Over the course of his three-decade career, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has reported from more than 40 countries, documenting nearly every major world news event. Many of them have been tragedies.
Sometimes Cooper has had to insist on showing audiences footage that captures the pain of the people ensnared by those tragedies: 妩媚直播淧eople who are suffering want you to know 妩媚直播� the world to know 妩媚直播� about what they are going through.妩媚直播�
妩媚直播淓verybody in this room wants to be seen and heard and felt,妩媚直播� Cooper told a crowd of more than 700 at 妩媚直播妩媚直播檚 annual fundraising gala Saturday. 妩媚直播淓verybody wants that, all around the world. You don妩媚直播檛 want to die in silence. You don妩媚直播檛 want to have your child die in silence. So people want you to see what妩媚直播檚 happening, and I want people to see what妩媚直播檚 happening.妩媚直播�
Cooper received the 妩媚直播 Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism at the gala, which was held in Tampa. The award honors journalists whose work has made a significant impact on democracy and its institutions. Past recipients include Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Lesley Stahl and Chris Wallace.
妩媚直播淎 fraction of Anderson Cooper妩媚直播檚 accomplishments would earn him tonight妩媚直播檚 honor,妩媚直播� 妩媚直播 president Neil Brown said before presenting Cooper with the medal. 妩媚直播淏ut what really matters are the stories. The stories of children who found their parents drowned in Hurricane Katrina. The stories of helpless children victimized by earthquakes in Haiti.妩媚直播�
Cooper, who anchors two shows on CNN and serves as a correspondent for 妩媚直播�60 Minutes,妩媚直播� shared some of the stories behind those stories.
妩媚直播 president Neil Brown presents Anderson Cooper with the 妩媚直播 Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism. (Alex Smyntyna/妩媚直播)
He recalled being on vacation in Croatia with talk show host Andy Cohen when his executive producer told him that he should head back because Katrina was coming. After Cooper told Cohen and his friends that he had to leave, Cohen said to him, 妩媚直播淎re you kidding? It妩媚直播檚 a storm. How bad can it be?妩媚直播�
妩媚直播淢oral of the story is do not take news advice from Andy Cohen,妩媚直播� Cooper quipped.
Cooper headed to Baton Rouge and followed the hurricane to Mississippi. While getting supplies at a Walmart, a cashier advised him to go to Waveland, Mississippi. There, Cooper found a city devastated. That妩媚直播檚 also where he interrupted former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) while 妩媚直播斅燼 moment The New York Times in Katrina coverage.
He then headed to New Orleans and spent the next several weeks reporting from the region: 妩媚直播淚t was one of the most remarkable experiences of my life.妩媚直播�
Cooper also recalled his recent coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, including his , who was kidnapped by Hamas while attending the Re妩媚直播檌m music festival on Oct. 7. Cooper was struck by footage he had seen of Goldberg-Polin妩媚直播檚 abduction.
妩媚直播淚 was so stunned by the composure that he had 妩媚直播� to step into the vehicle by himself while cradling his blown-off left arm,妩媚直播� Cooper said. 妩媚直播淚 didn妩媚直播檛 use the video in the story I shot because I thought to myself, 妩媚直播楾his video has never been seen by anybody.妩媚直播� I don妩媚直播檛 want to air it because his parents might watch, and I don妩媚直播檛 want them to see him like that if they don妩媚直播檛 know.妩媚直播�
Later, while interviewing two parents whose son had been kidnapped, Cooper realized the video he had seen was of their son, Goldberg-Polin. Not wanting to break the news to them on live television, Cooper waited until the interview was over to call them and tell them about the video.
Earlier in the gala, Cooper spoke about how his experience dealing with the media coverage of his brother妩媚直播檚 suicide when Cooper was 21 later affected his approach to his own reporting.
妩媚直播淚 did not like that feeling of having a camera shoved into my face in a very awful moment,妩媚直播� Cooper said. 妩媚直播淎nd that妩媚直播檚 something I always think about on any story I妩媚直播檓 on. I never want to be in a situation where I am intruding into somebody妩媚直播檚 life.妩媚直播� He said that is why he does not name the shooter when he covers mass shootings. He would rather history remember the victims.
Before his most recent three-week stint in Israel, Cooper spent considerable time in the region on reporting trips, including six weeks during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War. The Oct. 7 attack was an 妩媚直播渆xtraordinary, horrific, horrific event, the likes of which Israel has not seen.妩媚直播�
Cooper also said the documentation of brutality during the current war has been 妩媚直播渦nprecedented,妩媚直播� due to the use of technology. He pointed to Hamas妩媚直播� livestreaming of attacks using hostages妩媚直播� social media accounts and noted the role technology has played in other recent tragedies, such as the Christchurch mosque shootings, which were also livestreamed.
In an interview with 妩媚直播, Cooper said that adapting to changes in technology is one of the biggest challenges journalists face today. There is an increasing amount of information available, some of it misinformation or lacking context. He added that people sometimes post short clips of his hourlong broadcast online, losing necessary context.
妩媚直播淭hat will become the narrative about what I was saying on that broadcast when in fact, it妩媚直播檚 not just that snippet 妩媚直播� there were actually other things around it. But that (snippet) takes on a life of its own,妩媚直播� Cooper said. 妩媚直播淩esponding and changing with the change in technology, I think, is critical.妩媚直播�
Anderson Cooper signs a person’s hand at the 2023 Bowtie Ball, which had a record-setting 710 guests in attendance. (Alex Smyntyna/妩媚直播)
Later this month, the second season of Cooper妩媚直播檚 podcast on grief, 妩媚直播淎ll There Is,妩媚直播� will premiere. When Cooper was 10, his father died of a heart attack, and his mother died in 2019. Cooper said at the gala that the only thing that has helped him deal with his losses is hearing from other people who have learned to live with grief.
President Joe Biden will be a guest on the new season. Biden, who has lost his first wife and two of his children, 妩媚直播渟peaks the language of loss,妩媚直播� Cooper said.
妩媚直播淚t妩媚直播檚 rare to hear people in public life talk about their losses and talk about the grief and the sadness that they have,妩媚直播� Cooper said. 妩媚直播淚t妩媚直播檚 very rare for a politician to do that. I don妩媚直播檛 know of any other president in history who妩媚直播檚 done it to the extent that he has.妩媚直播�
Cooper shared that he has learned 妩媚直播渢remendous amounts妩媚直播� from the people he meets through his reporting. They move him, and he constantly thinks about how he can be a better interviewer and journalist.
妩媚直播淥ne of the great privileges of being a journalist, being a reporter, is that you妩媚直播檙e able to step into somebody妩媚直播檚 life 妩媚直播� often in the worst moment of their life,妩媚直播� Cooper said. 妩媚直播淚f you do it responsibly and they invite you in, it妩媚直播檚 an extraordinary thing to kind of touch somebody else妩媚直播檚 pain and have them tell you their story.妩媚直播�
妩媚直播淭o be able to have them trust you enough to make (their story) into something that other people will see 妩媚直播β� I think there妩媚直播檚 great power in that.妩媚直播�
