Qualities: TRUTH AND OPRAH

Edward Wyatt, in this Sunday morning's New York Times, says:

In an extraordinary reversal of her strident defense of the author whose book she catapulted to the top of the best-seller list, Oprah Winfrey said today she believed that the author James Frey "betrayed millions of readers" by making up elements of his life in his best-selling memoir, "A Million Little Pieces." She added that she believed "I made a mistake" when she said that the truth of the book mattered less than its story of redemption.

A great many people criticized her dismissal of TRUTH in favor of the dishonest, self-appointed victim. But, they applauded her reversal and apology, as I do. Nevertheless, it ought to be pointed out that Oprah needed the widespread complaint and instruction of a large body of principled people before she got the message that conflicted with her original standards and culture.

This is a world where truth suffers daily: Oliver Stone can make a career of rewriting history in order to make more attractive movies; politicians and spinners routinely distort and lie to promote their causes. People and their PR advisors deny the obvious with laughable seriousness in their self-interest. Aristotle asked: What is Truth? He would be dismayed at today's answer after 2500 years of civilization.