User: odyaws

Re:Who really gives a fuck?

On: Publishers Say 'Fact-Checking Too Costly'

Oprah might herself say, "I was misled," but her stature as a recommender of books does, I think, impose upon her a certain responsibility. If she had liked the book very much, but said, "actually, it's more like fiction than fact," then she wouldn't be in a pickle. Perhaps we should dump upon the author, but Oprah herself deserves a little of the blame, here.

Oprah's status does impose some necessary due diligence, which she did. Shortly after picking the book, she received some information from the guy's former rehab clinic that the story might not be entirely true. She (probably her staff) followed up on that with the publisher and was assured that these fears were unfounded. I'm far from a fan of Oprah, but she was duped here, and because of her vast influence, millions of others were duped as well. The funny thing is the book probably could have still done very well as fiction or "inspired by a true story," which seems to be acceptable in Hollywood for stories with the thinnest tie to real life.