Wednesday, February 07, 2007

An Anderson Cooper HeadsUp!


Anderson Cooper in the march issue of Men's Journal


Press Relase

Hot off the press, Anderson Cooper graces the cover of March's Men's Journal. The article titled "Anderson Cooper's Private War" explores AC's personal life and his career as a journalist and how being out in the world with the survivors helps him cope. In the article AC reveals he considered leaving CNN to pursue an anchor job at another network.

"In early December Cooper was weighing whether to move from his post as host of CNN's nightly news program Anderson Cooper 360 to a traditional anchor position at another network. As he weighed this decision a woman named Angela kept playing on his mind. He's met her on a reporting trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in October, at a secret compound outside Goma run by a charity. Five months before, she'd been gang-raped by three soldiers in front of her children. They shot her in the right arm and burned one of her daughters across the stomach and chest. Angela's husband subsequently kicked her out of the house, fearing she might have contracted HIV, and she fled the village.

Cooper spent most of the day with Angela. She had long eyelashes and short braids and a gentle manner. "She was extraordinary beautiful, such a contrast with what'd been done to her. She had every reason to kill herself or spend the rest of her life stewing in hatred," he recounted with some awe. "Instead, she spoke of forgiveness: forgiving her husband and forgiving the men who had raped her."

To Cooper, Angela embodied the extremes of the human experience he has witnessed in his more than 15 years of international reporting: the unimaginable brutality and the expansive will to overcome it. Four million people have died in the DRC since 1998. "Four million in eight years." Cooper told an audience last December. "And virtually no one knows about it. '

" During 22 minutes of news from a desk in New York is just not for me," he said, explaining why he wasn't enticed by the anchor job. At CNN he could be out in the world encountering victims and survivors like Angela, bearing witness. And he needs that."

10 comentarios:

Anonymous said...

so much for "the Paris Hilton of television news".

Interesting what the alternative was. 22 min of the news means half-an hour news show. I think morning shows are longer then half-hour, and cable news shows are usually at least an hour. So could've been one of the networks evening news shows.

Anonymous said...

What day will this hit the news stands?

MediaDoc said...

I'm going to borders tonight to check it out, but I think it is the March issue.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the heads-up, I will have to get that- it will be worth my husband's teasing!
AC's too good at what he does to sit behind a desk and read a teleprompter.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a good read. Just when I am about to give up on AC, he pulls at my heart with the story about the raped woman in the Congo. It's interesting that he even considered switching over to network news. I thought I saw rumors that he was considering a morning job at CBS. There was also the 60 minutes offer. Must be nice to be wanted.....I'm glad he's sticking with CNN!

Anonymous said...

@jr - It's good Cnn gave him a raise -)

Kimber M. said...

Thanks for the heads up! Your blog is awesome btw I have found that it is the most up-to-date and therefore one of my favorites. Keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised that you always get the news first! I agree with Lavender, GREAT BLOG!

Anonymous said...

Anderson doesn't do that many interviews so I'm always excited when he grants one.

Anonymous said...

The magazine is on store shelves now. You will like it.

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