Did Newsweek Cross the Line?

Is the recent Newsweek cover featuring Oprah offensive?

Claire Shipman of TRUE SLANT seems to think so:

"First of all, whatever case the reporters were trying to make about Oprah, it would have helped them tremendously to have done it in a dignified manner. That photo was just in horribly bad taste. Picking a photo of Oprah to make her literally look crazy, with a banner headline about wacky cures? Was the point to make her look like a nutty witch doctor? In fact it felt not only misogynistic, but racist. I could almost hear the voodoo drumbeats in the background.

Oprah is hardly a victim, and I can’t argue this is a modern-day version of the Salem witch trials. This is a woman with the power to stick up for herself. But here’s my shock-induced rant. I was most outraged frankly by what I read. If you’re trying to accuse somebody of fraud or quackery or whatever it is, it helps to make something better than a shoddy case. Newsweek’s was beyond pathetic."

Shipman goes on to critique the article's findings and presentation of facts regarding hormone therapy, which she finds to be as weak as she found the cover photo classless. Her take is definitely worth a perusal.

But what say you of the cover photo? Did Newsweek do Oprah dirty?