Is Oprah The Future Of News?

Newsday's James Pinkerton thinks she just might be. Arguing that "the hot light of the media needs to shine down even brighter and harsher upon criminals," Pinkerton describes a new feature on "Oprah," in which the daytime talk show host offers rewards for catching fugitive sex offenders, as potential fodder for an "admiring movie" that might be made years from now in which "her crusading against sexual predation is hailed, as Murrow's crusading against McCarthyism was hailed." Pinkerton acknowledges that the "current media-cultural establishment" might not see the connection, but further generations might actually "conclude that Oprah made more of a contribution."