Winfrey cancels Columbine anniversary episode

CHICAGO — Oprah Winfrey decided Monday to pull an already-taped episode of her talk show that was to mark the 10th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre, saying it “focused too much on the killers.”

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The episode, “10 Years Later: The Truth about Columbine,” was to air on the Monday anniversary of the massacre in Littleton, Colo., that killed 12 students and a teacher.

“I decided to pull the Columbine show today. After reviewing it, I thought it focused too much on the killers. Today, hold a thought for the Columbine community. This is a hard day for them,” Winfrey wrote on Oprah.com and her Facebook page. A similar message appeared on her Twitter feed.

A Harpo Productions Inc. spokeswoman confirmed the posts.

Columbine Task Force lead investigator Kate Battan, FBI special agent Dwayne Fuselier, Dave Cullen — author of the book “Columbine” — and Columbine High School principal Frank DeAngelis had taped the episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

Winfrey said a program about a mother released from prison would run in place of the Columbine piece.