Oprah Winfrey has nothing but praise for the Florida school shooting survivors who have channelled angst into activism, calling them "warriors of the light" and comparing them to civil rights pioneers.

SHADES of the US South’s racist past came creeping back this week just as the South could be poised to play a pivotal role in electing the nation’s first black president.

Reese Witherspoon is reported to be in negotiations to star in new movie Freedom Writers.