MLou

Yes, Anderson Cooper is a splendid example of good and courageous reporting. No one could deny the importance of what he has done and continues to do.

My point is slightly different in that the thing that irks me is that US reporting can be very fine, but the tendency when there is an interview with an important person, face to face, is for the interviewer to be rather timid. This is all the more surprising since the programs with talking heads from different political backgrounds are far less deferential, - - and much more lively. But of course those are not always powerful figures, as they are composed of commentators and people with opinions.

It’s the deference thing that makes me squirm….

Allan

During the days of Hurricane Katrina, he put himself in jeopardy as he traveled to the places the federal government was refusing to see and did not want us to see.

Cooper asked the tough questions and expressed his outrage at the government’s failure to respond.

More than that, he gave his microphone to the people directly affected - mostly poor, mostly black, and the many old and sick. Those who had now means to leave the city. Cooper’s footage showed the world those directly affected and he also showed the rich, white president’s “flyover.”

When the world responded with outrage, pressure was put on America’s leaders.

Like the best war correspondents,Cooper’s reportage illuminated and mobilized.

MLou