All Blog Posts from Public Eye

Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen is the latest MSM figure to feel the wrath of a “blogswarm,” and the most recent to strike back on the issue of civility. Last week, Cohen wrote that Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert was not only unfunny during his routine at the recent White House Correspondent’s Dinner, but downright “rude.” As you’ll recall, there was a great deal of anger among some in the liberal blogosphere that Colbert received scant attention from the MSM for his pointed jabs at President Bush and those who felt that way were not in the mood to hear what Cohen wanted to say on the subject.

According to Cohen, his column provoked an outpouring of e-mails (he says he received 3,499 in four days). Here’s Cohen today:

Truth to tell, I peeked into only a few of the e-mails. I did this because I would sometimes recognize a name I thought I knew, which was almost always a mistake. When I guilelessly clicked on the name, I would get a bucket of raw, untreated and disease-laden verbal sewage right in the face.

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It should be noted early on that this is not a post that will examine the work of James Frey, the meaning of the word “memoir,” or the debate over the obligations of the publishing industry to fact-check authors of non-fiction. Nor will I construct a pun using the phrase “A Million Little Pieces.” Promise. I am, however, going to discuss the O.

Many before me have waxed philosophical on the power of Oprah. PE reader sylny posted a comment on our site last week that began with the statement, “Oprah is the Walter Cronkite of our time.” A few months ago, Newsday’s James Pinkerton wondered if future generations might “conclude that Oprah made more of a contribution” than Edward R. Murrow. One man, however, was still somewhat surprised by the full effect of Oprah after experiencing it firsthand.

The Washington Post's Richard Cohen wrote what ended up being the seminal treatise on the James Frey-Oprah Winfrey debacle. His op-ed (as in Oprah Editorial) “Oprah’s Grand Delusion,” is credited with playing a role in Oprah’s decision to renege on her previous support for James Frey. In that piece, Cohen readily acknowledged the power of Oprah: “Oprah is huge, powerful, akin to no one and nothing else,” he wrote. But he didn’t fully comprehend the extent of Oprah’s influence until he became a sought-after guest for many a media outlet – not following publication of his article itself -- but following his appearance on Oprah’s show during which she publicly chastised Frey for a full hour.

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