by Kevin Clang
Even though he often questions whether or not his work will actually change things, CNN’s Anderson Cooper does see the value in reporting the news, and bringing attention to stories that would otherwise recieve none. So he told over 2,000 students at Elon University’s Alumni Gym in a speech delievered this Tuesday.
Anderson Cooper stresses the importance of fact-checking and objectivity in journalism at Elon University's Alumni Gym (picture from E-Net)
In a whirlwind of a day, Cooper arrived on Elon’s campus via jet just after noon, taking a tour of the School of Communications and making a surprise appearence in a few afternoon classes. After a quick brown bag lunch, Cooper fielded student queries in an hour-long question and answer session in Whitley Auditorium.
In Whitley several students were given the oppertunity to ask Cooper direct questions mostly focused on the media and his own journalistic opinions and experiences. At 4 p.m. Cooper spoke at Alumni Gym, a speech titled “A 360 Degree look at World Events.”
As it’s title suggests, Cooper’s speech was mostly serious look into the issues facing America today. Cooper described his own experiences as a war correspondent for ABC, with whom he visited countries such as Somalia, Iran, Israel and Rwanda. There were also some lighthearted moments peppered throughout the speech, especially when Cooper discussed the uselessness of his Yale degree in political science.
Throughout the day Cooper stressed the need for objectivity in journalism, saying he believes in “facts, not opinions . . . people are smart and can figure it out for themselves.” He came down hard on the ideological reporting of some of his competitors, asking whether they were “pundits or reporters.” With regards to papers, he stated that the possible disappearence of the newspaper was “scary,” but recognized that “the cost of printing and distributing paper is prohibitive (to the industry).”
A Yale graduate, Cooper was initially rejected for an entry level job at ABC News. He accepted a job as a fact-checker at Channel One, a news program seen in middle and high schools across the country. Eager to do more, he decided to leave the job to shoot his own stories overseas in Burma and Vietnam.
Eventually he was hired as a correspondent for ABC News, being appointed as anchor of their World News Now in 1999. In 2001, Cooper joined CNN first as a correspondent and then as their weekend primetime anchor. Cooper has hosted his own show on CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, since 2003.
