{"id":2369460,"date":"2024-11-15T13:35:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T18:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chicago-tribune-weighs-in-on-oprah-company-payment-from-harris-campaign\/"},"modified":"2024-11-15T13:35:28","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T18:35:28","slug":"chicago-tribune-weighs-in-on-oprah-company-payment-from-harris-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chicago-tribune-weighs-in-on-oprah-company-payment-from-harris-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Tribune weighs in on Oprah company payment from Harris campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchicago-tribune-weighs-in-on-oprah-company-payment-from-harris-campaign%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2369460&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The *Chicago Tribune* has \u2064criticized Oprah \u2064Winfrey for allowing\u2064 her \u2063production company, Harpo Productions, to\u200d accept \u2063a $1\u2064 million \u200dpayment from Kamala Harris&#8217;s presidential\u200c campaign. This payment, made in two \u200dinstallments of $500,000, coincided with\u200b an event\u2062 where Winfrey interviewed Harris. Initially, Oprah\u2062 denied \u200creceiving \u200dany \u200cpersonal payment, stating, \u201cI was paid nothing. Ever.\u201d However, she later clarified on Instagram that the payment was meant to cover production costs \u200cfor the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/petty-tyrants-twitter-yanks-verification-from-jeopardy-champ-matt-amodio\/\" title=\"Petty Tyrants: Twitter Yanks Verification from &#039;Jeopardy!&#039; Champ Matt Amodio\">live-streamed event<\/a>, emphasizing that while she did \u2064not take\u2063 a\u2062 personal \u200cfee, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">production \u200dteam needed compensation<\/a>. \u200dThe *Tribune* editorial board\u200c weighed \u200din, suggesting that even\u2064 if Winfrey wasn\u2019t personally compensated, her substantial wealth\u2062 meant she should have covered the production expenses herself. They characterized her involvement as turning \u200cthe event \u2062into a \u201cstarry infomercial.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Chicago Tribune criticizes Oprah for $1 million Harris campaign payment to company<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1877271\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <em>Chicago Tribune<\/em>, the hometown newspaper of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/oprah-winfrey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Oprah Winfrey\">Oprah Winfrey<\/a>, has criticized her for allowing her company to accept a $1 million payment from the Kamala Harris presidential campaign.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3222249\/how-kamala-harris-plowed-through-1-billion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reported earlier this month<\/a> how Harris&rsquo;s campaign had blown through a $1 billion budget.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Among its expenses were two payments of $500,000 each to Harpo Productions, dated Oct. 15, 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/disbursements\/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00694455&amp;committee_id=C00703975&amp;two_year_transaction_period=2024&amp;line_number=F3P-23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">per Federal Election Commission filings<\/a>. Winfrey is the chairwoman and CEO of the company.&nbsp;Harris was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3160832\/harris-repeats-campaign-mantras-star-studded-campaign-stop-oprah\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"interviewed by Winfrey\">interviewed by Winfrey<\/a> during a star-studded event the previous month.<\/p>\n<p>When initially confronted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2024\/11\/11\/oprah-winfrey-denies-being-paid-1-million-to-campaign-for-kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">about the payment by celebrity news outlet <em>TMZ<\/em><\/a>, Winfrey deflected, saying she personally was never paid $1 million.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Not true,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I was paid nothing. Ever.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> never reported that Winfrey received a personal fee.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris joins Oprah Winfrey at Oprah&rsquo;s Unite for America Live Streaming event on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Farmington Hills, Michigan. (AP Photo\/Paul Sancya)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In a subsequent Instagram post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/oprah-winfrey-1-million-kamala-harris-campaign-harpo-productions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">via the comment section<\/a> of the<em> Shade Room<\/em>, she followed up to say her company received the payment.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Usually I am reluctant to respond to rumors in general, but these days I realize that if you don&rsquo;t stop a lie, it just gets bigger,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I was not paid a dime.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>She continued: &ldquo;My time and energy was my way of supporting the campaign. For the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-oprah-pressed-over-claims-that-kamala-harris-campaign-paid-her-1m-for-political-endorsement\/\" title=\"Watch: Oprah Pressed Over Claims That Kamala Harris&#039; Campaign Paid Her M for Political Endorsement\">live-streaming event<\/a> in September, my production company Harpo was asked to bring in set design, lights, cameras, microphones, crew, producers and every other item necessary (including the benches and chairs we sat on) to put on a live production. I did not take any personal fee. However the people who worked on that production needed to be paid. And were. End of story.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The furor caused by the story, as well as Winfrey&rsquo;s initial deflection, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2024\/11\/14\/editorial-oprah-winfrey-kamala-harris-celebrities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"now prompted the Tribune&rsquo;s editorial board\">now prompted the <em>Chicago Tribune&rsquo;s<\/em> editorial board<\/a> to weigh in.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Having someone with a large following simply stand next to a candidate at a podium and say a few words, solo, is one thing; doing a whole livestreamed event with, say, Oprah Winfrey, is another,&rdquo; the board wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Chicago Tribune<\/em> said Winfrey&rsquo;s interview with Harris amounted to a &ldquo;starry infomercial&rdquo; and argued that even if Winfrey herself wasn&rsquo;t paid, such is her personal fortune that she should have been the one to foot the bill when it came to paying production workers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s true that production workers need to be paid and that&rsquo;s fair enough; they&rsquo;re not donors. And, frankly, $1 million is not all that much to Winfrey as so we very&nbsp;much doubt that she was seeking any kind of personal payday from her chosen candidate. But she does own Harpo and serves as its chairwoman and CEO. The production fees should have been a campaign donation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Winfrey has a net worth of $3 billion, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/oprah-winfrey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">according to<\/a> <em>Forbes<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Political commentator Bill O&rsquo;Reilly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3231065\/bill-oreilly-washington-examiner-reporting-oprah-winfrey-lie-harris-funding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">accused Winfrey<\/a> of &ldquo;doing a little two-step here, and she finally had to admit it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Megyn Kelly <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/megynkelly\/status\/1857251029852536900\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">described the payment<\/a> as &ldquo;grossly unethical.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is highly irregular. The subject of the interview does not pay for the set\/production costs (the interviewer does) &amp; even more shocking when said costs are $1Mil. Esp shady when it&rsquo;s a presidential candidate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1877271\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1877271\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chicago Tribune criticizes Oprah for $1 million payment to Harris campaign<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3119,"featured_media":2369461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/kamala-harris-and-oprah-winfrey.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[45085,35844,38904],"class_list":["post-2369460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-chicago-tribune","tag-harris-campaign","tag-oprah-winfrey"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/kamala-harris-and-oprah-winfrey.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3119"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2369460"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2369464,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369460\/revisions\/2369464"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2369461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2369460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2369460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2369460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}