Last week, Oprah followed the golden rules of publicity to a tee. She admitted wrongdoings (supporting author James Frey and his fictional account of his rehab experiences), apologized to her viewers and book club fans, and completely ruined the credibility of the author, on TV for millions to see.

Her tongue-lashing was brutal, her audience went wild and TV pundits couldn’t get enough.

But frankly, I can’t stop thinking of the questions the whole event raised.

1. What did Oprah have to gain exactly by publicly berating James Frey?
2. Why does it matter if his book was untrue, if it in fact helped drug addicts in their recovery efforts?
3. Isn’t it completely shocking that Oprah is allowed to frame the way her audience and the general public feels about moral and ethical issues? She went on TV to say, “You lied, that is wrong. The truth is important.” Has the media crossed the line in defining our personal moral guidelines? I don’t need Oprah to tell me the truth is important!
4. How many people have purchased Frey’s book since his Oprah appearance? I have run into several people that are now more interested in reading his vivid imagination than his true-life story.

Your turn to speak…