By Jenny Taft
BOSTON- When Oprah Winfrey announced that she would not be interviewing the Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin until the election was over, Winfrey was immediately under attack. The Florida Federation of Republican Women launched a national boycott urging women to stop supporting Winfrey by boycotting The Oprah Show and by unsubscribing to The O magazine.
One unnamed woman from the federation said, “We were just upset that she wasn’t going to be interviewed on Oprah it is unfair treatment of a candidate, who has really excited, not just women in this country, but everyone. It seems unusual to me that she would be excluded from a talk show that focuses on women,” she said.
Even before the campaign started, when Winfrey decided to publicly support the Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, she claimed that when it came to her show, she would not be playing favorites. The Oprah Show was not going to be used as a platform for any candidates.
She also said in a 2007 radio interview, “It would be really disingenuous of me to be sitting up interviewing people, as though pretending to be objective, or even creating the illusion of objectivity,” Winfrey said.
Since then, Barack Obama, has appeared twice on The Oprah Show.
A spokesperson from The O magazine claims that even after the boycott, sales are still doing well, and that The Oprah Show ratings are higher than ever.
The Federation for Republican Women has received hundreds of responses to the issue, some in support and some condemning it. Winfrey did publicly agree that Palin would be permitted to come on the show after the election.
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