Most major media outlets reported that Oprah Winfrey donated $40 million to build a school in South Africa for a select group of impoverished girls. (See the AP report and Washington Post story and the CBS News story.) Only a few (and certainly none of the above) made the connection between the donation and Oprah’s Newsweek interview, in which she criticized inner-city schools in the U.S.
I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn’t there. If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don’t ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school.
That is surprisingly Cosbyesque statement from a woman who likes to keep things positive. Lucky for her, the mainstream media is making sure she preserves that Oprah! image.