Drew University

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CNN anchor shows Drew 360° of self

By Kimberly Ammiano
Staff Writer

Published: Friday, November 19, 2010
Updated: Friday, November 19, 2010 12:11

Widely-accredited jour­nalist Anderson Coo­per took the stage in the Simon Forum last night as he gave the Drew University com­munity and other attendees a 360 look at the world.

Cooper is the anchor of An­derson Cooper 360, "and a pro­vocative alternative on CNN, [who] goes beyond headlines to tell stories in depth from differ­ent points of view", according to the program presented by the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.


Anderson Cooper, host of Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN, shares his own story with Drew
At this point in his career, Cooper has covered almost every major news event in the world. His stories have ranged from coverage in Afghanistan and Iraq to Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti and several anniversaries of the Sept. 11 at­tacks, just to name a few.

As introduced by President of the University Bob Weisbuch, "Anderson Cooper has become one of viewer's most popular and trusted sources of news over the past 20 years."

According to Weisbuch, dur­ing pertinent times in news, Cooper, "didn't calm us down, he made us more unsettled, he served as a proxy between view­ers and victims and built a bridge between them. He comes off as genuine, because he is."

As a Yale graduate, with a de­gree in political science, he felt he had "no skill." His mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, advised him with the words of Joe Campbell when she told him to "follow [his] bliss." In an attempt, as he stated, to "make an opportunity for myself and go where no Americans go, I began to go to wars by myself." On a trip to Africa during his senior year of high school, "Africa quickened my pulse," Cooper stated. "I knew whatever I did in the future, travel needed to be a part of that."

A few years later, while work­ing for a small news station called Channel 1, Cooper and a friend created a fake press pass that al­lowed Cooper into Burma, where he met with students who were having struggles with the Burmese government. From there, Cooper explored Vietnam and Somalia. "In Somalia, I found my calling. I realized I couldn't save lives, but I could give testaments towards saving lives," he said.


Anderson Cooper signs a book for Sally DaLorean, a resident of Far Hills, N.J., at a reception held in Mead Hall before yesterday's forum talk
Cooper spent time preparing reports in Somalia, shortly after he lost his brother to a devastat­ing case of suicide. "Out of all the places I traveled, the dark parts of the human heart were open for all to see [in Somalia]." Cooper felt that while he was in Somalia, the language of loss was spoken and everyone was filled with emo­tion. "That was what I wanted, to surround myself with emotion, to teach people how to survive, and to learn from them how to survive myself," he said.

Reporting on location has ex­posed Cooper to all kinds of situ­ations and suffering. "It doesn't matter where the suffering is hap­pening, all of us are capable of anything, the choices are up to us," he said. Cooper explained that his career is not just about being a correspondent, it's about being drawn to conflict zones. "As a reporter, you are running towards what everyone's running from," he said. "You expect to find dark­ness, but you find light, you expect to find horror, but you often find humanity."

Throughout the 18 years in which Cooper has served as a news correspondent, he mentioned that he has seen people do things "he never imagined." He elaborated on a story about his time in Rwanda. He recalled seeing a brick dropped from the top of a tall building, split­ting a young boy's skull into pieces. Cooper's message behind this story was, "Don't give up on being a hu­man being." Admittedly, his first instinct was to tape this incident. However, he explained, "as I ran towards the little boy, I realized, it was absurd to video tape this." So rather than videotaping the inci­dent, Cooper helped the little boy. "I would much have rather helped that little kid, then have some great story that night," he said.

Among the suffering Cooper has witnessed, "I have seen extremely good things as well," he said. "In Port of Prince in Haiti, I've seen the strongest love and sense of resilience ever. People look you in the eye when they say hello, they're friendly." He stressed that it's im­portant to "focus on the frivolous, the things that tie us together, rather than the things that pull us apart." He continued, "It's very easy to turn away, but individuals do make a difference, it's not about waiting for the government to tell you what to do, it's exploring the thin walls of the human heart, and doing what's right," he said.

Many students took to this reoc­curring theme of humanity in Coo­per's lecture to heart. Taylor Ficht­man ('13) said, "I really enjoyed the main idea of his lecture which revolved around human nature. He stressed the fact that individu­als in the world really can make a difference." Alyssa Iapicco ('13) said, "It was very insightful how he explained that it is important to always be true to yourself, and remember you're a human being, no matter what job you have." "Per­sonally, Cooper's speech stressed to me the importance of putting the well-being of others first, regard­less of what occupation you have," she said.

However, as a journalist, "I be­lieve in facts," Cooper said. "I know a lot of reporters, who wear their opinions on their sleeve, and there is far too much shouting going on in politics, we aren't being encouraged to develop our own ideas because of this."

He explained in "an age of rheto­ric, this is hard to do," and contin­ued to state that facts are misused and images are wrongly conveyed, but "as a correspondent, I aim to talk about what is true." He said, "You don't want to be too broad so people don't understand you," but, "I believe in plunging head first into things that scare you," he also said. "Find what you're passionate about, and pursue it."

"My advice to Drew students is to find what your passionate about and never underestimate out hus­tling everyone else."

For students with a particular dream for a career in journalism, he said, "Print is going through a particularly difficult time, try for TV." "There is growth there, and internet is a great hope." He again stated, "If it's your passion, keep at it, and perfect writing in your own voice. Make yourself unique, that gets people jobs."

Students were very receptive to Cooper's forum lecture. "His approachable personality was apparent in his lecture, as he just seems very down to earth. He spoke in terms people could relate to," Fichtman said. Matthew Alt­man ('11) stated, "He thoroughly covered every aspect of what it's like to be a journalist, and that was very intriguing. Also, he clearly loves his career and that's very important to express to college students on the path to making career choices." Hannah Madsen ('12) admires Cooper's "interest in seeking the truth, he's a very inspirational person," she said.