know that all those things are true. I already found citations for some of them and others are already cited in the article and don't require citations. Editingoprah 18:27, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
The Oprah article seems to be severely defaced by a scripted replacement of Oprah with Fat Woman. I'm not a Wikipedia op or anything and I couldn't find where to flag this as a problem to others so I'm leaving this here. Fbz 14:17, 18 September 2006 (UTC)
This article implies a direct cause-effect relationship between Oprah putting Elie Wiesel's book on her reading list and his being named to Time's 100 most influential people. While her list may have influenced Time's list, Mr. Wiesel was influential and world-reknowned before Oprah even had a TV show, in fact Mr. Wiesel was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize the year that her show started. At the very least this passage should either cite a source that explicitly shows Time included him due to Oprah's list, or this passage should be reworded and/or moved to a section other than Influence.
I don't really know much about oprah i was wondering what her politics are, For a powerful person like her (with rumours of future political involvement) i wanted to know what her political views are? can anyone add this information? thank you. Anon-o-man 02:45, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
I don't really know much about Oprah, but since i'm doing a research on her, i need to know everything i can about her. She sounds like a very confident and original woman, the way she cares about other people,and how to help them. Well you probaby think my opinion doesn't matter since i'm only 14 years old, but i atleast wanted some of my 2 cents in. Thanks—
Well if you read the whole article you get a sense of her politics. She's a pacifict and quite socially progressive. Cardriver 18:26, 28 September 2006 (UTC)
what you think?should this website be included in the article? http://www.dreamagic.com/oprah/ Felisberto23:30,27 september 2006(UTC).
I noticed Oprah's list of television appearances/roles doesn't include Star Trek. If I remember correctly...she was a "therapist" type on that show as well. I don't have the skills of http, so if anyone wants to add it... fine...otherwise, just a little tab of info that is just as meaningless. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.196.109.8 ( talk • contribs) 10:03, October 7, 2006
Was just watching Jimmy Kimmel Live and couldn't stop laughing over his roast of Oprah asking the audience on a recent episode where exrement goes when its flushed. If anybody could figure out an encyclopedia way of adding this, I'd be eternally grateful. lol thadius856 talk 07:23, 20 October 2006 (UTC)
I just tookt he PSAT/NMSQT today (I came back less than 7 hours ago), and there was a question involving Oprah Winfrey and her Book Club in the Writing Skills section. Just thought it could be useful in this article.
For those who are about to take the test in the USA (or somewhere else) and who are reading this, you get an info about the upcoming test.
-- Zouavman Le Zouave 15:58, 21 October 2006 (UTC)
Hello to that old familiar American confusion between 'America' and 'the world' in this section. Lots of the refs cited are American and refer only to her position in that country. Here in Europe she's just another chat show host, not influential at all. I really don't see her influence stretching beyond the US. Sure, she's watched in lots of other countries, but where's the influence? Jasper33 13:48, 24 October 2006 (UTC)
If Oprah's not the most influential woman in the world than who is? True, she primarily influences only North American culture, but America has a huge impact on the world and is the most inluential country by far, so whoever shapes America shapes the world.
the trivia here was absolutle stupidity.it was has if some one was askin a question! i've removed it cuz it was irrelavent Childishknack 18:29, 9 November 2006 (UTC)
Just please do not add anyhthing because your grammer is completly atrocious. Brandonhard 03:36, 11 December 2006 (UTC)
Every time that I switch my television set on, Oprah Winfrey is on it. She is mentioned every day in newscasts, in advertisements, and in shows related to Hollywood's movie stars, and in various other manners. Enough, already! I am sick and tired of the horsing around surrounding Oprah Winfrey. She has no real power. Only a delusional person believes that Oprah Winfrey is powerful. She is not even well-educated, let alone "powerful." GhostofSuperslum 05:43, 14 November 2006 (UTC)
I just happened to access this page and was reading the first few lines when I saw this:
Oprah Winfrey "is cannible and anEmmy Award winning host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the crack-shack favorite of the lower east side where the show is taped. it features drug adicts and hookers, and tells about their everday life."
Another grand example of the problems with public editing...
Oh, well.
Will someone please fix that?
My IP address won't let me.
Thanks.
Wikipedia is yelling at us that this article is too long. I can't say I'm one for cutting info, but at the very least I noticed that there is a "early Life' and 'Personal Life' section. Perhaps merging these/slimming them down? David Fuchs 01:43, 7 December 2006 (UTC)
Does anyone know if Oprah has an official fanclub? I can't seem to find it. Thanks in advance. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.175.100.2 ( talk) 12:45, 12 December 2006 (UTC).
Why has nothing been said about the "Chappelle theory" and Oprah's role within this theory? Are comments like these considered to be libelous? There is much criticism of this theory but it is much more believeable than many of the other various theories published on wikipedia. Any real criticism of Oprah is completely ignored in this article! I used to think Wikipedia was an open and unbiased source of information.... but i now realise this is not the case when it concerns influential and powerful people. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.178.32.101 ( talk) 01:29, 18 December 2006 (UTC).
![]() | This is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Archive 1 | Archive 2 | Archive 3 | Archive 4 | Archive 5 |
See discussion here about why the article has been protected. Thanks. Harr o 5 09:57, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
Oprah rules the world. I believe Oprah's early life needs clarification. The 'speech contest' she won that gained her the scholarship was actually the National Forensic League's National Tournament. In the competition, she won first place in Original Oratory and second place in Dramatic Interpretation. There is evidence on the NFL's website. 4:15 10 January 2007 (UTC)
I have nominated the article for peer review, and would like to ask all fellow editors that continually edit and watch over this article to please give your opinions on what is right, and what is wrong with it. I believe this article is an excellent candidate for Good article status. Thank you all of you. Myrockstar 11:25, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
The Good article nomination for Oprah Winfrey/Archive 2 has failed, for the following reason(s):
I couldn't disagree more. Any good encyclopedia should include as many relevant photographs as possible because photos communicate information far more efficiently than language can. Haven't you heard the expression "a picture's worth a thousand words?". Look at all the photos on the Michael Jackson and Madonna articles. This article is actually far behind in terms of photos. Especially needed are photos from her early life. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Cardriver ( talk • contribs) .
Also, photos are far more NEUTRAL than text. Instead of saying Oprah was beautiful or ugly, thin or fat, etc one simply shows a photo and allows readers to draw their own conclusions. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Cardriver ( talk • contribs) .
Also, the new black and white photos I added are from her early years and are EXTREMELY authentic and informative about the time period, hair styles, peace earings, and add badly needed rich visual diversity to the page. The photo I just added to the influence section is extremely informative because it includes 2 photos of her in one, and so apropo to her World's most Influential woman rankings because it shows the cover of Newsweek with the title "how woman lead". We couldn't have found a more relevant photo if we had taken it ourselves. Who would have thought you could find a photo that describes a concept as abstract as influence, but I found one. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Cardriver ( talk • contribs) .
Please read Wikipedia:Image use policy, Wikipedia:Fair use, Wikipedia:Image copyright tags and Wikipedia:Image syntax. — getcrunk what?! 17:30, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
Getcrunk cardriver really did a great job finding photos that were especially relevant to this article. Sometimes new users don't always know the correct Image syntax etc, (there's so much to read). But I would rather keep the photos in since they can always be changed later. Old photos of Oprah are extremely rare. In fact, prior to coming to Wikipedia I never even saw one, and I've really been impressed by all the unique information you can find in Wikipedia. Zorklift 00:34, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
In all due respect Getgrunk, you also claimed that mentioning that Oprah's an Emmy winning host in the intro violated wikipedia rules so your credibility on these issues is a little shaky. Perhaps you need to revert less and discuss more? Vexel 01:56, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
I really appreciate all the work you do in Wikipedia trying to raise articles to higher standards so I'm curious. Why do you feel the media counterculture sections requires a neutality label? I think the section is quite well written and sources extremely credible people like a sociology professor from one of America's top 3 universities. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Cardriver ( talk • contribs) .
I don't think it was editingoprah that added that paragraph. It's actually been there for months now. There are sources for most of it. For example Time magazine credits Winfrey with adding intimacy to the format. Mark Stein credits Winfrey with introducing sexual confession indeed the word Oprahfication has been defined as confession culture so that's pretty well sourced. And sociologist Vicki Abt wrote a whole book called "Coming After Oprah: Cultural fallout in the age of the TV talk show" where she blamed Winfrey for popularizing the genre. Zorklift 00:26, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
Why is Oprah listed as a Baptist at the bottom of the page??? I don't think you could say she is a Baptist.
Harro 5, based on your edits, comments on the discussion page, and the personal information you've provided, you don't appear to know anything about Oprah Winfrey. Instead your interests appear to be sports and football. I feel very strongly that wikipedia works best when people only edit subjects they have knowledge of Everyone respects you for the previous good work you've done on wikipedia. Don't ruin it by marching authoritatively into topics you know nothing about and by childishly fighting over which picture of Oprah to use in the intro. Thanks for your help with this article but it was doing fine before you got here, and your services are no longer required. Thank you. Kittykash 16:10, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
Just because I was the first to upload the new photos does not mean those that followed are sock puppets. I think you'd be surprised to learn how many people in the world love photographs. Based on the amount of controversy this has generated, you would think I downloaded pornography. If you actually compare the photos to the text you will see how relevant they are. Let's choose our battles wisely and not destabalize this page over something so harmless as a few nice pictures. I would like to add references to the sections that have requested them but first this article must stabalize Cardriver 19:26, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
I apologize for signing right next to the text. A bunch of us are new here and just following the form most recently seen. And as for the photos, I'll improve the sourcing later but right now I need to go to work. I'm actually quite surprised by the backlash. I really think the photos are relevant and am shocked by the controversy. I'm sure if I had uploaded them during a calmer period they would have been fine. Anyway thank you so much for not impulsively reverting.- Cardriver 21:09, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
Dear Getcrunk, I'm not sure why you are so frustrated with the inexpereinced newbies at the Oprah article for including relevant early-life images you consider unsourced, when you as an experienced editor endorsed the use of this Janet Jackson image http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Janetjacksonnew.jpg The only source info provided is speculation on where the photo came from and the link provided does not even work. It's very difficult for newbies to follow the correct standards and procedures of wikipedia when they are applied so inconsistently by the very people endorsing said standards. I understand that you are acting in good faith and do not mean to be creating double standards or confusion, and thus I offer this as the most constructive of criticism. Cardriver 19:01, 6 July 2006 (UTC)
A bunch of us are very elderly so we're new to this whole wikipedia thing. I really feel as though we're being picked on by more experienced users of the technological age. I would really hate to think that any administrators of such a wonderful place as wikipedia would be abusing their power. When I first arrived at Wikipedia I loved it and found everyone welcoming, but once I incorrectly uploaded some beautiful Oprah photos people have been not at all helpful. I've really never felt so bullied in my life. Please show some compassion. Cardriver 20:13, 6 July 2006 (UTC)
Getcrunk was kind enough to send me a polite message enquiring about my relationship with some new users and so because this subject is of general interest and in order to thank Getcrunk publicly, I've decided to respond here.
My relationship with new users is as follows: I was spending the day with a large group of people who live in a retirement community and we decided to surf the web. One of them suggested we check out the Oprah article since we frequently watch her show. We began comparing the Oprah article with those of many other celebrities like Madonna and Michael Jackson and we felt the Oprah article needed more photos to look more like those articles. Not knowing all the procedures of wikipedia, I uploaded some photos that I felt nicely complemented the text already written. We all agreed that the photos were wonderful. Some of them later told me that the hard work I had done had been reverted. "Well that's strange," I thought. "Don't worry" they joked "we'll put them back in. They can't ignore all of us". Some of these people were very upset that the Oprah article was being so seriously scrutinized and held to such a high standard. They felt this refelected an anti-Oprah bias of the "young straight white males" who dominate the web and were just "harassing and bullying anyone who wants to make Oprah's page look nice". Anyway, I didn't think these people were serious enough to actually put those photos back in so I can't say for certain whether the new users are who I think they are, but it would make sense. Cardriver 18:46, 7 July 2006 (UTC)
I propose to use these images:
That would mean deleting the others as excess fair use pics (eg. image with no official source, poor quality screenshot that qualifies as non-notable, an unsourced shot and the other unused images of Oprah). Can we agree that this is a solution which might not please the argument of making the article "visually appealing" and so on? Thanks in advance. Harr o 5 04:55, 8 July 2006 (UTC)
Sorry to have uploaded photos. It's just that as has been mentioned above, there are so many photos in the articles of celebrities like Madonna and Michael Jackson and some are not well sourced. My mother is very frustrated that only the photos in the Oprah article are under attack. Why aren't administrators baby-sitting those articles too? The fact that only this article is under attack makes us feel as though wikipedia does not respect the stay at home moms and older ladies that find inspiration from Oprah. Now if you must get rid of photos (I wish you wouldn't) I think it's essential that the photo with Nate Berkus be kept in. The reason is the influence section is extremely long and it looks good to have at least one photo in the middle of such a long span of text. Also, this photo is very illustrative of the text. The aerly life photo is the onlyblack and white and perhaps the most interesting. I suppose my least favorite photos are Oprah in the Color Purple and Oprah's car give away (just because it's so small) But can you please explain Harro5 why you're so worried about photos in this article and not all the photos in Madonna, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson articles?
I just counted. The Madonna article has about 13 photos. The Oprah article has only 8. So I aska again, why is only this article being attacked? Also, the photos in this article are of a wide variety of copyrights. Some are logos, some are screen shots, some magazine covers. I think 8 is a reasonable number considering how long the article is. You already removed the photos of James Frey and Oprah's best friend Gayle.
Michael Jackson aticle also has 13 photos. More than 50% more than Oprah's has. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vexelsdaughter ( talk • contribs)
One of Michael Jackson's photos is a mug shot. What about the other 11? I agree with Harro5 that we shouldn't be following the example of bad articles, but based on the fact that administrators haven't targeted that article for clean-up, I have no choice but to conclude that it must be quite good. To believe otherwise is to assume that administrators are biased and play favorites with articles, but administrators of all people need to be models when it comes to objectivity and neutrality because they are wikipedia's leading representatives. If they are not interested in being objective and neutral but instead wish to engage in cat-fights over an Oprah article, they should resign from administrative duties because a lack of neutrality damages the reputation of all administrators and indeed all of wikipedia. Cardriver 16:15, 8 July 2006 (UTC)
Harro5 seems to be biased against me for some strange reason, calling my attempts to add photos junk. Yes I understand that there are certain procedures we must follow but I get confused when these standards are only applied to my photos. Maybe Harro5 is just having a bad week so I wont take it personally. Getcrunk seems to be making an effort to communicate with the new users and apply consistent standards. I still wish he would use the Letterman image I uploaded though :-) The point is I am not a troll. I am simply someone who wishes to improve the look of this page. Zorklift 00:21, 8 July 2006 (UTC)
Why is it okay for a white male like Bill Clinton to have 18 photos but a black female like Oprah is having trouble getting only 8? Now I'm not suggesting we increase the number of photos, but we certainly don't need to decrease the number. And George W. Bush has about 14 photos and he's only been famous since the year 2000. Oprah's been famous since 1986. Hillary Clinton has 11 photos. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Vexelsdaughter ( talk • contribs) .
I'm not sure if the argument can be dismissed as circular. The argument is a clear one: Wikipedia should have a very specific photo policy and it should apply to all articles equally. Administrators should not just be selectively picking on only one article because this leads to the perception of bias and causes administrators to lose credibility in the eyes of some new users. If administrators wish to appear fair, they should prioritize the articles they decide to clean up based on objective criteria. A bunch of us are getting frustrated by the fact that this aricle is being so selectively targeted for clean-up when there are so many worse offenders out there. There's a lot more than just the Oprah article on the line here. There is the very perception of wikipedia as a place where rules are enforced without bias. Now I'll take a look at the Bill Clinton article. I don't believe all those photos were created by the government. Cardriver 15:47, 8 July 2006 (UTC)
Okay, I took a look at the Bill Clinton article and many of the photos are indeed in the public domain. But many of the photos in the Michael Jackson article are not, and indeed some of the album covers don't even say who created them. Again it is essential for the credibility of wikipedia that administrators of all people not play favorites but rather prioritize articles for clean-up based upon the degree to which an article has violated standards and procedures. It's only fair Cardriver 16:01, 8 July 2006 (UTC)
The article also says that administrators are trusted members of the wikipedia community. Administrators on this page are in danger of losing the trust of new group of users if they appear to be biased against cetain articles and abusing their powers. The central question is why have we had to go to all out war to get only fraction of the photos that Madonna and Michael Jackson pages get despite the fact that their photos are generally less sourced than the Oprah ones are? Why do users on those pages not face such administrative opposition? With power comes responsibility, and with the power of being an administrator one has the responsibility to not bully users who are acting in good faith and not to hold different articles to different standards. And when administrators use their power fairly, they will find that their power grows because more people will respect them, support them, and will be less likely to oppose them in the future. I sense we're all starting to get along much better now and I hope this trend continues. You all have a great opportunity to show a new group of users just how fair and unbiased you can be. I encourage you all to take advantage of it. We're not asking for special treatment. We just want this article to have the same rights as other wikipedia articles have._ Kittykashsbestfriend 00:30, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
What's up with these new accounts? User:Vexelsdaughter and User:Kittykashsbestfriend? By the way, I will point out that Wikipedia is not a democracy. — getcrunk what?! 01:00, 9 July 2006 (UTC) WP:MEAT, unfortunately. But the community consensus for my proposal seems strong. Harr o 5 02:56, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
I noticed the Legends Weekend section keeps growing. I really think this should be its own article. It doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the Oprah article to have this huge list of celebrity names right in the middle. Also the weekend was not about Oprah. Yes it was Oprah's idea and she hosted it, but it was to honor the legends not Oprah. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Editingoprah ( talk • contribs) .
I vote against making Legends Weekend it's own article. It was already seperate, and was merged into the main Oprah article. There is really nothing else that can be added to that section at this point, and it really doesn't warrant it's own page. Ckessler 18:57, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
I agree it doesn't really warrant its own page, but wikipedia is full of articles that don't warrant their own pages. In a way that's one of the stengths of wikipedia is that you find articles you wouldn't find in a normal encyclopedia. At least if it has its own page it's not harming this page :-) Maybe it's just me, but it just seems a little tacky to have a huge list of names in the middle on this page. I certainly don't think it should be deleted though or any of the information lost. Maybe I can find some other article where it fits in better. An article about black women or award shows perhaps? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Editingoprah ( talk • contribs) .
I don't think the list of names should be in this article, and I'm inclined to remove it. When I merged the Legends Weekend article, I only merged a small number of the attendee names, but it has ballooned since then, and now all the names are listed. I think it's sufficient just to say that it was a gathering of famous African-American women in entertainment, literature, etc. Ckessler 19:40, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
Yeah, I'm inclined to agree with you but I'm still a little conflicted. On the one hand it provides info about Oprah's friends and heroes. On the other hand I agree with you that it could just be reduced to a couple of sentences much like the David Letterman discussion. Giving it its own heading almost seems to blow it out of proportion. On the other hand I'm sure it was very important to a lot of black women to see their heroes honored which is why it was its own article in the first place. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Editingoprah ( talk • contribs) .
I scaled it down to a couple sentences and only mentioned Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King since those are arguabley the 2 most important legends and also the two who lived just long enough to be honored. I'm not against it being its own article and I have more info I could add if someone wants to make one. But I'm not going to create such an article myself. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Editingoprah ( talk • contribs) .
I personally don't feel it's needed now that I removed the superfluous adjectives from the opening that were recently added but I'm eager to hear your opinion. Editingoprah 22:35, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
Good points. I noticed some inconsistency in that some parts refer to her as Oprah and other parts refer to her as Winfrey which sounds more professional. Tomorrow if I have time I'll change all the informal "Oprah"s in the text and the captions to the more formal "Winfrey". Zorkliftsgrandson 01:01, 11 July 2006 (UTC)
The Kylie Minogue article is a feature article so I just wanted to point out that it has 10 photos. Earlier some of you were arguing that we shouldn't pattern this article after Madonna and Michael Jackson articles because they're bad articles. Well Kylie Minogue is a feature article so I think if there are any more disputes about the number of photos in this or any other celebrity article, we need only refer to the feature celebrity article as precident. And Getcrunk, you of all people should agree with me on this because I found that article by reading about the articles you hold in high regard. Zorkliftsgrandson 01:11, 11 July 2006 (UTC)
The crux of a fair use claim is using a small amount of the copyrighted material. Flooding the article with fair use images means that it is very much not a small amount. The people involved in the above discussion should not be playing the race card, and should be aware that it is not the number of pictures, but their copyright status about which we are concerned. Remember, with fair use, less is more. Stifle ( talk) 09:28, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
We are using a small amount of copyrighted material. Many photos have been removed and this article has much less than a featured celebrity article discussed above, and has roughly half the number used by standard celebrity articles like Michael Jackson and Madonna. In fact the reporter photo was just deleted since this discussion started. And I certainly don't endorse the use of the race card but there's obviously some kind of bias against this article or the edlerly women who edit it. There must be, since only the relatively small number of photos in this article have become controversial while others get a free pass. If you're really concerned about copyright status, instead of just fixating so obsessively on this one article out of hundreds of thousands, you would instead being writing up some general wikipedia photo rules and organizing a team of administrators who are willing to police the most serious offenders. It doesn't make any sense to put all your effort into policing one article with only 7 well sourced fair use photos of a variety of types. I understand elderly editors may seem like an easy target, but start with the worst offenders, don't start with us. Don't punish this article simply because our editors are more cooperative and reasonable than other editors who would give you a harder time. Cardriver 16:39, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
Well I'm glad you guys have no problem with the number of photos right now. I'm certainly not planning on uploading any more photos because I feel too many photos will make the page look like a fan page and I'd much rather this page be seen as a credible resource for those looking for information. As long as the current 7 stay (no more, no less) it looks like we'll all be happy Cardriver 22:57, 13 July 2006 (UTC)
Harro5 just edited out the photo from the communication section despite the fact that the consensus on this discussion board is that all 7 photos were reasonable. That was the single most important photo in the entire article because her communication style is largely nonverbal so a photo was especially well-suited for that section. It's just really discouraging when people work hard to negotiate a community consensus and someone just ignores it and does what they want. I could just go ahead and put the photo back but I think it would have more crediblity if Stifle or Zscout did so, in light of the fact that they expressed support for the 7 photo compromise. If becoming a good article or a featured aticle means the article must be stripped of this much content for such arbitrary reasons, I'm not sure if I want this to be a featured article. Cardriver 19:40, 14 July 2006 (UTC)
Yes I too am very pleased with how zscout handled all this. As an administrator he has enough power to do whatever he wants so the fact that he was willing to listen to and respect opposing views is very impressive. Very few people would have done the same if they had his power. Are there not positions higher than administrator that zscout would be interested in pursuing? If so, I nominate him for them. Cardriver 19:22, 15 July 2006 (UTC)
Shouldn't there be a bit about her weight/dieting?
I was thinking that the following sentences are irrelevant to the article (see below).
As someone who is unconcerned about Oprah (and who has a flimsy knowledge of her, at best), I consulted this article as a "layperson-reader" looking for some information, and these bits felt quite out of place in her biography:
o "In June 2005 the first case of mad cow disease in a cow native to the United States was detected in Texas. The USDA concluded that it was most likely infected in Texas prior to 1997."
o "Gamson credits the tabloid talk show fad with making society more socially progressive towards sexual nonconformists. Examples include a recent Time magazine article describing early 21st century gays coming out of the closet younger and younger and gay suicide rates plummeting. Gamson also believes that tabloid talk shows caused gays to be embraced on more traditional forms of media. Examples include sitcoms like Will & Grace, primetime shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Oscar nomianted feature films like Brokeback Mountain." 83.132.98.149 12:35, 18 July 2006 (UTC)
I don't think any of them are irrelevant. Remember this is an encyclopedia so we have to discuss her influence in the context of the world at large, and people coming here to do academic research on Oprah are especially interested why so many people consider her important and influential. This is not just a biography. It's a total article about Oprah and the effect she's had on the world over the last 20 years. Broad info of a scloarly and factual nature is most useful Zorklift 01:26, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
I'm not sure about the claim that Oprah is the world's only black billionaire. Robert and Sheila Johnson preceded her, no? Thoughts? [1]
Forbes magazine never listed Shiela Johnson as a billionaire. Some people assumed she was a billionaire because she was married to Bob Johnson who Forbes briefly listed as a billionaire however she personally was never a billionaire. However following his divorce from Shiela Johnson, Forbes concluded that Bob's fortune was split with Shiela, so he no longer had enough for them to list him as a billionaire. Thus in 2004, 2005, and 2006, Oprah was listed as the world's only black billionaire. Cardriver 14:57, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
By the time she was 50 she had been ranked as the world's only black billionaire by Forbes. Saying "as of" is misleading because it implies she only held the title that one year, when in fact she's held the title every year since. Zorklift 19:24, 19 July 2006 (UTC)
Oprah is the worlds richest African American, but not the World's Richest nor is she the World's only black billionare. Mr Mohamed Al Amoudi a Saudi Arabian citizen, Ethiopian in origin is the world's richest black person. This fact is unknown because there are very few pictures avaliable for Mr Al Amoudi. [2] [3] [4]-- Eltanu 11:25, 4 January 2007 (UTC)
There ARE Black billioniares, they are not as public as Oprah. Please remove this erroneous statement. It is NOT true. Africa has black billionaires, Canada, etc. I do believe that Sheila Johnson was said to be the first Black American female billionaire: [ [5]]
America-Sheila Johnson Photo: [ [6]]
Canada-Michael Lee-Chin: [ [7]]
Sudan-Mo Ibrahim: [ [8]]
( NitaReads 05:50, 8 January 2007 (UTC))
I remember her acting as host or master of ceremonies for some kind of big inter-religious event right after the terrorist attack of 9/11/2001. This might be something worth adding to the article but I don't remember the details. Steve Dufour 17:04, 26 July 2006 (UTC)
Not to mention the lack of citation information on most of the links. Kotepho 21:23, 1 August 2006 (UTC)
"Many of Winfrey's biggest fans are gay males, and she has been described as a gay icon. Many gay men are attracted to Oprah's theatrical touchy-feely personality, her over the top facial expressions, her flamboyant body language, her church-free spirituality, her broadway musical The Color Purple, her enthusiastic support for the Oscars and share her admiration for Mary Tyler Moore, Barbra Streisand and Meryl Streep."
That appears in the article and it seems like a giant list of gay stereotypes that Oprah apparently has which would supposedly attract gay males. While it may be true that she has a large gay fan-base, is that list necessary in any way (and it doesn't have citation anyway)-- 24.96.242.143 23:26, 6 August 2006 (UTC)
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! When/if I ever stop laughing I'll come back to remove that
This talk page was archived by User:Getcrunk on July 9, 06, but there was no archive link provided. Shouldn't there be an archive link ? Jay 05:28, 17 August 2006 (UTC)
Why do they start at something like number 10? And where are all of the references in the text? I noticed this after adding a reference to "channel surving with the Mujahideen." I realized in the list of references there's supposed to be an earlier allusion to this Jill Caroll episode (ref. 9), but I don't see it anywhere. What's going on. Am I missing something? deeceevoice 09:34, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
I'm removing, again, a number of uncited assertions:
- , and placed second in the nation in dramatic interpretation. citation needed - Through Oprah.com Winfrey raised over 3 million dollars for Katrina victims and helped to capture 4 accused child predators. Oprah.com averages more than 100 million page views and more than three million users per month. citation needed - Winfrey's "therapeutic" hosting style and the tabloid talk show genre has been credited or blamed for leading the media counterculture of the 1980s and 1990s which some believe broke 20th century taboos, led to America's self-help obsession, and created confession culture. citation needed The Wall Street Journal' coined the term "Oprahfication" which means public confession as a form of therapy. - especially consisting of stay at home moms. citation needed - Many of Winfrey's biggest fans are gay males citation needed, and she has been described as a gay icon citation needed. Many gay men are attracted to Oprah's theatrical touchy-feely personality, her over the top facial expressions, her flamboyant body language, her church-free spirituality, her broadway musical The Color Purple, her enthusiastic support for the Oscars and share her admiration for Mary Tyler Moore, Barbra Streisand and Meryl Streep. citation needed - She said she spoke with Ludracris backstage after his appearance to explain her position and said she understood that his music was for entertainment purposes, but that some of his listeners might take it literally. citation needed
Fact check 16:55, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
I know a lot about Oprah and happen to know that all those things are true. I already found citations for some of them and others are already cited in the article and don't require citations. Editingoprah 18:27, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
The Oprah article seems to be severely defaced by a scripted replacement of Oprah with Fat Woman. I'm not a Wikipedia op or anything and I couldn't find where to flag this as a problem to others so I'm leaving this here. Fbz 14:17, 18 September 2006 (UTC)
This article implies a direct cause-effect relationship between Oprah putting Elie Wiesel's book on her reading list and his being named to Time's 100 most influential people. While her list may have influenced Time's list, Mr. Wiesel was influential and world-reknowned before Oprah even had a TV show, in fact Mr. Wiesel was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize the year that her show started. At the very least this passage should either cite a source that explicitly shows Time included him due to Oprah's list, or this passage should be reworded and/or moved to a section other than Influence.
I don't really know much about oprah i was wondering what her politics are, For a powerful person like her (with rumours of future political involvement) i wanted to know what her political views are? can anyone add this information? thank you. Anon-o-man 02:45, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
I don't really know much about Oprah, but since i'm doing a research on her, i need to know everything i can about her. She sounds like a very confident and original woman, the way she cares about other people,and how to help them. Well you probaby think my opinion doesn't matter since i'm only 14 years old, but i atleast wanted some of my 2 cents in. Thanks—
Well if you read the whole article you get a sense of her politics. She's a pacifict and quite socially progressive. Cardriver 18:26, 28 September 2006 (UTC)
what you think?should this website be included in the article? http://www.dreamagic.com/oprah/ Felisberto23:30,27 september 2006(UTC).
I noticed Oprah's list of television appearances/roles doesn't include Star Trek. If I remember correctly...she was a "therapist" type on that show as well. I don't have the skills of http, so if anyone wants to add it... fine...otherwise, just a little tab of info that is just as meaningless. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.196.109.8 ( talk • contribs) 10:03, October 7, 2006
Was just watching Jimmy Kimmel Live and couldn't stop laughing over his roast of Oprah asking the audience on a recent episode where exrement goes when its flushed. If anybody could figure out an encyclopedia way of adding this, I'd be eternally grateful. lol thadius856 talk 07:23, 20 October 2006 (UTC)
I just tookt he PSAT/NMSQT today (I came back less than 7 hours ago), and there was a question involving Oprah Winfrey and her Book Club in the Writing Skills section. Just thought it could be useful in this article.
For those who are about to take the test in the USA (or somewhere else) and who are reading this, you get an info about the upcoming test.
-- Zouavman Le Zouave 15:58, 21 October 2006 (UTC)
Hello to that old familiar American confusion between 'America' and 'the world' in this section. Lots of the refs cited are American and refer only to her position in that country. Here in Europe she's just another chat show host, not influential at all. I really don't see her influence stretching beyond the US. Sure, she's watched in lots of other countries, but where's the influence? Jasper33 13:48, 24 October 2006 (UTC)
If Oprah's not the most influential woman in the world than who is? True, she primarily influences only North American culture, but America has a huge impact on the world and is the most inluential country by far, so whoever shapes America shapes the world.
the trivia here was absolutle stupidity.it was has if some one was askin a question! i've removed it cuz it was irrelavent Childishknack 18:29, 9 November 2006 (UTC)
Just please do not add anyhthing because your grammer is completly atrocious. Brandonhard 03:36, 11 December 2006 (UTC)
Every time that I switch my television set on, Oprah Winfrey is on it. She is mentioned every day in newscasts, in advertisements, and in shows related to Hollywood's movie stars, and in various other manners. Enough, already! I am sick and tired of the horsing around surrounding Oprah Winfrey. She has no real power. Only a delusional person believes that Oprah Winfrey is powerful. She is not even well-educated, let alone "powerful." GhostofSuperslum 05:43, 14 November 2006 (UTC)
I just happened to access this page and was reading the first few lines when I saw this:
Oprah Winfrey "is cannible and anEmmy Award winning host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the crack-shack favorite of the lower east side where the show is taped. it features drug adicts and hookers, and tells about their everday life."
Another grand example of the problems with public editing...
Oh, well.
Will someone please fix that?
My IP address won't let me.
Thanks.
Wikipedia is yelling at us that this article is too long. I can't say I'm one for cutting info, but at the very least I noticed that there is a "early Life' and 'Personal Life' section. Perhaps merging these/slimming them down? David Fuchs 01:43, 7 December 2006 (UTC)
Does anyone know if Oprah has an official fanclub? I can't seem to find it. Thanks in advance. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.175.100.2 ( talk) 12:45, 12 December 2006 (UTC).
Why has nothing been said about the "Chappelle theory" and Oprah's role within this theory? Are comments like these considered to be libelous? There is much criticism of this theory but it is much more believeable than many of the other various theories published on wikipedia. Any real criticism of Oprah is completely ignored in this article! I used to think Wikipedia was an open and unbiased source of information.... but i now realise this is not the case when it concerns influential and powerful people. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.178.32.101 ( talk) 01:29, 18 December 2006 (UTC).