A camera crew that had been accompanying Oprah Winfrey during her visit to a shelter for Maui fire evacuees was reportedly turned away due to a no-media policy.
As Breitbart News reported, Oprah Winfrey visited with evacuees affected by the horrific fire in Maui last week, a disaster that has left thousands homeless and has killed over 100 people.
A part-time resident on the island of Maui, Oprah visited evacuees who had gathered at the War Memorial Gymnasium where thousands had congregated. Per Hawaii News Now:
The shelter is also being used as a donation drop-off location for victims.
Images posted on social media showed Oprah chatting with volunteers and residents.
The group Kakoo-Haleakala says she offered to buy supplies for the shelter, including cots, blankets and toiletries.
In a Facebook post, the County of Maui thanked Oprah for her visit and appreciated her “instructing media journalists and camera crews to remain outside.”
“Oprah was able to visit our shelter and we thank her for instructing media journalists and camera crews to remain outside,” it said. “We welcome Oprah to continue to uplift our community’s spirit and give her aloha to victims of the tragic disaster.”
“Her visit inside of the shelter today was truly heartwarming and we appreciate her understanding of our policy of having no camera crews or reporters accompanying dignitaries and celebrities in our emergency shelters,” it added.
As the New York Post noted, the statement came after “the local Star-Advertiser News initially reported “that Winfrey, 69, and a CBS crew following her were denied entry because media are not allowed to enter the shelter.”
The extent of the no media policy inside the shelter remains unknown, considering that Oprah spoke on camera to the BBC about her experience inside the shelter.
“It’s a little overwhelming, you know,” Winfrey told the BBC. “But I’m really so pleased to have so many people, you know, supporting, and people are just bringing what they can and doing what they can.”
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.