Judging Oprah

Abstract: When viewers tuned in to watch Oprah Winfrey’s interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex earlier this year, they celebrated Winfrey’s interview style on Twitter. All but crowning her ‘queen of the interview’, media critics praised the performance in news articles published during the week following the event. This qualitative study examines metajournalistic and audience discourse about Oprah Winfrey’s interview technique and style, focusing on how the analysis of the interview along verbal and visual clues, defines what, in their eyes, constitutes a good television interview. The project aims to inform educators and broadcast professionals about norms, practices and expectations among viewers and media critics and offers insights into Oprah’s status as a journalist.