Oprah's Ethics with Regard to the "Monkey Woman"

Please forgive me if this post seems a little rushed, but I am posting it quickly before I see my evening clients. I even considered NOT discussing it at all as talking about it makes it bigger...but nonetheless.

I was at the gym and on the big screens, as well as many of the little ones that dot the facility, Oprah was playing as she does in most markets at 4 PM. I was running and reading (multi-tasker that I am) and looked up to see Oprah talking to a woman with a veil over her face. I tuned my machine's unit in and put in my earbuds. It was the lady who had tragically had her face torn off by a pet monkey earlier this year.

Oprah was respectful and patient in her questioning and responses as she usually is. However, a little past the thirty minute mark she asked the lady if she would let Oprah TAKE OFF THE VEIL! I was stunned and turned of my unit as I did not want to see it. However, the big screen played on and the rest of the interview was conducted without the netting she had on earlier.

Wow, I am really uncomfortable with this not so much as a clinican but as a human being. What I want to know, and perhaps that information is out there, is did the lady tell Oprah she wanted to show her face or did the grand lady of TV ask her? If it was the second, I find that to be an egregious abuse of her power and influence. Any ideas on which version is what occurred?

And then, to top it off, the minute the show ended the local affiliate led the news with the image of the woman's face. All the news in the country and this is a lead story? One more strike, as if they needed one, against them. I find most media to be repulsive opportunists...and this is more evidence to support my argument against them.