Freakspeakers

Times UK - Proving the use of White Phosphorus

2009-01-09T21:32:00.005-05:00

While Anderson Cooper is very busy enjoying the buzz and coverage of his Puppy Debate, the Times-UK finally exposed the IDF and its use of White Phosphorus

It's sooo easy to cover govermental gathered schells without asking the same government about this kind of weapons - which happen to be ILLEGAL to use agaisnt civilians -. If they could now find the cluster bombs with depleted uranium.

From The Times
January 8, 2009
Gaza victims' burns increase concern over phosphorus

The pale blue 155mm rounds are clearly marked with the designation M825A1, an American-made white phosphorus munition

Michael Evans, Defence Editor and Sheera Frenkel in Jerusalem

Photographic evidence has emerged that proves that Israel has been using controversial white phosphorus shells during its offensive in Gaza, despite official denials by the Israel Defence Forces.
There is also evidence that the rounds have injured Palestinian civilians, causing severe burns. The use of white phosphorus against civilians is prohibited under international law.
The Times has identified stockpiles of white phosphorus (WP) shells from high-resolution images taken of Israel Defence Forces (IDF) artillery units on the Israeli-Gaza border this week. The pale blue 155mm rounds are clearly marked with the designation M825A1, an American-made WP munition. The shell is an improved version with a more limited dispersion of the phosphorus, which ignites on contact with oxygen, and is being used by the Israeli gunners to create a smoke screen on the ground.
The rounds, which explode into a shower of burning white streaks, were first identified by The Times at the weekend when they were fired over Gaza at the start of Israel's ground offensive. Artillery experts said that the Israeli troops would be in trouble if they were banned from using WP because it is the simplest way of creating smoke to protect them from enemy fire.
There were indications last night that Palestinian civilians have been injured by the bombs, which burn intensely. Hassan Khalass, a doctor at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, told The Times that he had been dealing with patients who he suspected had been burnt by white phosphorus. Muhammad Azayzeh, 28, an emergency medical technician in the city, said: “The burns are very unusual. They don't look like burns we have normally seen. They are third-level burns that we can't seem to control.”
Victims with embedded WP particles in their flesh have to have the affected areas flushed with water. Particles that cannot be removed with tweezers are covered with a saline-soaked dressing.
Nafez Abu Shaban, the head of the burns unit at al-Shifa hospital, said: “I am not familiar with phosphorus but many of the patients wounded in the past weeks have strange burns. They are very deep and not like burns we used to see.”
When The Times reported on Monday that the Israeli troops appeared to be firing WP shells to create a thick smoke camouflage for units advancing into Gaza, an IDF spokesman denied the use of phosphorus and said that Israel was using only the weapons that were allowed under international law.
Rows of the pale blue M825A1 WP shells were photographed on January 4 on the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border. Another picture showed the same munitions stacked up behind an Israeli self-propelled howitzer.
Confronted with the latest evidence, an IDF spokeswoman insisted that the M825A1 shell was not a WP type. “This is what we call a quiet shell - it is empty, it has no explosives and no white phosphorus. There is nothing inside it,” she said.
“We shoot it to mark the target before we launch a real shell. We launch two or three of the quiet shells which are empty so that the real shells will be accurate. It's not for killing people,” she said.
Asked what shell was being used to create the smokescreen effect seen so clearly on television images, she said: “We're using what other armies use and we're not using any weapons that are banned under international law.”
Neil Gibson, technical adviser to Jane's Missiles and Rockets, insisted that the M825A1 was a WP round. “The M825A1 is an improved model. The WP does not fill the shell but is impregnated into 116 felt wedges which, once dispersed [by a high-explosive charge], start to burn within four to five seconds. They then burn for five to ten minutes. The smoke screen produced is extremely effective,” he said.
The shell is not defined as an incendiary weapon by the Third Protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons because its principal use is to produce smoke to protect troops. However, Marc Galasco, of Human Rights Watch, said: “Recognising the significant incidental incendiary effect that white phosphorus creates, there is great concern that Israel is failing to take all feasible steps to avoid civilian loss of life and property by using WP in densely populated urban areas. This concern is amplified given the technique evidenced in media photographs of air-bursting WP projectiles at relatively low levels, seemingly to maximise its incendiary effect.”
He added, however, that Human Rights Watch had no evidence that Israel was using incendiaries as weapons.
British and American artillery units have stocks of white phosphorus munitions but they are banned as anti-personnel weapons. “These munitions are not unlawful as their purpose is to provide obscuration and not cause injury by burning,” a Ministry of Defence source said.
Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian war surgery specialist working in Gaza, told The Times that he had seen injuries believed to have resulted from Israel's use of a new “dense inert metal explosive” that caused “extreme explosions”. He said: “Those inside the perimeter of this weapon's power zone will be torn completely apart. We have seen numerous amputations that we suspect have been caused by this.”

Copyright 2008 Times Newspapers Ltd.

Debunking the Spin: not an easy thing to do for Anderson Cooper and CNN

2009-01-07T13:48:00.004-05:00

It´s a fact: Israel won´t allow jounalists into Gaza.

What CNN and Anderson Cooper says in his own blog:

¨The problem is that in not allowing international journalists into Gaza, Israel is guaranteeing that the only pictures from the Palestinian side are the ones Hamas wants the world to see. Press control by Hamas is heavy-handed. Hamas controls who reports from there and where they can go. While pictures of wounded children being brought to hospital are clearly encouraged, we rarely see images of Hamas fighters, or their rockets being fired into Israel.¨

Playing along or being the spin doctor? That is such a desconstructed and cheap way of diminishing the work of other journalists. I always thought that THE New York Times, Associated Press, Reuters, and AFP were serious media outlets. Many journalists know those are the places to be in order to gain respectability - not celebrity - as a journalist. Contrary to CNN they have bureaus within GAZA, sent or contracted journalists in the West Bank. People who have to live the hard task - just like the CNN people in Iraq - of living in a war zone. Far from the commodities of a 5 star hotel near the IDF headquarters where the press releases and summited videos are hand delivered.

Another thing that Cooper descunstruct is the FACT that wire services publish a lot of content, and the photo editors and desk editors purchase the images and stories THEY want to publish according to their editorial line. To say: ¨we rarely see images of Hamas fighters, or their rockets being fired into Israel ", well.. google and yahoo news are your friends. Blame the media outlets not the news services that are working their bids.

From AP Masked Palestinian militants from Islamic Jihad run with homemade rockets to put in place before later firing them into Israel on the outskirts of Gaza City, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Ashraf Amra)

Masked Palestinian militants from Islamic Jihad place homemade rockets before later firing them into Israel on the outskirts of Gaza City, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Ashraf Amra)

Why is Anderson Cooper and CNN even suggesting that NYT´s TAGHREED EL-KHODARY or others are mouth pieces for Hamas? I know its a competitive business, and it must suck for them to have a reporter from a newspaper or wire service giving first hand accounts. Witnessing the destruction, but targeting your peers and doubting their accounts calling all the media controlled mouth pieces? Or is just because they are not westerners? Islamofobia?

What is the difference? CNN is giving plenty of air time to the Israeli govenment and only presenting what the Israelis what them to present. Who is doing the spin? Who is the mouthpiece? Even his reports about the damage from the Hamas rockets can´t compare to the ones done by CLUSTER BOMBS and WHITE,PHOSPORUS. Why CNN US won´t even mention the fact - denounced by the UN as reported by the BBC- that the IDF is known for using illegal weapons? Don´t talk about the consequenses of their use and the danger they become after the battle engagement ends?

Anderson Cooper´s report , Lethal Rockets, is almost a copycat of the one he did during the Lebanon-Israel conflict. Anderson Cooper and team showing their range...

Then he stated: “We'd come to get a look at the damage and had hoped to talk with a Hezbollah representative. Instead, we found ourselves with other foreign reporters taken on a guided tour by Hezbollah. Young men on motor scooters followed our every movement. They only allowed us to videotape certain streets, certain buildings. Once, when they thought we'd videotaped them, they asked us to erase the tape. These men are called al-Shabab, Hezbollah volunteers who are the organization's eyes and ears.”

Doesn´t that have an eerie similarity of what Israel is allowing how and what to report today? When we see reporters in Israel running like sheeps towards the site where a rocket has landed? Why haven´t they interviewed moderate Israelis that are strongly opposing the conflict WITHIN Israel. CNN´s silence for access? Islamofobia?

Anderson, just grant me a wish... can you please do a story - think about equal time - about the cluster bombs? ehh I know... nevermind.

Today AP distributed this report. Worth Reading.

AP Gaza reporter finds hometown in rubble

By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer Ibrahim Barzak, Associated Press Writer

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – I live alone in my office. My wife and two young children moved in with her father after our apartment was shattered. The neighborhood mosque, where I have prayed since I was a child, had its roof blown off. All the government buildings on my beat have been obliterated.
After days of Israeli shelling, the city and life I have known no longer exist.
Gaza City, with some 400,000 people, stopped supplying water when the fuel ran out for the power station driving the pumps. We listen to battery-run radios for news, even though the outside world watches what's happening to us on television. Grocery stores are closed and food is scarce.
Hospital officials say more than 600 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military operation to crush Hamas, the radical Islamic movement that rules Gaza. Many are civilians.
Three days after Israel began its airstrikes on Gaza on Dec. 27, my apartment building was shaken by bombs aimed at a nearby Hamas-run government compound.
My brother took a picture of the room where my boys, 2-year-old Hikmet and 6-month-old Ahmed, once slept. Their toys were broken, shrapnel had punched through the closet and the bedroom wall had collapsed. I don't know if we will ever go back.
The Israeli army issued a video of the bombing of the Hamas compound, which it posted on YouTube. I can see my home being destroyed, and I watch it obsessively.
On Tuesday, I stood outside my apartment building but didn't dare to enter. I was worried the remains of the nearby Hamas compound might again be shelled without warning.
Driving back to central Gaza City, I took the road where Gaza's two main universities are. It was covered with shards of glass, telephone cables, electricity wires and flattened cars. This road was once crowded with students, taxis and street vendors. It was always noisy and jammed.
The only shop I found open was a pharmacy run by my friend Eyad Sayegh. He's an Orthodox Christian, and I stopped to wish him a Merry Christmas — Eastern churches celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7.
Eyad told me he forgot it was Christmas.
All the landmark buildings I covered as a reporter have vanished.
The colonial-era Seraya was the main security compound for the succession of Gaza's rulers — the British, Egyptians, Israelis, the Palestinian Authority and then the rival Palestinians of Hamas.
We used to fear the Seraya, where the central jail was. Now it's rubble.
Of the presidential office overlooking the sea only a few walls remain. For many Gazans it was a symbol of our statehood, even though President Mahmoud Abbas, who also heads the Fatah movement, hasn't been there since Hamas seized control of the territory in June 2007.
Someone planted a Palestinian flag on the building's remains. The huge gate at the western entrance still stands, giving an illusion of something big behind it.
And across the city, the Parliament house is half destroyed.
On Jala Street, one of Gaza's main roads, I saw about 30 boys around a leaky irrigation tap on a traffic island. They were clutching empty soft drink bottles and jerry cans, trying to fill them with water.
Samir, who is 9, told me his family has no water at home and he wanted to bring enough for a bath because he and his brother smell.
So do most people in Gaza right now.
In my father-in-law's building, residents throw out bags of spoiled food. With no power, refrigerators don't run and fresh food quickly rots.
Shortages are getting worse, leading to unusual gender equality in the bread lines. I saw about 150 men and women gathered to buy bread — but standing in separate lines. The men complained the women, normally so deferential to men, kept pushing, so now they have two lines.
There are few cars on the roads, and most of those are media cars, ambulances and vehicles packed with civilians. Some look like they are fleeing, with mattresses tied to the roofs, but who knows where they can go.
Israeli helicopters fly overhead. I hear blasts in the distance. The roads have been ripped apart by explosives.
I drive into downtown Gaza, trying to prove to myself I can still do something I have done so often before — drive through my city.
I reach the Catholic school I attended, where my late father used to bring me every day. The building is undamaged. I stand in front of it, wondering if I will ever walk my children to this school.

PEACE!

Breaking the Silence on Gaza and Anderson Cooper

2009-01-05T22:56:00.008-05:00

I´m torn with the idea of Anderson Cooper covering the conflict. Penhaul and the CNN international crew has done such an extraordinary job. Reporting with no BS, nor official spins.
I can already make the rundown of his coverage.

1. Anderson is going to be as partial and bias as with the Lebannon war becoming the mouth piece of the Israeli Government.

2. Anderson will focus and focus and focus about the Hamas Rockets and will Ignore, Ignore and IGNORE the Cluster Bombs with uranium and the White Phosphorus gas that is being used by the IDF - which by the way are illegal -.

Caption: It landed right here

Anderson Cooper examines the damage in an Israeli marketplace where a rocket launched by Hamas landed.

How he compare that with THESE?

3. Will Anderson Cooper call the thousands of harmed and hundreds of death - particularly children - part of the Hamas proganda staging?

4. Will he even bother interview one of his supposed favorite charities Doctors Without Borders about how they can't reach Gaza?

5. Sure there will be a 3 minute "Reporters Notebook" of how innocent animals - like dogs and cats - are being used as shields by Hamas ( I'm being way cynical here!! but actually a Boston newspaper just did it! ) or how humane Israel is towards the wounded pets injured by Hamas rockets ... it made me sick!

Over a year ago The Jerusalem Post published a letter from Mordechai Eliyahu to Olmet -in which he states: "If they don't stop after we kill 100, then we must kill a thousand," "And if they do not stop after 1,000 then we must kill 10,000. If they still don't stop we must kill 100,000, even a million. Whatever it takes to make them stop."

The core of the issue was presented by the israeli general Moshe Dayan: "The declaration of the State of Israel in 1948 was at the expense of ethnically cleansing 513 Palestinian villages, creating over 700,000 Palestinian refugees and expropriating their lands, homes and businesses in 78% of Palestine … There is not one single place built in this country that did not have a former (Palestinian) population."

I doubt that Anderson Cooper might present the crisis in a balanced context. I doubt that he won't even be capable of not inserting himself in the story, making it as always, all about him and the photo ops. In this time of economic crisis and massive lay offs - including CNN -, he should have stayed in NY and just read the teleprompter and save the travel expenses. There are better and more capable reporters from CNN already in the area.

This is a time of No spin, No bias, No bull.

New Interview

2008-04-13T22:19:00.010-04:00

Click to enlarge

Just curious, what section did you first think you'd find this magazine in?

more R&K

2008-04-07T20:49:00.006-04:00

Those of you who can't watch morning shows on weekdays, I hope you enjoy watching Anderson co-hosting Regis and Kelly last week. I join others in wishing Anderson complete and fast recovery.

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Be strong Cooper!

2008-03-19T21:52:00.002-04:00

I know we have neglected the blog for several months, but we decided to break our sebatical in order to wish Anderson Cooper the best recovery ever. Cancer is no joke. And with cancer outburst running in his family is something even more serious. Thank God he must have access to top medical care, a luxury many cancer patients don't have and can only hope and dream to afford.

Be this a reminder that cancer does not discriminate. It is still an epidemic that is no longer a priority for many. Remember to do your anual check ups, colaborate or donate to cancer treatment centers. Do your share. Be safe, be healthy, be strong.

What's cooking, Anderson?

2008-02-02T20:38:00.000-05:00

To the joy of political junkies like me, CNN plans two more debates at the end of February if nominees will not be determined by then. No word so far if Anderson will host one of them. Can't say I enjoyed Anderson's moderating of this week's debate, but I enjoyed him co-hosting Regis and Kelly yesterday. Interesting that ABC's leading news anchor Charlie Gibson was Kelly's guest just a day before. If you missed Anderson's appearance, watch it right here!

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Happy New Year!

2008-01-06T14:40:00.001-05:00

We are a week into 2008, which promises to be a fascinating year in American politics. Happy New Year to everybody, and let's hope that this year will bring less tragic events then 2007 or none at all. Whoever missed CNN NYE celebrations hosted by Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin, watch the recap right here!

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Anderson on Regis and Kelly

2007-10-23T13:03:00.001-04:00

Anderson Cooper was a guest on "Live with Regis and Kelly". Jimmy Kimmel is co-hosting this whole week, so it was interesting to see Anderson as a guest. Enjoy!

Focus on Africa

2007-10-21T22:54:00.000-04:00

Anderson Cooper had a new report from Niger on 60 minutes, he went there to see how things have changed after his Emmy-winning report in 2005. It's great to see that 60 minutes allows him to report on issues that matter and that he has passion for, not limiting him to celebrity interviews. Anybody who missed it --watch it here!

UPDATE: Anderson is going to Congo next weekend on assignment for 60 Minutes

More promo

2007-10-18T23:51:00.000-04:00

For our international audience, enjoy!

AC interviews our favourite character

2007-10-18T00:28:00.000-04:00

It's good to watch children's shows once in a while. Enjoy!

And Now it is official, COLBERT FOR PRESIDENT!!!!

2007-10-16T23:50:00.001-04:00

Now, THIS IS INTERESTING!!!!

Get ready for the write in campaign, REGISTER TO VOTE, and get this man in the White House!!!!

sign the petition and show your support
here

or visit The Colbert Nation.

Anderson could be his press secretary...

Should we be excited?

2007-10-16T11:32:00.000-04:00

Anybody who couldn't see yesterday's appearance, watch it here!
I didn't notice much enthusiasm in promoting a new documentary, did you?

As usual, what you were looking for

2007-10-09T11:47:00.000-04:00

For our international audience and all those who missed it

Even more pictures from the screening of PIP

2007-10-08T23:40:00.000-04:00

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I know things are a bit slow around here, but don't miss Anderson Cooper at the View...

Anderson Cooper At a Screening of PIP

2007-10-08T22:36:00.000-04:00

Actor Charles Grodin, left, and Anderson Cooper attend a screening of the environmental documentary 'Planet in Peril,' Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, in New York. The documentary, about threats to the world's environment, is hosted by CNN anchor Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)
Anderson Cooper attends a screening of the environmental documentary 'Planet in Peril,' Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, in New York. The documentary, about threats to the world's environment, is hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)

Jerry Seinfeld, left, and his wife Jessica pose with Anderson Cooper at the screening of the environmental documentary 'Planet in Peril,' Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, in New York. The documentary, about threats to the world's environment, is hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, right, and Anderson Cooper attend a screening of the environmental documentary 'Planet in Peril,' Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, in New York. The documentary, about threats to the world's environment, is hosted by CNN anchor Cooper, chief medical correspondent Gupta and Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)

An Anderson Cooper overload!

2007-09-26T02:24:00.000-04:00

Ok it's great more new photos are surfacing... Here are some photos of Anderson attending Elton John's Gala...
Enjoy!

Si tienen la oportunidad de visita esta nueva revista, es un concepto nuevo que está desarrollando una amiga, es un centro de reunión y exploración hispano de creencias místicas y espirituales. Me gusta mucho el diseño.

It's not Monday, but Anderson isn't helping

2007-09-25T23:33:00.000-04:00

Some photos of Anderson Cooper and Jeffrey Toobin @ Barnes and Noble, NYC

Thanks to agent 000WTF for the images... I'll be back to posting soon! keep on browsing!

Hump Day

2007-09-19T15:50:00.000-04:00

How is everyone doing?

What do you think of OJ's arrest? I read this afternoon that he posted bail and is out walking the streets again. I hate to judge (seeing as he's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty), but it would be poetic justice were he to get that life sentence they keep mentioning.

Ron Goldman's sister was on the Today show this morning and she mentioned karma. Yeah, karma's a b!^&#, ain't it?

I also saw Senator John McCain on the Today show. What a trooper. You know, I don't agree with his beliefs regarding the Iraq war--he's riding around in a tour bus with "No Surrender" painted on the side; what does that tell you?--but I have to give him kudos for standing firm with those beliefs. Despite the polls that say the American public is against the war, Senator McCain is supportive of the war and it looks like he would keep troops there as long as possible, were he to be elected President.

And last but not least, what about that kid who got tasered at the University of Florida? What happened to free speech, anyway? Sure, the kid might have been a nuisance, but is that a reason to taser someone? If so, those university cops need to head to Washington DC right now...I can think of a few people who could use a lil "shock 'n awe" of their own.

1 hour with Anderson Cooper

2007-09-13T13:53:00.000-04:00

Now all speculations might rest, Anderson Cooper 360 was officially downsized to 1 hour, the 11 slot will be filled with...... A REPEAT!!! geez no one saw that coming.....

CNN turns '360' into hourlong
Cabler makes tweaks to Cooper show

By MICHAEL LEARMONTH Variety

Cooper

Anderson Cooper is about to do a 180.

CNN is permanently shifting to taped programming for the second hour of "Anderson Cooper 360," scaling back an ambitious programming block created in 2005 to showcase the studio and field-reporting talents of Cooper, who it viewed as an emerging star.

CNN launched Cooper in the two-hour live block starting at 10 p.m. ET in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina two years ago, placing him alongside Aaron Brown, whose "NewsNight" had been extended an additional hour to report on the disaster.

But CNN soon benched Brown and made the two-hour block permanent, with Cooper at the helm, and promoted the anchor's blend of reporting with personality that became his signature.

CNN's cable news competitors air taped programming at 11 p.m. ET, a cheaper proposition, and the second hour of "360" runs second in the ratings to a rerun of "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News Channel.

Cooper averaged 747,000 viewers in his second hour in August, less than O'Reilly's 965,000 and a steep drop from the 1.1 million he averaged during the first hour, according to Nielsen.

Sources at competing networks have long speculated that CNN would cancel the second hour and revert to tape at 11 p.m.

CNN spokesperson Christa Robinson said the net has no intention of canceling the second hour and cast the move as a continuation of what the network had been doing this summer--reverting to pre-recorded programming in the second hour unless news events warrant otherwise.

But insiders say the net has been weighing a return to a repeat of "Lou Dobbs Tonight," or as some suggest, airing a repeat of Campbell Brown's new show which will be launched in November.

When CNN extended "NewsNight" in 2005, it displaced a second airing of "Lou Dobbs Tonight," a lucrative hour for the net since it cost nothing to produce, raked in advertising and exposed Dobbs to West Coast viewers at 8 p.m.

The move was seen at the time as a blow to Dobbs, though his numbers have grown since then and the firebrand anchor's hour is now CNN's highest-rated show behind "Larry King Live."

Sources said both Dobbs and Brown have lobbied for the time slot.

The stakes are high for Brown, who is set to compete at the 8 p.m. hour against FNC's O'Reilly and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. If she gets another airing at 11, she'd face O'Reilly twice a day.

MSNBC at one time experimented with Tucker Carlson at 11 p.m. but soon moved him to 6 and launched its "Doc Block," filled with repurposed "Dateline" episodes.

Here we go!!!!!

2007-09-08T23:53:00.000-04:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Ok, we owe you... the path of work and remodeling is not the best match...

But here some pics of Anderson Cooper arriving to the set of Regis and Kelly

And thanks to a great friend (THANKS!!! IOU!!!!!!) for saving our butts!!!

Have a great week!

As always, what you were waiting for

2007-08-30T00:24:00.000-04:00

For our international viewers, clips from much awaited Katrina anniversary programming

Where did Anderson Cooper go?

2007-08-29T21:29:00.000-04:00

When Katrina hit the US Gulf Coast, Anderson Cooper was catapulted from second tier anchor to a mainstream name. The Landrieu interview (above) became the “voice” of the Nation’s indignity in the way things were handled by the Bush and State administrations. Some claimed that precise moment was the turning point of Cooper’s career; others went so far to claim he was the new face of journalism, or the birth of the emo-anchor. The rebirth of journalism. Or was it?

Cooper became a symbol, the ultimate resource of everything Katrina, almost a spokesperson for the victims coining the phrase Keeping them Honest. The public was tired of the silence of the press, of its fear (the press and parent companies) of losing access to information if they made the right questions about Iraq, their contractors or any sign of corruption to the White House. Cooper’s interview to Landrieu broke that silence. And its force was comparable to Katrina.

Time Warner and its research division didn’t miss the opportunity to grasp the reaction. Bad news is good news for media outlets. They gain a lot of money with tragedies. And they were going to milk the Cooper empathy for what it was worth. Soon he was everywhere: billboards, ads, magazine covers, book tours. He was presented as a new millennium super hero. Every interview meticulously scripted and threaded (just think about the interviews that he repeats the same information over and over again). CNN’s promotional budget for him was rumored to be around 10 million. And the public loved it. But Scholars and media professionals on the other hand weren’t so pleased.

Was the Landrieu interview a constructed effort or an outburst of raw emotion and indignation? Most (scholars and professionals) think it was a very decent human been calling on someone on its own Bull Shit, but not a journalistic endeavor. Some claim he became the face of Katrina, sometimes focusing everything on his image eclipsing the real issues and problems.

He tried to keep the bravado in other interviews like the one with Iran’s president. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which was very close to a train wreck where he went to the cheap offensive and righteous position of claiming freedom of press, forgetting that his own executive producer asked at the 360 blog ( Sept. 20, 2006 ) to submit questions to the president, making valid Ahmadinejad’s question about if he asked everything ”they asked him to ask”. He missed a golden opportunity to provoke questions, discussions; he went with the cheap smart ass trick.

His reports and series became photo ops for promotion, some of them like the Planet in Peril editions a great example of bad production. Many people were looking forward to his Katrina first anniversary special, which ironically became the perfect example of mediocrity. They didn’t even used the reports made by the team of American Morning (excellent BTW) They limited themselves to the old shrimp boat… to later claim there is no right to have Katrina Fatigue.

All the promotional investment hasn’t proportionally translated in strong and steady ratings growths. Seven years ago, during an Edwards R. Murrow Awards Ceremony at the RTNDA, Christiane Amanpour presented and excellent explanation to it: “I believe good journalism is good business.” And the monster ratings she had with God’s Warriors proved it, leaving in the dust all news stations.

But it’s not all Anderson Cooper’s fault. TV production is a team effort. Management and production has to work hand in hand, and respect its audience, something that the team behind Cooper is seriously lacking or forgetting. Sometimes I ask myself if we are really watching CNN or E!?

Amanpour again addressed the issues:

“Surely a news operation should be the crown jewel of any corporation…the thing that makes a corporation feel good about itself. We all love "Millionaire," make your money off that….make your super-dollars somewhere else. Leave us alone, with only good competitive journalism as our benchmark. I know I do not need to remind you of all the quality programs that make money too…60-minutes, Nightline…are just a couple. No matter what the hocus-pocus focus groups tell you, time has proven that all the gimmicks and cheap journalism can only carry you so far.”

“Remember the movie "Field of Dreams" when the voice said, "Build it and they will come." Well, tell a compelling story and they will watch. Lest you think these are woolly-headed musings …we are not dinosaurs…we are the frontier. You've mastered the hardware…we are the software. And that will never change. Today's buzzwords seem to be content, and platforms. Well, we produce the content for all your different platforms…and that will never change. Humble newsprint, the New York Times, still rules the world. As someone else might have said, "It's the content stupid." You've invested so much money in technology…perhaps it's time to invest in talent…in people…do you know how many people in newsrooms I know have a hard time even recognizing news anymore….”

People in the media knows that CNN is great for entry level positions (the pay isn’t that good unlike networks), but unfortunately the lack of experience of its productions slaps you through your TV set. A friend from Argentina who usually catches 360 through CNN International sent me an email furious about the coverage of the Vick case. He couldn’t understand how that case was more important than the lost of entire cities in Peru or other international events. Why people in Europe should tune in to watch CNN for Paris Hilton? As Anderson Cooper once said: there is a war, there is a war, there is a war. And God’s Warrior proved that people tune in for good content.

Tonight Anderson will present his Katrina Second Anniversary Special. I no longer expect to be amazed or informed by his show. I do not even expect to see quality. I’m tired of the endless rehashing and recycling of news or clips that belong to America’s Funniest Videos or Animal Planet, an insult when you think there are hundreds of journalist that are killed in order to cover the news, and a whole nation hungry (or at least in need) to be informed in an entire new perspective.

Will tonight mark the return of Anderson Cooper? I'm not holding my breath.

Back to Blogging

2007-08-27T05:58:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday everyone,
another week, another adventure or another dull routine... August have been very hectic to say it softly. I really want to thank Courtney and Ivy for keeping things running in my absence, I didn't expected it to be so long, and although I had the opportunity to sneak into the chat, blogging was an overkill for me.

This week The FreakSpeakers blog celebrates its first anniversary. A year already! Many thought we wouldn't last this long, and sincerely after all the controversies I'm even surprised of our endurance. We have had great moments, some thunderstorms and hurricanes... but we are still standing and having fun in the process.

For our chat regulars and lurkers, we changed the chatroom platform. It is a lot more friendly and it is supposed to work better... follow the link and check it out! (remember @10 PM) With this platform we have a lot more control.

I also want to present you with a comment made by Ted Casablanca at his Awful Truth Column, which I found disturbingly funny:

Anderson Cooper, just wanna warn ya: The boys in Manhattan’s David Barton gym are on a mission, I’ve been informed, to sidle up to you at the urinals every time you go for a little relief, in case you hadn’t noticed, which, I’m certain, is an impossibility. Take it as a compliment, you little CNN cutie! Last time I heard there was such a package-peeking explosion in New Yawk, it was aimed at the hunk who may rest in peace, JFK Jr. So, take the compliment already, babe.

Is there a scavenger hunt for a pic of Anderson Cooper's private parts? I see another gym in Anderson's near future...

And to enhance your morning, and as usual, here some photos of Anderson!

I'm off to get some coffee!

Are people more important than dogs?

2007-08-22T13:45:00.000-04:00

Jeffrey Toobin made a great point that abuse of women should create more outrage then abuse of animals, and called some of Anderson Cooper 360 viewers out of their minds. Does he know about Betty Ann? -)

The irony of ignoring history: turning their backs to Darfur

2007-08-20T20:58:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone, I've been away from the blog for awhile now, I want to thank Courtney for keeping things up an running while I'm busy offline. To our regular chatters... see ya later!

Anyway, those of you know how I have always said how opportunist, racist and unfair immigrations policies are, I came across this story about the illegal immigrants running away from the Genocide of Darfur. Heartbreaking.

A Sudanese refugee boy stands at a private home where he and others are being temporarily housed after crossing from Egypt into Israel, Kadesh Barnea, Israel, Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007. Israel said Sunday it would turn away refugees from the war torn Darfur region of Sudan in an effort to stop the flow of Africans across Israel's southern border with Egypt. Advocates for the refugees in Israel condemned the decision, saying the Jewish people should be expected to show empathy for people fleeing persecution. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

And as Hype and Mainstream as Hollywood have made the Darfur tragedy, I don't think we will see this anywhere near 360. The excuse of national security is running thin. You can't have it both ways. Or you support Darfur or not. You support human rights or not. History repeats itself, but we are not learning.

Israel to Turn Away Darfur Refugees

Israel Turns Away Darfur Refugees, Which Some Say Is Shirking Its Moral Responsibility

By MATTI FRIEDMAN

The Associated Press

JERUSALEM

Israel said Sunday it will no longer allow refugees from Darfur to stay after they sneak across the border from Egypt, drawing criticism from those who say the Jewish state is morally obliged to offer sanctuary to people fleeing mass murder.

Israel has been grappling for months over how to deal with the swelling numbers of Africans, including some from Darfur, who have been crossing the porous desert border.

The number of migrants has shot up to as many as 50 a day, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, apparently as word of job opportunities in Israel has spread. The rise has led to concerns that the country could face a flood of African refugees if it doesn't take a harsher stand on asylum seekers.

But Israel has not turned back refugees from Darfur until now, and last month Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said a limited number would even be allowed to remain in Israel.

On Sunday, a government spokesman said some 500 Darfurians already in Israel would be allowed to stay, but all new asylum seekers would be sent back to Egypt, with no exception.

"The policy of returning back anyone who enters Israel illegally will pertain to everyone, including those from Darfur," spokesman David Baker said.

Overnight, Israel returned 48 Africans to Egypt. An Israeli government official said Egypt had guaranteed that any Darfur refugees would not be forced to return to Sudan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release that information to the press.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters Sunday that Egypt would accept the refugees for "very pressing humanitarian reasons" but that this type of transfer "would not be repeated again."

Fighting between pro-government militias and rebels in Darfur has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million since February 2003.

Most of the displaced people remain in Darfur, but the U.N. estimates that 236,000 have fled across the border to neighboring Chad, where they live in camps. Tens of thousands of others have sought sanctuary in Egypt, which is ill-equipped to provide them with jobs and social services.

About 400 of the Darfurians who reached Egypt have driven and trekked through desert sands to cross the unfenced frontier with Israel, according to the refugees' advocates in Israel.

Israel's response to the unexpected arrivals has been mixed. Threats to expel them have clashed with sentiments inspired by the memory of Jews seeking sanctuary from the Nazis before and during World War II and being turned away. Some volunteers have helped migrants find jobs and housing.

Eytan Schwartz, an advocate for Darfur refugees in Israel, objected to any ban on the asylum seekers. "The state of Israel has to show compassion for refugees after the Jewish people was subject to persecution throughout its history," he said.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel said in a statement that it is, "Israel's moral and legal obligation to accept any refugees or asylum seekers facing life-threatening danger or infringements on their freedom."

But Ephraim Zuroff of the Nazi-hunting Simon Wiesenthal Center said the Jewish people could not be expected to right every wrong just because of its past.

"Israel can't throw open the gates and allow unlimited access for people who are basically economic refugees," Zuroff said.

The Darfurians found sanctuary from the killings in Sudan by fleeing to Egypt, he said, but their arrival in Israel "was motivated primarily by the difficult living conditions and bleak economic prospects in that country."

That the refugees are from Sudan further complicates the matter, because Israeli law denies asylum to anyone from an enemy state. Sudan's Muslim government is hostile to Israel and has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.

Although the case of the Darfur refugees is unusual, the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin set a precedent in 1977 when he offered asylum to nearly 400 Vietnamese boat people.

Israel estimates that 2,800 people have entered the country illegally through Egypt's Sinai desert in recent years. Nearly all are from Africa, including 1,160 from Sudan. Many spent months or years in Egypt before entering Israel.

Israel has repeatedly urged Egypt to step up its surveillance of the border to prevent the illegal flow of goods and people. Egypt has responded by beefing up its efforts recently, with almost daily reports of African refugees being arrested before entering Israel.

In July, Egyptian police shot and killed a Sudanese woman who was trying to cross into Israel, the first confirmed death of its kind. And earlier this month, Israeli media reported that Egyptian border guards beat to death two Sudanese men in front of Israeli soldiers. Egypt neither confirmed nor denied the incident.

Do we need a draft?

2007-08-16T21:12:00.000-04:00

For those who missed LKL and AC360 the last 2 days, here's a part of Bill Maher interview with Larry King where they talk about Iraq and draft, and the other clip is Michael Ware on Anderson Cooper 360 explaining situation in Iraq after yesterday's deadly suicide bombing that claimed over 500 lives.

You might have read that a few days ago Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, known as "the War Czar" told NPR that military draft is considered. "I think it makes sense to certainly consider it, and I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table, but ultimately, this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation's security by one means or another."

Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye!

2007-08-13T22:45:00.000-04:00

Can I just say "Good riddance to bad rubbish?"

Not very PC or without bias, I'm afraid, but I have to admit to being quite pleased when I woke this morning to find that Karl Rove is leaving his post at the White House.

Surely I'm not the only person to feel this way?

What does this bode for the White House and for the President's agenda? The First Lady said Rove's role has been blown out of proportion, but do we really believe the President the author of all White House policies? Is the President a lame duck?

As I'm sure you've heard, Mitt Romney won the Iowa Straw Poll over the weekend, and Mike Huckabee took second place. None of the "big name" candidates even showed up. What do you think? Should the Senator and former mayor have traveled to Iowa and made a showing? How does this alter the future of the Republican race, or will it have much effect?

On a somewhat lighter note, the people of Cuba celebrated Fidel Castro's 81st birthday with fireworks and cheers--but without their fearless leader. I'm sure it tickles him pink (bad pun, I know) to think how he's outlived most of the people who tried to kill him.

What's the weather like in your neck of the woods? I'm considering moving north. These 100 degree days make me cranky (well, crankier than usual) and tired. If you're suffering the same weather, what are you doing to beat the heat?

Have a great evening, everyone!

Weekly Blurb

2007-08-08T21:29:00.001-04:00

I'd like to give Ivy a hand once again for saving my rear end when it comes to this blog. Unfortunately I can't kick whatever is wrong with me and have been under the weather the past couple of days. Thanks for keeping an eye on this place, Ivy!

Real quick, as I need to take some meds and get to bed:

What do you think of the new Teacher in Space? Pretty cool, eh? Do you remember what you were doing on January 28, 1986 when the Challenger blew up, or can that even be considered a "flashbulb memory" like 9/11 or President Kennedy's assassination?

I was in third grade and my teacher told us about it after lunch. My teacher was a harbringer of bad news that year, let me tell ya. Not only did she share the news about the Challenger, but she also informed us that our first grade teacher had given birth prematurely and might lose the baby AND on another occasion, she told us we'd just started bombing Libya and a nuclear war with the Soviets was at hand.

All of this in the third grade, mind you.

At any rate, I remember watching the television footage of the shuttle explosion on the news that night. A horrible sight.

What's this I see about a tornado in Brooklyn? Wow!

President Bush battled Lyme disease last summer, according to CNN, but is doing okay now. Interesting. "white House spokesman Scott Stanzel told CNN it is "not uncommon" for Bush to get tick bites during his frequent bike rides. He said the president noticed he had a small rash in a "localized area" of his body last August and had it treated by his doctors. "It's been resolved," said Stanzel. "He's had no reoccurrence and no other symptoms."

Ew. Glad that's, er, cleared up for us. Thanks.

All right. Short, I know, but I need to get some sleep. Take care, everyone.

Collective Insanity

2007-08-06T22:30:00.000-04:00

I wanted to pay your attention to yesterday's Republican Presidential debate on ABC moderated George Stephanopoulos. Though it was not moderated by Anderson Cooper, it was well worth watching. I put together a few soundbites that I found especially interesting. The only person who makes sense on more issues then others is Ron Paul, the rest are a scary bunch. I hope our society won't slip into collective insanity like it did during last elections.

Watch these Anderson Cooper 360 reports for some reality check. I know they should.

America's militia
Michael Ware and Peter Bergen disagree with Bush Iraq rhetoric
Peter Bergen's break down of administration mistakes

I hope Courtney will have a few words to say about it, and thanks to Christiane!

Weekend Update

2007-08-04T15:17:00.000-04:00

Forgive me for not blogging much this week. I got busy with real life stuff and then got sick, so that's why I haven't been around much. Luckily Ivy was kind enough to cover for me by posting those great TV clips. Thanks so much, Ivy!

This morning I saw that President Bush traveled to Minneapolis to see the destruction caused by the bridge collapse and to visit with some survivors. It's been a tragic week for the citizens of that area, and I hope they can get that bridge rebuilt soon. One of my co-workers has a son with whom I went to elementary school and who lives in Minneapolis. Thank goodness he and his family are all right. If anyone has a personal story to share regarding this tragedy, feel free.

According to some segments of the population, there's no such thing as global warming. Pardon me for disagreeing. What with the droughts, the flooding, the multiple days of 100+ degree temperatures in parts of this country that shouldn't see that kind of weather, and the recent floods in Britain and now in Asia, I'd say those people are wrong. You could argue all day about the consequences of our dependence on oil and fossil fuels and argue the merits of Al Gore's movie/book, but right now I'd say he's on target. The question is, what are we going to do about it? And will we offer aid to those people in India and Bangladesh who have been displaced?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Anderson Cooper on The View

2007-08-03T12:04:00.000-04:00

For our international viewers and those who missed Anderson Cooper on The View.

Anderson Cooper on Jay Leno

2007-08-02T01:26:00.000-04:00

For our readers who couldn't see Anderson on Jay Leno show.

IPods a "Nuisance"; Cheney Mocks Congress

2007-07-31T21:06:00.000-04:00

Sorry I'm here so late. I'm tired after a long day at work!

Did you hear about this? Walmart in Mexico has teenagers bagging groceries--and doesn't pay them! It's not illegal to do this but the Mexican government isn't happy with Walmart. The kids don't have to be paid because they're considered volunteers. Wow! Walmart sure is making friends around the world!

How many of you have iPods? If you do, are you a polite iPod owner? By that, I mean do you keep the volume at a decent level and don't sing out loud? If you don't own one, how you feel about iPod owners' manners? Are iPod owners as bad or worse than cell phone users who seem to have their phones attached to their ears?

And yesterday I got the heads-up from Ivy about Dick Cheney's interview tonight. I'm sorry to say that I couldn't stomach the idea of watching him, but she'll probably be posting a link to the video soon. Over at CNN.com, they say Cheney's calling the Congressional inquiries into the firings of US Attorneys something of a "witch hunt."

Somehow, I'm not surprised he feels that way. Am I the only one who is frightened by this guy?

(photo posted comes from CNN.com)

Iraqi Assembly on Vacay; History Repeats Itself?

2007-07-30T15:15:00.000-04:00

Afternoon, everyone!

Well, as you no doubt have noticed, Chris is on assignment and she asked me to take the reins for a bit until she can return. I was just over at CNN.com looking for a bit of inspiration and noticed there is no mention whatsoever of AC360 and/or the blog. What's going on? I know someone mentioned that to me before, but I hadn't really paid much attention until today. Curious, curious.

Guess it's really over for Al Gore, if he'd planned on sneaking in a surprise run for the Democratic nomination. His son plead guilty today for misdemeanor drug possession. Do you think this destroys any chance Al had to win, if he decided to throw his hat into the ring?

I've been saying since early in this administration that it reminded me so much of Richard Nixon's presidency. What with the unpopular war, the protests, the spying on the American public, the Congressional investigations on top administration officials, and secret informants revealing classified info to reporters, all we need now is a Saturday Night massacre and a vote for impeachment and it's a complete flashback to 1972-1974.

Today the Iraqi parliament went on what will be a month-long vacation. Apparently they didn't vote on any of the stuff Washington wanted them to address. Looks like this is bad news for President Bush's surge strategy, as next to little has been accomplished since he authorized the additional 30,000 troops sent to the region the first part of the year. What will this do for our troops in the heat of battle? How much responsibility should we be giving the Iraqi government now? Give us your thoughts.

Passing the torch!

2007-07-29T02:07:00.000-04:00

As some of you already know (through the chat), I will be on assignment until mid August. Blogger extraordinair little Ms. Courtney will be in charge of the blog with the help of our videographers Marie and Ivy. The chat will stay open at 10pm every night with its regular moderator Ivy. That doesn't mean that I won't be snooping once in a while...

So please keep on visiting and give a big shout out to Courtney and the girls!

Will be back,
Chris

Congratulations CNN!

2007-07-24T02:22:00.000-04:00

For a flawless transmission. You can notice when they have a good producer at helm!

And now some photos courtesy of Tyler Gould, AP and Getty Images ( the same suppliers for CNN)

Carter V. Cooper Memorial Prize

2007-07-23T03:23:00.000-04:00

Yesterday someone commented that it was Carter's death anniversary. Maybe the half Mexican in me makes me focus more in the celebration of life rather than death. Some time ago I received this information, but didn't find the right time to post it, but what a better way to celebrate his life!

This editorial contest have been hosted for the last years by the Ontario Review Press,

Founded in 1974, Ontario Review is one of the longest-lived literary journals published today. Conceived of as a North American Journal of the Arts, it was intended to bridge what Joyce and I, Americans teaching in Canada at the time, felt to be a widening gap between the two literary/artistic cultures. We tried to do this by publishing writers and artists from both countries, as well as essays and reviews of an intercultural nature. When we moved to Princeton, we put less emphasis on the intercultural role of the journal, though we still published many Canadians, from Margaret Atwood to Tom Wayman.
Literary journals like Epoch, Kenyon Review, and Southern Review were of great importance in nourishing Joyce's incipient career as an author in the sixties, and she and I have always seen the nurturing role as a function of our journal. Over the years, many young writers have had their first published story or poem appear in Ontario Review. Some of them, like Pinckney Benedict and Reginald Gibbons, have gone on to distinguished literary careers.

Ontario Review publishes original fiction, poetry, personal essays, drama, photographs, graphics, and interviews with prominent contemporary authors. Each issue is a blend of older, more established writers with promising younger ones. Stories and poems appearing in the Review are regularly chosen for national anthologies of the best fiction and poetry published each year. "Given the small number of stories it publishes, Ontario Review has one of the highest batting averages for prize-winning fiction in the field," observed DeWitt Henry in Wilson Library Bulletin.

Over the past two and a half decades we have featured over 450 different poets, writers, translators, reviewers, artists, and photographers. Among them are Alice Adams, Jane Anderson, Margaret Atwood, Russell Banks, Donald Barthelme, Saul Bellow, Pinckney Benedict, Earle Birney, Joseph Brodsky, Hayden Carruth, Raymond Carver, Annie Dillard, Rita Dove, Margaret Drabble, Stuart Dybek, Carlos Fuentes, Tess Gallagher, Albert Goldbarth, Nadine Gordimer, Eaman Grennan, Donald Hall, William Heyen, Ted Hughes, Josephine Jacobsen, Jill Krementz, Maxine Kumin, Irving Layton, Doris Lessing, Alistair MacLeod, W. S. Merwin, Mary Morris, Barry Moser, Gloria Naylor, Joyce Carol Oates, Alicia Ostriker, Jay Parini, Stanley Plumly, Reynolds Price, Ned Rorem, Philip Roth, Dave Smith, Gary Soto, Elizabeth Spencer, William Stafford, Mark Strand, Deborah Tannen, Melanie Rae Thon, Chase Twichell, John Updike, David Wagoner, Robert Penn Warren, Tom Wayman, Theodore Weiss, C. K. Williams, and Charles Wright.

Guidelines for the 2007 Cooper Short Fiction Prize: $1,000 plus publication

Submissions accepted from May 1 to September 1, 2007.
Submissions limited to one story of not more than twenty-five double-spaced typewritten pages.

Mail submissions to:

The Cooper Fiction Prize
Ontario Review
9 Honey Brook Drive
Princeton, NJ 08540.

Include self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of manuscript or notification.

An entry fee of $15, which includes a 1-year subscription to Ontario Review, is also required.

Please make out a check or money order (U.S. funds only) to Ontario Review.

Anderson Cooper Interviews

2007-07-22T23:23:00.000-04:00

Seems that Anderson has another anderfan with Morra.. here we are posting two excellent recent interviews with Anderson Cooper.

Fifteen minutes with Anderson Cooper, and your questions

By Morra Aarons, 6:03 am, Sat 21 Jul 2007

My fifteen minutes with Cooper left me buzzing. I wanted to go live in Anderson-world. It’s rare you’re in the presence of someone really imbued with the purpose of their work, but that’s how I felt after our talk. It made me want to work harder. Cooper is someone admits he works “all the time,” but what I emerged with from our brief interview was a sense of the importance of passion and social justice. (Ed note: the funny thing about CNN is that in the midst of its obsession with Paris Hilton and horses that fall off trails, and bland morning anchors, it maintains room for some iconoclasts, like Cooper and Lou Dobbs). And it’s ironic, because my primary experience of watching presidential candidates discourse has been one of numbness, process, talking points. So when Cooper told me the purpose of this new debate format is to “infuse questions with a new spirit and energy,” I believed him. I want to thank BlogHer readers for providing such good questions and helping to create a natural discussion.

I’ve summed up our discussions below, using quotes sparingly because I did not have a recorder and I don’t want to misquote. If I misconstrue, I apologize. In our brief discussions, three themes emerged:

The Importance of “Bottom Up” Media

Anderson’s take on the YouTube debate is that it’s an unknown quantity for both the network and the candidates. Unlike most presidential debates or forums, in which a moderator or panel of journalists pose questions to the candidates, on Monday night YouTube is the panel, and voter generated content provides question materials. (To watch some or submit your own, click here). CNN’s Washington Bureau Chief David Bohrman said on air yesterday that there might be some tougher questions that challenge the candidates- implying other debates didn’t? I asked Anderson if that was true.
He said the thing that he thinks will be challenging is that not only are these questions a traditional moderator might not ask, but that the questions twist and turn. “You…think it’s going one way, then it turns around.” He noted candidates will have to listen to the whole stream, and not spout poll-tested talking points (well, at least not the whole time). He said he was struck by the quality of the questions and the diversity of those posing them (although early reports showed very few women submitted questions, he said he noted a strong diversity…I’m not buying it, but ok).

I then asked, is one of the goals of this debate to take candidates out of their comfort zone? Cooper said the major goal- - is to show a different side of candidates, and yes, to take people out of comfort zone. He said he thought the campaigns seemed “nervous…we’re all little nervous.” The debate should infused with “the spirit and energy of questions, the spirit of the voters’ questions should “infuse and inform entire debate.” Thankfully, Anderson admitted he didn’t know what this “infusion” actually meant, but I think I do.

I hope the debate echoes at least part of what we see online everyday, at BlogHer and on other sites: true discussions, questions off-book, questions that are the product of real curiosity.

Feely snarky, I asked Anderson if he wanted a seminal, “Boxers vs. briefs” pull quote to come from the CNN/YouTube debate Monday night.

He bristled and said, no, “it’s more serious than that…it’s a real bottom up process…” CNN is not “cherry picking” the questions they think are most appropriate. They’re going to pool the best ones and see what happens. He hopes it’s more of a “conversation.” And that he will facilitate dialogue by ensuring when a candidate responds, you can redirect the question to another.

I hope this isn’t the end of the feedback loop. If CNN wants to create a real conversation, they need to offer viewers a place to retort. Anderson did mention that many of the campaigns are preparing videos- but I think the YouTube channel devoted to discussion of the debate—CitizenTube—should have a stronger role and a more publicized “retorting” ability for voters.

Responsibility

The best thing about talking to Cooper was his complete sense of responsibility and respect for both his interview subjects and his audience. I asked him my favorite question, which was from our NGO and Social Change editor Britt Bravo:
She asked: how does he beat burn out and compassion fatigue? (Christiane's note: that is something I always wonder)

He took a minute to think. He said burnout is tougher, because his “tendency is to work all the time, work on weekends and vacation days for 60 minutes, with no time off. Echoing a sentiment many of us feel, he said if he does take a week off, he feels “torn.” Echoing a sentiment very few of us feel, he also added that invariably, if he takes time off “something happens.” Global crises have no respect for beach time, I guess.

Anderson did say that the best way to fight against burnout is to do a variety of different things, and to feel different things. This way, work feels fresh. Also, you need to try to keep a balance, to hang out with your dog and your friends and recharge. Amen. (Christiane's note: to those obsessed with Molly, she seems to be around...)

Cooper stated that if you suffer compassion fatigue, it’s a “copout.” If nothing really affects you, but you’re asking people to let you into their lives, you’re doing them disservice, and you’re doing your audience a disservice.

He noted: “When I was 23 and first started and spent 2 years in war zones…I found that my reactions [were] not what they should have been…” In Rwanda, during the genocide, he could no longer react in a "sensible" way. So, he “took a break from combat stuff for a year…and then started doing it again.” You owe it to those whose stories you tell, and to your audience to feel. Still, I cannot imagine that Katrina did not take a chunk out of his psyche. Or perhaps, it gave him an all new energy.

New Journalism

Next, I asked Anderson some of your questions about journalism, YouTube, and fame.

First I asked JoAnn’s question: since he has become famous, are there any types of reports that he finds more difficult to cover than when he was an unknown reporter? If so, how does he handle these differently now than he did in the past?

Anderson laughed and said, he deludes himself that he’s not famous. This helps him interact normally with people, because the celebrity makes him uncomfortable. But he acknowledged, it “cuts both ways- it helps to have people know you” if you’re in a war zone and you need to get on a chopper…you’ll get greater access.
Anderson did stress that being a journalist, for him, is being a blank slate. One must adapt to any situation, because you’re “telling a story…it’s all about the story.” It’s funny, because being a blogger is the opposite: good bloggers are anything but blank slates. They bring it ALL to the page (or screen, as it were).

To that end, I asked Anderson the second half of JoAnn’s question: he has suggested that he sees the future of news leaning towards the YouTube generation- and does he see a tension between old media and new?
He stressed that citizen journalists and professional journalists don’t battle against each other, and that it’s important to tell the story from as many angles as possible.

He said obviously there wasn’t YouTube 17 years ago when he started, but if there were, he would have probably taken that path, creating his own videos on YouTube.

That said, “there is something to be said for research, fact checking, standards of what they put on the air…a lot to be said for that. Getting it right does count.” It’s important to know where information is coming from. And yeah, people write stuff of the web, people believe it…some of it is completely off the wall stuff. ( Christiane's note: have he been reading the Freakspeaker Manifesto?)

In short, there’s a role for mainstream media, and it’s not a battle for supremacy. I don’t think any but the most obstreperous blogger would disagree with this.

Then I asked him about Paris Hilton. I asked Stacy’s question: Hello. I'm interested in how much control Anderson himself has over what goes into his broadcasts. For example, it was clear he was unhappy covering Paris Hilton, so was that something he felt he had to do to compete with the other networks, or something he was made to do by the suits?

Anderson said he has control over what goes on the air ( Christiane's note: so Anderson is the one to be blamed?) , and that since his job is “to tell stories…you are able to spend time on the one that matter to you.” He was just in Congo, Iraq, Afghanistan. The show covers Iraq (which Anderson noted is the “most important” story now) every night, which some other networks (ed: hello, Fox News) don’t even mention. Anderson said, you have to consider what people want to see, but if you do a show based on what people want to see, "you end up with nothing but true crime stories.”

He noted it’s a privilege to be in peoples’ living rooms...but there are lots of folks he’s competing against, so yeah, when Paris got out of jail and did Larry King... “if there were any two days to cover it, those were them.”
We closed by talking about the role of the Internet and politics in 2008. I asked him the million dollar question that everyone seems to ask: ok fine, we know the web can raise money for candidates, and it drives message, but can it get people to vote?

Anderson said he didn’t know. He said the big question for him is, “are people using it to reach just folks who would have gone to polls anyway”? We agreed no one knows the answer to this.

He continued, “What’s so interesting about time we’re living in is that nobody knows what’s next. He told me about how he makes sure he goes to a tech media conference once a year to keep up to date. Four years ago he went to fancy, Silicon Valley genius conference and no one predicted the impact of online video. We have “no idea what’s coming down the pike. Who knows? Who knows what kind of hand held device will be in people’s living rooms [four years from now]”?

Final question, from the audience: Will he try his hand at writing fiction?

He laughed and said “I don’t think I’m that good a writer to do that…I marvel at writers’ ability to tell stories and weave narratives.” Still, it’s clear Cooper is a storyteller, but a visual one.

Unlike many skeptics online, I’m looking forward to this debate. I think it signals a shift, a maturing of both voter generated content, and acknowledgement that online political participation is simply an extension of the ancient tradition of the forum, the commons, and the town hall meeting. Stay tuned for coverage Monday night. Like Anderson and, I'd wager, Hillary Clinton, I’m a little nervous!

Anderson Cooper Hopes Monday's Debate Throws Candidates out of Their Comfort Zones

By Steven Edwards July 22, 2007 | 7:30:34 PMCategories: Politics

Anderson Cooper and I spoke on Wednesday about Monday's Democratic CNN/YouTube debate in Charleston, SC. I asked him a variety of questions, including how the questions will be selected and whether the politicians may need to go drinking after the debate format, where the candidates won't have any idea what questions are coming.

A little delayed, but the interview has lots of valuable information about how the debate will play out. Will the range of questions be narrowly focused on science and technology as opposed to other broadly focused debates?

Read and find out.

Wired News: I want to welcome Anderson Cooper, host of Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN and also the moderator for the CNN/YouTube debate from the Citadel in Charleston, SC on Monday, July 23rd. How are you doing today?

Anderson Cooper: I'm good. Thanks for having me.

WN: Thanks for accepting the offer.

I was wondering, first of all, what percentage of the questions will come from YouTube? Will you ask them, or will they come from YouTube?

AC: Well, all the questions are coming from YouTube. I'll have the ability to ask follow-on questions based on topics raised by the YouTube videos, but I think the vast majority of the questions put to the candidates will come from YouTube.

We're trying to figure out ways to incorporate as many videos as possible -- not just in the original questions, but even in follow-up questions. Traditionally in debates there's the question you ask a candidate and then there's follow-up questions you ask based on that topic. We're hoping to incorporate other YouTube videos in those follow-on questions to maximize the number of questions that get asked by YouTube viewers.

WN: That sounds prety good. Are you going to have a variety of "What If" scenarios planned, that way you have a number of videos selected for whatever their answer is?

AC: Absolutely. A lot of this will be done on the fly, depending on where the conversation goes. Debates in general are best when there's an actual conversation -- when people are actually talking about substance, answering questions, and there's a real conversation going rather than just individuals giving stump speeches or talking points.

There's no way to predict exactly where it's going to go, so we want to have videos on as many different topics as possible on hand that we can call on, depending on where the conversation goes.

WN: Senators Clinton and Edwards recently got in trouble for suggesting that the current debate formats prevent candidates from giving substantive answers to questions. Given that the candidates agree on broad policies -- such as universal health care -- will the debates be run in a way that allows candidates to give more specific answers? i.e., "You all agree that x, y, and z need to be done, but what differentiates you on these issues?"

AC: I certainly think that would be a big hope for the debate. You definitely don't need to have everyone just agreeing on the stage on issues where they do happen to agree. I think you do -- in the questions that the YouTube users are asking -- you want to try to get to the specifics as quickly as possible.

WN: Are you going to, maybe, discriminate against questions where they mostly agree on policies?

AC: Not necessarily. If there's a great question or a great YouTube video that maybe is a little too broad, I might try to narrow it down a little bit in a follow-on question.

As much as possible, this is a bottom-up process as opposed to a top-down process. This is not just me and a few other people randomly selecting videos and then asking the questions that we want to ask anyway. We're taking our directions from the YouTube users and the CNN watchers -- the people that made the videos -- and are, as much as possible, honoring and promoting the videos themselves -- the questions that the people in the videos are asking.

I see my job as being there on behalf of all those who can't be there, but are there on video who are asking their questions. My job is just to make sure people get answers -- real answers -- to their questions.

WN: So you're facilitating the discussion between the American public and the politicians?

AC: Yeah. That's certainly the job.

WN: A lot of the debates thus far are very broad-based, topic-wise, with everything on the table. Is the CNN/YouTube debate intended to be similarly broadly-focused, or will the topics discussed be narrower in focus -- or does the American public get to decide?

AC: They're deciding. They're deciding based on whatever questions they put in. We're taking our marching orders from the videos themselves, and those videos are online now -- anyone can watch them.

Someone asked me the other day, "This is at the Citadel. Are you going to be heavy on military questions?"

The answer is no. We're taking our marching orders from YouTube viewers and from CNN watchers -- the people who are actually asking the questions -- and we're getting a broad range of topics. Some really interesting, insightful questions -- some really surprising questions -- and we want those to come to the fore.

WN: How will the submitted questions be picked? Will it be based on views? Popularity?

AC: No. There's a handful of people at CNN who will decide -- I'm one of them -- which videos will make it into the debate. Some of that will be done on the fly. We'll whittle it down to a reasonable number that we have on hand, and depending on the ebb and flow of the debate -- depending where the conversation goes -- we'll decide which videos to use.

A lot of this is going to be done right before the debate. People can submit videos until July 22nd, and we want a video that was submitted on July 22nd to have as much chance as a video that was submitted a month ago.

There's no final list already. I've seen most of the videos at least once; there's maybe a few right now I haven't seen, but for the most part I've seen them and we're all sorta putting suggestions in a virtual hat. We'll whittle it down to a number that is manageable and take it from there.

WN: Which candidates do you think will fare best in the CNN/YouTube debate?

AC: I have no idea. What I think is interesting about this is that I don't think the candidates have much of an idea, either. They're not really sure what to expect. I'm not really sure what to expect, and I think that's a good think. I think it should be interesting.

WN: Do you have any topics that you would like to hear discussed, or hope get discussed during the debate?

AC: I hope -- no, I don't have an agenda going into this that I want to hear x, y, and z. I think it would be a mistake and inappropriate if we got all these remarkable videos and then decide that we're just going to do the topics that we want to do.

I view this as I'm taking my marching orders from the YouTube viewers, and I'm honoring their topics and right now we're seeing a wide variety of topics.

WN: I wasn't suggesting that you have an agenda going into this, I was just wondering if you might have some personal interests that you hope gets asked.

AC: No, I don't. I hope that YouTube viewers and CNN viewers come away with this feeling that this is something different and that they have seen something different.

I was a little nervous about it at first because I wasn't sure just how it would all work; I had a hard time envisioning it. But once I started watching the videos, I absolutely understood how it would work, because I think there's something very compelling in these videos.

There's a cumulative effect to them that is really interesting. Watching all of them as a piece, it's just different than any... I've never seen anything like it in a debate, and it'll be interesting to see how it all flows together.

WN: Will there be any commercials in the debate?

AC: There will be. There will be a very limited number of commercial interruptions. I'm not sure how many breaks there are -- I think two or three -- but I'm not sure.

WN: I was just trying to figure out how long the debate schedule would last.

AC: Yeah, I don't know how long the commercial breaks would be that are there. My guess is that they won't be that long, because I know they want to keep that very limited.

WN: Would you mind answering why y'all chose Charleston, just out of curiosity?

AC: You know, it's a good question, and I don't know the answer to that. I'm not sure how that was determined. That process was decided before I got involved.

WN: Will the video of the debate be available on CNN or YouTube after it is aired?

AC: CNN would certainly repeat it later that evening, and I'm assuming that -- everything's available on YouTube -- so I'm assuming it would be ironic if this wasn't available on YouTube.

I'm assuming it will be. I haven't talked to the YouTube folks, but most things end up being broken down into chunks on YouTube, so I'm assuming the same thing would happen.

I know YouTube has a whole online component that they'll have a lot of debate reaction online to it, so yeah, I'm assuming you'll be able to watch chunks of it. I'm not sure how YouTube will be presenting that.

WN: I know a lot of companies, like Viacom, when their videos go online they get pretty mad and demand that they be taken down. I was wondering if CNN is going to allow them to be posted online.

AC: There's tons of CNN stuff on YouTube, so I think it would be a bizarre situation if this was the only thing that could not be on YouTube. I'm sure it'll be on YouTube.

WN: What do you hope happens after the debate? The candidates, do you hope that they have a broader understanding of what the American public really want, instead of them giving out their sound bites like they normally do?

AC: Yeah, frankly I hope that they're out of their comfort zone.

I think the most important thing is that they have to really pay attention to these questions, because some of them are tricky and some of them are unexpected and not what you think. The question seems to be going one way and then all of a sudden the end, another question is asked.

I certainly hope the candidates listen carefully and I hope that they get into the spirit of it. I really do think that there is something different about this debate, and about these questions. I hope that comes across in the broadcast, and I hope that comes across in the answers. I hope the candidates honor the passion that we're seeing in the videos.

WN: If the candidates give a dodge or a non-answer to a question, will you follow-up and ask them to really answer the question?

AC: Absolutely. I think that's my number one job. We have a lot of people here who have taken time to put together a question, and the least the candidates can do is answer those questions.

I'm not talking about giving a response, because -- as we all know -- politicians can give a response very quickly, but an answer is different than a response and my job is to make sure they answer.

WN: That would be good. I did read a few non-answer responses in the headlines recently.

AC: Sure.

WN: Your next debate will be in, I'm not sure where. For Republicans.

AC: Yeah, it hasn't been determined yet. It hasn't been announced yet. It will be somewhere in Florida.

WN: Are you hoping that -- well, not hoping -- but do you think that Republican candidates will have a better shot at knowing what they may be coming into?

AC: I'm sure there are going to be a lot of people in the Republican campaigns watching on Monday night. Yeah, they'll have the benefit of at least having seen it. I think that, I'm sure there will be some surprises, but they will have seen one of these before.

WN: Do you think the Democratic candidates have staff looking through the questions to prepare stock answers?

AC: I'm sure they do, but there's 1400 of them right now. They have no idea what's going to be selected. I don't think any of them have campaigns right now which are big enough to be pouring through on that level of detail.

WN: Do you think they'll all go get margaritas afterward?

AC: I'm not sure. We'll see. I'm not sure what's available, what'll be open late at that hour.

WN: Or maybe take some anxiety pills before and after?

AC: Exactly. Perhaps. Hopefully they'll take them afterward, because we don't want them all bushed out on anxiety pills.

WN: Well, you now, it might be interesting for some candidates.

AC: That's true. You're right.

WN: Besides having the candidates unnerved, what do you hope this debate accomplishes? You touched on it briefly earlier, but what do you hope the candidates take away from this?

AC: I think one of the unique things about YouTube in general -- and I think it carries over to the debate -- on YouTube, you see sides of people, and often public people that you don't necessarily normally see in tightly scripted television appearances.

That cuts both ways. You can see candidates making terrible gaffes and saying things they regret on YouTube, but you also see people showing sides of themselves they haven't already seen. I hope we see that in this debate as well. I think it's an opportunity for candidates to really interact in a way with people that they may not be able to interact with on the campaign trail.

It's only in Iowa and New Hampshire that people really get to interact with candidates on a sort of a personal level and really spend time and see candidates on a personal level. This is a democratization of the process to some degree, and I hope that this debate is a chance for candidates to show that other side of themselves and to have sort of a genuine interaction even though it's online interaction.

WN: Do you think some candidates will see, "Oh, I might need to think of a policy position on this topic that I didn't know was really important before"?

AC: It's possible. I think most of the topics they have certainly thought through -- I think there's some that they may be surprised by. I think it's always good to see people confronted with a variety of issues, and issues that they haven't been confronted with by voters in the primary states that they've been. So, yeah, I think it is an opportunity for education both for viewers and also for candidates.

WN: I know the final questions have not been selected yet, but will the questions you select be focused on actual issues or will you select YouTube questions that ask about their personalities and not so much their policies?

AC: Yeah, I think you want a variety of stuff. I think you want things which are interesting and that provoke discussion and/or provoke reaction which tell viewers something, and I think you want a variety of things. Again, that just all depends on the videos.

WN: It would be interesting to see the candidates answer a bunch of really random questions. Zune or iPod? Mac or Windows?

AC: Yeah -- I was just looking through a note I had and South Carolina was picked by the Democratic Party.

WN: Probably because we have an early primary for once.

AC: Yeah.

WN: I noticed that a number of questions were submitted by politicians inside the state of South Carolina. Will non-politicians or non-professionals have priority over politicians?

AC: No one has any priority over anyone else in terms of the selection of questions. If I understand your question correctly, you're saying politicians have submitted questions?

WN: Yes. Some politicians in South Carolina have submitted questions and I was wondering if they...

AC: Oh no, they have no priority over anybody else. They have as good or as little a chance of having their question selected as anybody else. There's no secret channel of questions that come to us at CNN.

I can tell you, literally, I have spent the last couple of days just sitting in a room with a handful of producers and literally have the YouTube home page up on a big screen and we're just clicking and looking at each video. There's no secret pool of questions that we're getting somehow funneled to us.

If there's a politician asking a question, and they haven't identified themselves as a politician, we wouldn't know who they are unless we happen to know who they are. A famous person has just as much chance of having their question selected as someone who's not famous, or a school teacher has just as much a chance as a politician somewhere.

WN: I was wondering not that they may get priority over non-politicians or non-famous people, but moreso if the non-famous people and the non-politicians would get priority over politicians and famous people?

AC: No one has any priority over anybody. It's an even playing field. It's based solely on the merit of the 30-second question.

WN: I think I've pretty much exhausted my questions. I appreciate your time and I hope to see you in Charleston.

AC: All right, cool. Take care. It was good talking to you.

Are you ready for the debate? Anderson Cooper and CNN seems to be

2007-07-22T22:02:00.000-04:00

CNN's Anderson Cooper, right, leaves the set as he prepared for an afternoon rehearsal with Citadel cadets standing in for the candidates on Sunday, July 22, 2007, in Charleston, S.C. The Citadel's McAlister Fieldhouse is being transformed into a huge stage for the Democratic presidential candidates debate on Monday. (AP Photo/The Post and Courier, Wade Spees)

A friend just emailed me to let me know that his youtube question was selected for the debate.

We will be moderating the chat from 7 pm... see ya all there!

Does he ever rest?

YouTube, CNN change debate rules

By Paul J. Gough

July 23, 2007

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- In this sunny, sultry setting bursting with Southern military tradition, CNN and YouTube hope they'll break ground on a new tradition in televised political debates.

It's here at the Citadel, the 165-year-old South Carolina military academy, where the two media companies will test, with the help of the Democratic Party, a new wrinkle on the admittedly tired old debate format. Tonight's two-hour broadcast will feature all eight declared Democratic candidates answering no questions from the 2,000-member audience gathered at the McAlister Field House; instead, they'll look to a 25-foot video screen at 30-second clips recorded by YouTube users young, old and interested in the future of the country.

The debate could help alter the traditional format and give computer-literate ordinary citizens and the new media a bigger role in political discourse.

"It's the beginning of everybody figuring out what the role of new media is in the election process," said David Bohrman, CNN's Washington bureau chief and the executive producer of the debate. It's Bohrman's job to assemble the CNN campaign set, clear the technological hurdles of having made-for-Web video and audio translate into TV and, with a team of CNN staffers and moderator Anderson Cooper, decide which questions will make it to air.

"Literally anyone, anywhere has a chance to ask a question," Bohrman said. "They're unlike any questions posed to presidential candidates before."

A glance at YouTube, where the nearly 2,000 videos have been collected since June, proves it. The questions range from such serious topics as education, health care, global warming and energy policy to the kind of offbeat, humorous clips that YouTube is famous for. One pair from Tennessee, Jackie and Dunlap from RedStateUpdate.com, challenge Sens. John Edwards and Barack Obama to take off their shirts to see who is more buff.

"Some of them are funny, some of them are incredibly serious. Some have shot on location, some have used props, historical footage," said Cooper, who will moderate the debate. "It's much different than a town hall (format) where someone stands up and has prepared questions where they recite the question. These are very intimate, and very personal in some cases. They're very effective."

Most of the videos aren't directed to any one candidate, which will make it easy for Cooper to direct questions to the candidates of his choice.

The structure of the debate will be driven by the video questions, which will spark so-called modules of up to five minutes where Cooper can follow up and other candidates can talk. Bohrman sees a fairly smooth discussion compared to other debates that he says can have a herky-jerky feel.

"All of the candidates should get the same number of questions, or close to it, and we'll work hard to balance that out," he said. "There will be a trigger question, a discussion starter, from the YouTube videos, and Anderson will have a five-minute window to bring other candidates into the discussion."

Cooper, who earlier in his career worked with Rock the Vote, said the candidates and viewers should expect the unexpected.

"I think no one really knows exactly what to expect, and that's what is going to make it interesting," Cooper said. "Even if the questions have been asked before, they are being asked in a different way."

Said Larry Sabato, a professor of politics at the University of Virginia: "It's a significant leap forward because it's utilizing one of the newest technologies for the first time. We haven't used YouTube before (for a debate). We've used e-mail, we've used other forms of citizens' participation, but YouTube is all the rage."

Sabato believes that this form of video participation will bring in young people who are disaffected from the debate process.

The technical challenge of converting Web video and audio to a format that can look good -- and be understandable -- on TV has weighed heavily on YouTube and CNN for a while. Bohrman said that none of the questions will be altered or edited, though some of the technically challenged ones could get a boost in audio.

Perhaps an even bigger challenge will be to the eight candidates themselves. They could conceivably see all or most of the videotaped questions beforehand -- all they have to do is watch hundreds of hours on YouTube -- but they won't know which questions CNN will pick. And CNN isn't telling.

Waring Howe Jr., chair of the Charleston County Democratic Party, thinks this will give viewers at home a chance to see the real candidates, not packaged sound bites.

"How does one prepare for a debate of this kind? You can't -- and I think that's the beauty of it," Howe said. "There's no way to prepare, no way to obfuscate."

Bohrman agrees and hopes that it will be a lot like the candidates do in the low-tech, one-on-one gatherings in the early primary/caucus states of New Hampshire and Iowa, often in private homes.

"I hope the candidates answer them on the same direct and personal level and don't go into posturing and position statements, which is what they do when they answer a journalist's questions," Bohrman said. "It'll be really interesting to see how the candidates react. The candidates are understandably a little bit out of their comfort zone."

On Friday, CNN's staff was busy assembling the set and getting ready for airtime at 7 p.m. EDT Monday. They're using the set that CNN had at the New Hampshire debate in June, which with modifications here and there will be the one the network uses for each of the 10 events it will sponsor during primary season. There are modifications, like the personal video screens on each candidate's podium that will allow them to see the video questions without having to look up at the 25-by-18-foot screen that will show the video as well as the questioner's name and hometown. But Bohrman said Friday that with one successful setup at St. Anselm's College already under its belt, the crew should have no trouble finishing the job by the end of the day. Rehearsals with Cooper were scheduled Saturday and Sunday, in between making the final cuts for the 30-40 videos that will be presented during the two-hour telecast.

The CNN staff, who will be selecting the videos without the input of YouTube, has been busy sifting through the submissions. Bohrman, who said he's seen all of them at least once and many of the best a dozen times, has been packing in time on YouTube every chance he gets. On Friday, he excused himself to watch even more of the submissions that were still coming in.

CNN and YouTube also are helping to give Charleston, a colonial-era seaport steeped in history and the military, a chance to spotlight the center of the Low Country. CBS' "The Early Show" originated live from Charleston on Friday, focusing on the city's culture and history. The national media descended on Charleston during the weekend and, even when the Democrats leave, will remain to cover President Bush's speech at the Charleston Air Force Base on Tuesday. That's all good for Mayor Joe Riley, who has led the city since 1975.

"You can't cover a debate in Charleston without covering Charleston," he said.

This is the first of two scheduled debate collaborations between YouTube and CNN. They'll produce a similar event with the Republican candidates in September in Florida.

"We consider this in a real way the first seed of a potato," CNN's Bohrman said. "I'd love to see a version of this debate in the general presidential campaign."

Sabato doesn't know if the YouTube video participation will stay forever, but he thinks a version of it could catch on.

"It will be part of the future" Sabato said. "I don't think we'll ever again have a debate in the traditional format with a moderator and two panelists. That is boring, and it's one reason why so few people watch debates, beyond the presidential debates."

Anderson Cooper on diapers, bibs and another f!"#/&°°! Ann!

2007-07-20T03:45:00.000-04:00

Anderson diaper bag, Erica and Cooper bibs? Anderson asks Erica if her husband was jealous -) in What Were They Thinking segment...

And if we didn't have enough Anns already, Anderson introduces us to another bitch...

Oh! and this is just disturbing!

Anderson Cooper overdose part 3

2007-07-18T18:31:00.000-04:00

Rehab anyone? We heard that Promises is booked up to 2010... in the meantime Dr. Boop will be leading the group therapy sessions @10 pm... @the chat of course!!!

Anderson Cooper overdose part 2

2007-07-18T18:06:00.000-04:00

need more? here your visual meth..

Ready for your Anderson Cooper overdose? part 1

2007-07-18T17:33:00.000-04:00

We have neglected our weekly Monday posting, but in order to make it up to you all, here we present you with an overload of images of Anderson... unshamelessly lifted from the KISS FM station website. They are a lot, so we hope you will enjoy it. Ah.. and just ignore Seacrest...

Michael Moore Redux

2007-07-17T19:20:00.000-04:00

CNN Throws in Towel, Admits to Two Errors, and States That All 'Sicko' Facts Are True to Their Source (or something like that)... Moore Realizes All This is Huge Distraction and Then Spends More Precious Time Thanking Paris Hilton for Seeing 'Sicko'... Meanwhile, More than 300 Americans Die Because They Had No Health Insurance During the 8-Day Gupta-Moore War...

July 17th, 2007

Friends,

The mighty CNN, in a lengthy and sad online defense of their woe-begotten 'Sicko' story of last Monday, has admitted that they did indeed fudge at least two of the facts in their coverage of my film and have apologized for it:
1. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN: "To be clear, I got a number wrong in my original report, substituting the number 25, instead of 251." -- My Conversation with Michael Moore, July 11th, 2007; and

2. CNN: "Moore is correct. Paul Keckley left Vanderbilt in late 2006." -- CNN's Response to Michael Moore, July 15th, 2007.

Furthermore, CNN confirmed that all of our statistics in "Sicko" are the correct numbers from the sources we cited. Although CNN still prefers to use older World Health Organization statistics, we will stick to using this year's Bush administration stats and more recent U.N. data. (In "Sicko," we consistently use only U.N. Human Development Statistics unless it's for studies they don't do or have recent numbers for.) CNN did apologize for these two factual errors, but no apology seems to be coming for the rest of their errors. These days, to get the mainstream media to admit they were wrong is rare; to get them to admit it twice, as they have with "Sicko," I guess should be considered a whopping victory. Will they eventually apologize for the rest, or for their reporting on the war? Will the Cubs win the World Series this year?

So the truce has been signed, the peace pipe has been smoked. And the public is left with a much more cautious and wary eye when it comes to CNN. To be fair, this is what happens when you have to grind out "news" 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a staff you have shrunk through layoffs over the years (like all the broadcast networks have done). You end up rushed and having interns do your research. You have robots replace live camera operators. And, if you're CNN, you are constantly dodging the accusation that you are "too liberal." So when you do a piece on someone like me, you have to make sure you add superfluous and standard ad hominems attacking me simply to prove that you are NOT too liberal. I get it.

Until the last month or so, I have not appeared on a single national TV show for nearly 2 and 1/2 years. After the attacks I had to endure three years ago, from a media intent on questioning my patriotism because I dared to speak out against the war when none in the media would, I decided I had had enough and would simply concentrate on making my next film. I had no desire to participate in networks that were complicit in the war because of their refusal the challenge the commander in chief.

I have to admit, though, I do feel kinda bad taking it all out on Wolf Blitzer. It's not like he's the official representative of the mainstream media. I mean, he's from Buffalo, for crying out loud! He said to me at the end of the show last week to please come back on "anytime you want." I will take him up on that offer and appear again with him tomorrow (Wednesday). I'm not expecting a dozen roses or make-up sex -- I only want a promise that there will be no more distorted distractions so we can have a decent discussion about the REAL issues like why 18,000 Americans die every year because they don't have a health insurance card. More than 300 of them died this week. As Ehrlichman said to Nixon in "Sicko": "The less care they give 'em, the more money they (the insurance companies) make."

THAT'S the only thing we should be talking about. How profit and greed are killing our fellow Americans. How profit and private insurance have to be removed from our health care system. CNN should join me in asking why our 9/11 rescue workers aren't receiving medical care. Somebody should send a crew to Canada to find out why they live longer than we do, and why no Canadian has ever gone bankrupt because of medical bills. And all of the media should start saying how much it costs to go to a doctor in these other top industrialized countries: Nothing. Zip. It's FREE. Don't patronize Americans by saying, "Well, it's not free -- they pay for it with taxes!" Yes, we know that. Just like we know that we drive down a city street for FREE -- even though we paid for that street with our taxes. The street is FREE, the book at the library is FREE, if your house catches on fire, the fire department will come and put it out for FREE, and if someone snatches your purse, the police officer will chase down the culprit and bring your purse back to you -- AND HE WON'T CHARGE YOU A DIME FROM THAT PURSE!

These are all free services, collectively socialized and paid for with our tax dollars. To argue that health care -- a life and death issue for many -- should not be considered in the same league is ludicrous and archaic. And trust me, once you add up what you pay for out-of-pocket in premiums, deductibles, co-pays, overpriced medicines, and treatments that aren't covered (not to mention all the other things we pay for like college education, day care and other services that many countries provide for at little or no cost), we, as Americans, are paying far more than the Canadians or Brits or French are paying in taxes. We just don't call these things taxes, but that's exactly what they are.

See you all when I'm back on CNN tomorrow -- where the discussion will be not be about whose statistics are right, but rather about the guy without insurance who died while I was writing this letter.

Yours,
Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com

P.S. Oh... I forgot to tell you about Paris Hilton. Apparently cooped up for too long at home since getting out of jail, she decided to head out for a night on the town. But where does she go? Clubbing? Cruising down the Strip? No! She and her sister decide to go see "Sicko." Now THAT'S news! So, no more bad words about Paris Hilton!

Anderson Cooper reacts to his NOLA's coverage criticism, people wanting to smack him and a cool bar

2007-07-16T16:46:00.000-04:00

If there is a media outlet that deserves a lot of respect for their coverage of Katrina and its aftermath, it is the Times-Picayune. During last weekend TCA tour one of their columnist had the opportunity to exchange some thoughts with Anderson Cooper. Those of you that have ventured within the NOLA.com community boards knows how divided they are towards him. Some love him, some want to smack him. But at least he still bringing the show down to New Orleans... and God knows how they need it!

Live! From New Orleans! It's Anderson Cooper (again)

July 16, 2007 13:15PM

By Dave Walker
TV columnist

HOLLYWOOD -- The Television Critics Association summer TV Tour Blog of Me pauses briefly today for breaking news.

The theme so far has been self-betterment via tips from TV stars rendered throughout this three-week mash-up of promotional cocktail jibber-jabber leavened by formal ballroom interview sessions and endless hours of lonely hotel-room laptop-tapping, but Anderson Cooper is live from New Orleans again tonight on CNN, another in about 20 visits he's made since his five-week Hurricane Katrina residency.

Sunday, Cooper was here in Hollywood to talk about an upcoming two-part documentary he's hosting titled "Planet in Peril" (airing at 8 p.m. October 23 and 24) but I cornered him after the session to talk about the peril ever-present in my little corner of the planet.

Tonight, he's there in Hollywood South, as "Anderson Cooper 360" originates from a New Orleans-area location undetermined at the time of this posting. Air time is 9 p.m.

I wanted to talk to Cooper because before I left home I'd seen a cable rebroadcast of a recent local hospitality-industry summit at which a participant expressed a desire to smack him, presumably out of frustration over the national media's overall emphasis on recovery woes in lieu of unrelenting "Live with Regis and Kelly"-style positivity over the tourist sectors of the city in which the cash registers, at least, have been restored.

Which is maybe understandable, I suppose, given that livelihoods and stock portfolios are at stake, but c'mon. Actual lives are at stake, too, and with K+2 swiftly approaching, national correspondents ignore the very real civic peril at the peril of the whole truth.

So I asked Cooper what kind of feedback he gets from us.

"I get (feedback from) e-mails every day, from phone calls and especially from going there talking to people on the street," he said. "It's a mix. A lot of it is story ideas, particular ideas they want (reported). It's people asking me to come down, do more stories, do more reporting on it. I've gotten some criticism for doing some stories on the crime. I totally understand why people would not want those stories told.

"The criticism I've heard is largely from a few business owners in the French Quarter (that) doing crime stories hurts the image of New Orleans. I totally get it. Frankly, it's a debate I have in my own head, my own heart, all the time. You try to do it in a way that provides balance, that shows where things are. You don't want to give the impression that (mayhem) is the experience you'll have if you come to New Orleans, because I certainly don't think that's the case.

"At the same time, I think you've got to show all sides of what's happening, and I think it can be good and it can be bad, and I understand why people don't want those stories shown.

"To me the bottom-line thing is to keep going and to keep telling the story. You know, as most people know, there's not a lot of (New Orleans coverage) on TV. It's shocking to me that more people aren't honoring and remembering what we saw transpire, and which still transpires, not only in New Orleans but in other parts of Louisiana and all along the Gulf Coast. I try to go back every couple of weeks at least, and I still don't feel I'm doing enough.

"By and large (the feedback is from) people wanting me to do more and focus more (on the city)."

I always ask frequent media visitors I talk to for the opposite kind of feedback -- their impressions of our progress.

After all, when they're not flying on jets and riding in town cars, they're hanging out in the world's best and worst datelines.

Frankly, it's hard for locals to see much progress between the crime-scene tape, futile Road Home paperwork and insurance-premium-hike notifications.

And there's no point in comparing home with my own travel experiences here, which amount to nonstop eating, drinking and slurring "So, what did you think of 'The Sopranos' finale?" in the ears of TV starlets to whom I'm known by the nickname "Eeww."

It was a doubly relevant question for Cooper, whose report-card coverage over the next few weeks is sure to be widely viewed, given his role in the earliest coverage of the city's inundation via inept engineering.

"The French Quarter is cleaner than I've ever seen it," he said. "Clearly, they're making a huge impact there. From what everyone tells me, it seems like there's a lack of leadership. There still seems to be a lack of a plan. I'm still confused by what the plan is. I ask this question all the time, 'What is the plan?' I've heard a million different explanations for what the plan is. I've talked to a lot of different politicians, and when they're talking I understand the words they're saying, but when I look back at the transcripts, it doesn't amount to anything. It doesn't make sense."

Which is not to say that Cooper hasn't seen signs of life. Lots of them. New Orleans, such as it is, clearly has got in his blood.

"I found this great bar, The Spotted Cat," he said. "I've thought about maybe doing the show from there. I literally had this magical evening there. I found the place with a couple of friends and it was really a magical night. I wasn't drunk, because I don't drink. It was just this little jazz band, and the guy behind the bar took out his trumpet and started playing and then joined the band. There were, like, six couples swing dancing. I thought, 'I want people to see this. You wouldn't get this anywhere else in America.'

"I sent a (camera) crew there one night, and even if we don't do the show live from the bar, I know I'll show clips from that place."

Shooting the Messenger and the Fog of News... YOUTUBE and some photos

2007-07-16T00:09:00.000-04:00

For some time now we have value" of CNN's marketing techniques for Anderson Cooper 360. We also have stated and critiqued how people just watch CNN to see Anderson Cooper, not news. How his presence (in the purest communication theory) have become the "noise" to the message, diminishing the content, and somehow even himself becoming the content... but Anderson Cooper is not the only case. We seen how the over hyping of Katie Couric didn't work for CBS. They focused discussed the "entertainment extensively in her persona and forgot what was important: THE CONTENT.

Now we are witness to a new controversy: CNN vs. Michael Moore. "The most trusted name in news" vs. "Michael Moore Hates America" . But nowadays Americans are so programmed to skew the core of significant discussion to the sake of controversies. The sign of the times... Anna Nicole was more important than Iraq, Paris more important than Libbey...hype over content.

Following trends, Moore inserts himself in the issue. He owns the issue, he becomes the story (somehow like Anderson) and unlike Cooper, his noise is so polarizing that has the effect of derailing the focus of the real issue: the health crisis in America. People comments of how they are "pro Gupta because I don't like Moore" or "how could Moore dare do that to Gupta" is a sign of how out of it they are. It's not about them - Gupta and Moore -, its about health. And Moore and CNN is not necessarily helping focusing in the issues.

We might state all mayor US news organizations are in a serious historical debt with the way they cowardly played along with the Bush administration... that is a fact...if we check deeper, news organizations are a business, and the impact of the pharmaceutical advertising dollars in their revenues is not small talk. And those who claim advertising investment doesn't influence the editorial desks are big fat liars. It does and it will.

Gupta wasn't the right choice for the fact checking. He is a doctor. As a doctor - more than a journalist - he has strong ties with the medical industry, he is part of it, he profits from it. He has to participate at pharmaceutical junkets and due to his post as head of Neurosurgery at Atlanta's Grady Hospital, he must oversee all new drugs protocols and private research grants, that comes mostly from the pharmaceutical industry. He needed to stay away of any, real or apparent, sign of conflict of interests. It was a bad call from the CNN producers.

This weekend I had the opportunity to watch the documentary Iraq for Sale, and the way companies like CACI, Halliburton and its subsidiaries are ransacking the taxpayers dollars , not only in Iraq but at NOLA as well is just mind blowing. People have to start watching beyond the cute ties, suits, personalities and controversies. Beyond the fog of the hype, the fog of news.

Ivy wrote me this comments which I wish to share with you. I know its not our typical Monday post, but we don't feel like spreading the fog today. Have a great week!

From Ivy's point of view

CNN's response to Michael Moore left me speechless for a few minutes. I can't hold myself from sharing the issues I have with every "point" of their response.

Point #1 "Moore appears unhappy with Gupta's use of the phrase, "But hold on." Moore appears to be creating an issue where none exists." Using "But hold on" phrase IMPLIES that Moore didn't mention Cuba's place or didn't get it right, when he did. If Sanjay was worried about uninformed public getting the wrong message with the word "free" (health care) on LKL he should have kept the message in mind with how he uses "but hold on".

Point #2 "The only controversy here is within Moore's numbers..." $6096 vs. $7000 and $251 vs $259. Are you kidding me? "As Gupta said, CNN's numbers and Moore's numbers aren't far off" So numbers being aren't far off is an issue and acting as if the movie omitted what it didn't isn't an issue for CNN.

Point #3 Again, 77.5 vs 77.6 or 77.9 vs 77.2 years US vs. Cuba life expectancy. It's the same 77 if to round it up. Is CNN trying to convince us that the fluctuation of statistical data is supposed to make us proud of a difference of less then a year in life expectancy with such different economy?

Point #4 Controversies where none exists? Moore saying "even when the WHO took patient satisfaction into account... we still came in at No. 37" is making a different point then saying "we rank #1 in patient satisfaction" ignoring the context. Admitting the same fact doesn't mean interpreting it in the same way.

Point #5 Again, taking out of context. CNN took waiting time of certain procedures and Canada as an example and said nothing about the Big Picture. Neither had they responded to Moore's explanation, the issue of uninsured, just like CNN ignored that in Point #4.

Point #6 A quote from Sicko: "this is not a charity. You are paying for it mainly as taxpayers"? How can CNN still make the same point in RESPONSE -- "One of Gupta's overall critiques of the film is that Moore leaves viewers with an impression ... that universal health care comes without cost" --right AFTER Moore's statement?
Are they blind and deaf? Or they think all their viewers and readers are both dumb and insane? Wow, CNN is really "Staying The Course". Should we be surprised about the White House if the organization that is supposed to keep them accountable acts like them and uses similar rhetoric?

Point #7 CNN is twisting the facts: "higher taxes don't guarantee the coverage everyone wants" -- the point and the movie is not about coverage everyone WANTS, it's about EVERYONE COVERED, period. CNN chooses to ignore that, and cites statistical data proving Moore's words that "a substantial amount" in some European countries buy complimentary insurance.

Christiane’s note: in the USA a family pays near 500 dollars a month for Health insurance coverage. In Spain, where medicine is socialized, if you want a private insurance it goes around for the equivalent of $30.00 dollars a month, and the costs of medicines are probably 80% cheaper than in the USA. A 30 supply of Synthroid at Walgreens costs around $90, in Spain it costs $6.00.

Point #8 "points that could have been made just as compellingly" means that there's nothing wrong with the points. CNN didn't mention a single "fudged point" here, but are guilty themselves of substituting and ignoring the points they respond to at their convenience.

Point #9 So CNN's problem is with "consistency in statistical analysis." Maybe Gupta's report should have just said that, being the only REAL arguable point, and not proclaim Moore is "fudging facts" in Sicko. And not get himself and CNN deeper and deeper into playing with facts and words for the lack of proof. And then this "point #9" could have been the only point in this response.

Point #10 CNN is taking Moore's words out of context and twisting the point he made. And THAT is the controversy, yet again. Moore agreed that we'll have money on Medicare till 2019 but unlike Gupta he didn't imply the reason is that the system is not working. The opposite- he said it's working and the lack of funding is due to Iraq. CNN of course ignored that.

Point #11 CNN, a news organization, quoted their expert's employer as proof of his credibility and non-bias? Not convincing at all, sorry. I really hope they use other ways of checking their guests’ background and information in general.

CNN said many times that Moore looks for controversy where there is none, but sees the little difference of figures as such, which they use as a distraction from the real problem. CNN fails to recognize this: The biggest controversy is that the very news organization that is supposed to provide context is busy taking words and issues out of context and playing with facts.

UPDATE: ANDERSON TALKS ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

Videos add 'intimacy' to debate

By Robert Behre

The Post and Courier

Monday, July 16, 2007

Anderson Cooper has looked at hundreds of the approximately 1,000 video clips that people have created in hopes that their questions will be posed to Democratic presidential candidates during the July 23 debate in Charleston, and he likes what he sees.

"I'm actually incredibly excited," said the CNN anchor, who will moderate the two-hour debate at The Citadel.

Cooper wasn't in on the discussions that led to the unprecedented debate format in which most questions will be posed to the candidates from brief clips submitted to the Web site YouTube.com.

"I wasn't sure how it was going to work until I started seeing the videos," he said. "There's such a variety of them, but there's also an intimacy to all of them that you don't get from a town hall where people stand up and ask questions."

Cooper says some questions don't go anywhere, and some good questions are posed on videos with weak production values.

"But there are some very great ones," he said, "and some very simple ones, including someone just sitting in front a computer screen just asking a question that is very heartfelt and personal."

All eight Democratic candidates are expected to be in Charleston next week for the debate, which airs live 7-9 p.m. July 23 on CNN.

Cooper says although the network might enter the debate with a planned set of questions, it will be able to adapt depending on the responses of the candidates. "There should be spontaneity, and it should be like YouTube itself, sort of unpredictable and very real," he said. "We want the debate itself to kind of mirror the spirit of the videos ... to have that YouTube vibe."

CNN and YouTube are accepting videos up until the day before the debate, but they also have hinted that earlier submissions will get a more thorough look. Only about 25 to 30 actually are expected to be aired, though some of the more entertaining ones might be shown without candidates' response. CNN also plans to air candidates' own brief YouTube clips.

Cooper says he's not sure what to expect. "I don't think the candidates know what to expect either. A lot will evolve down until we actually select the videos."

Having most questions posed via YouTube makes Cooper's job easier in some ways, but he is quick to add, "Often the most challenging thing is not necessarily coming up with the question. It's controlling it, making sure things flow and make sure that the candidates get a fair sampling of the questions. ... I'm a big believer in asking the question as many times as possible in order to get an answer."

Cooper also admitted he will be somewhat nervous — or "more excited" — as the debate starts. "As long as we have videos and power, we'll be OK. Of course, I just jinxed myself."

CNN already plans to conduct a similar YouTube-based debate for Republican candidates in September. Cooper stopped short of predicting that this technology will become a staple of presidential politics, but he does expect the arena will see a growing amount of creativity. He noted that the 2008 election already is a watershed election in terms of the Internet.

"We've never had so many handheld devices and user-generated content online: YouTube, Facebook and MySpace. This is part and parcel of that, and we're going to see more and more ventures between online components and news organizations," he said. "It's a brave new world, to use a cliche, and I don't think anyone knows where it's going. But it's very exciting."

AND NOW SOME FOG...

Turner Summer 2007 TCA Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel

Love, Michael Moore

2007-07-14T19:02:00.000-04:00

An Open Letter to CNN from Michael Moore

7/14/07

Dear CNN,

Well, the week is over -- and still no apology, no retraction, no correction of your glaring mistakes.

I bet you thought my dust-up with Wolf Blitzer was just a cool ratings coup, that you really wouldn't have to correct the false statements you made about "Sicko." I bet you thought I was just going to go quietly away.

Think again. I'm about to become your worst nightmare. 'Cause I ain't ever going away. Not until you set the record straight, and apologize to your viewers. "The Most Trusted Name in News?" I think it's safe to say you can retire that slogan.

You have an occasional segment called "Keeping Them Honest." But who keeps you honest? After what the public saw with your report on "Sicko," and how many inaccuracies that report contained, how can anyone believe anything you say on your network? In the old days, before the Internet, you could get away with it. Your victims had no way to set the record straight, to show the viewers how you had misrepresented the truth. But now, we can post the truth -- and back it up with evidence and facts -- on the web, for all to see. And boy, judging from the mail both you and I have been receiving, the evidence I have posted on my site about your "Sicko" piece has led millions now to question your honesty.

I won't waste your time rehashing your errors. You know what they are. What I want to do is help you come clean. Admit you were wrong. What is the shame in that? We all make mistakes. I know it's hard to admit it when you've screwed up, but it's also liberating and cathartic. It not only makes you a better person, it helps prevent you from screwing up again. Imagine how many people will be drawn to a network that says, "We made a mistake. We're human. We're sorry. We will make mistakes in the future -- but we will always correct them so that you know you can trust us." Now, how hard would that really be?

As you know, I hold no personal animosity against you or any of your staff. You and your parent company have been very good to me over the years. You distributed my first film, "Roger & Me" and you published "Dude, Where's My Country?" Larry King has had me on twice in the last two weeks. I couldn't ask for better treatment.

That's why I was so stunned when you let a doctor who knows a lot about brain surgery -- but apparently very little about public policy -- do a "fact check" story, not on the medical issues in "Sicko," but rather on the economic and political information in the film. Is this why there has been a delay in your apology, because you are trying to get a DOCTOR to say he was wrong? Please tell him not to worry, no one is filing a malpractice claim against him. Dr. Gupta does excellent and compassionate stories on CNN about people's health and how we can take better care of ourselves. But when it came time to discuss universal health care, he rushed together a bunch of sloppy -- and old -- research. When his producer called us about his report the day before it aired, we sent to her, in an email, all the evidence so that he wouldn't make any mistakes on air. He chose to ignore ALL the evidence, and ran with all his falsehoods -- even though he had been given the facts a full day before! How could that happen? And now, for 5 days, I have posted on my website, for all to see, every mistake and error he made.

You, on the other hand, in the face of this overwhelming evidence and a huge public backlash, have chosen to remain silent, probably praying and hoping this will all go away.

Well it isn't. We are now going to start looking into the veracity of other reports you have aired on other topics. Nothing you say now can be believed. In 2002, the New York Times busted you for bringing celebrities on your shows and not telling your viewers they were paid spokespeople for the pharmaceutical companies. You promised never to do it again. But there you were, in 2005, talking to Joe Theismann, on air, as he pushed some drug company-sponsored website on prostate health. You said nothing about about his affiliation with GlaxoSmithKline.

Clearly, no one is keeping you honest, so I guess I'm going to have to do that job, too. $1.5 billion is spent each year by the drug companies on ads on CNN and the other four networks. I'm sure that has nothing to do with any of this. After all, if someone gave me $1.5 billion, I have to admit, I might say a kind word or two about them. Who wouldn't?!

I expect CNN to put this matter to rest. Say you're sorry and correct your story -- like any good journalist would.

Then we can get back to more important things. Like a REAL discussion about our broken health care system. Everything else is a distraction from what really matters.

Yours,
Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com

P.S. If you also want to apologize for not doing your job at the start of the Iraq War, I'm sure most Americans would be very happy to accept your apology. You and the other networks were willing partners with Bush, flying flags all over the TV screens and never asking the hard questions that you should have asked. You might have prevented a war. You might have saved the lives of those 3,610 soldiers who are no longer with us. Instead, you blew air kisses at a commander in chief who clearly was making it all up. Millions of us knew that -- why didn't you? I think you did. And, in my opinion, that makes you responsible for this war. Instead of doing the job the founding fathers wanted you to do -- keeping those in power honest (that's why they made it the FIRST amendment) -- you and much of the media went on the attack against the few public figures like myself who dared to question the nightmare we were about to enter. You've never thanked me or the Dixie Chicks or Al Gore for doing your job for you. That's OK. Just tell the truth from this point on.
*****

Guess I'd better let you know I am on the Michael Moore mailing list and that's where I got this. It was in an email I received today.

Score one, MM!

BREAKING NEWS: NEW YORK TIMES JOURNALIST KILLED IN IRAQ

2007-07-13T19:15:00.000-04:00

How many journalist have been killed covering the war in Iraq? Since 2003 110 and 40 support workers. Today the 2007's tally rose to 28, 2 of them this week alone. Covering war zones is no joke.

Khalid W. Hassan, 23, a reporter and interpreter, was shot and killed in the south central Seiydia district, the newspaper reported.

Hassan was killed while driving to work, the Times reported. He had called the bureau to say that he was taking an alternative route because his usual way was blocked by a security checkpoint, the newspaper said. The Times reported that the journalist called his mother a half hour later to say, "I've been shot." The family notified the newspaper that Hassan later died.

An Iraqi of Palestinian descent, Hassan had worked for the Times Baghdad bureau since fall 2003, the newspaper said. He is survived by his mother and four sisters. He is the second New York Times employee killed on assignment in Iraq, Fakher Haider, 38, was killed in Basra in September 2005.

Yesterday, Reuters' photographer and his driver, who were killed in eastern Baghdad during what witnesses described as a U.S. helicopter attack. Photographer Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and driver and camera assistant Saeed Chmagh, 40, were killed by a U.S. strike that claimed the lives of nine other Iraqis in the Al-Amin al-Thaniyah neighborhood, Reuters reported, citing a preliminary Iraqi police report.

And then some people only worry about...

Essential Reporting: Michael Ware, Peter Bergen , Hala Gorani and Anderson Cooper at Yellowstone

2007-07-13T03:41:00.000-04:00

I'm starting to like the one hour format of Anderson Cooper 360. It seems they can manage it in a lot more cohesive way. Last night was excellent. Michael Ware and Peter Bergen always have a way to explain complex situations in a manner that a 5 year old might understand, a real pity that Bush and friends still can't get it.

Michael, again, presents the reality of a day by day in Iraq. So much for the idiocy of Bush's last press conference. If he is really a Christian, isn't he ashamed? It's a real crime what they are doing to the troops, many of them entering their fifth tour of duty. And he still dares to ask people to keep on sacrificing for the sake of his private contractors!

Michael, as always, excellent!

Using the same term the Bush administration uses to describe the progress of benchmarks in the war agaisnt terror, Peter Bergen explores and explains what went wrong. Plain Black and White. Simple. And they still don't get it. And Bin Laden, probably with an harem drinking Piña Coladas....

This report is from Hala Gorani's Iraq Amputees from CNN International ( not aired at AC360) but we think its important and relevant to the first two stories. She presents a face of the civil iraqui population or the invisible victims of the war.

Anderson presented a new Planet in Peril report, Wolf Watcher at Yellowstone. It was nice to learn that they are no longer endangered. I, like many of you, were surprised to see Anderson Cooper with facial hair. Nice to the eyes!

And for your viewing pleasure... scruffy Anderson! Screen caps and videos compiled by Ivy

About Copyright, ownership and privacy

2007-07-13T02:11:00.000-04:00

Who steals from whom? If you post a screen cap, videos or photos taken from the internet, does it make them yours? If you use a transcript or a rundown from Anderson Cooper 360 is the content your brain child or from CNN's producers? To whom all the screencaps, videos and photos of Anderson Cooper 360 belongs? Without doubt the screencaps and videos are the property and copyright of Time Warner, Turner and CNN. They hired a crew, invested thousands of dollars a minute just to produce that single shot you claim its yours without any effort from your part....That they don't mind people use it, at least for now, well what the heck its free promotion.

On the other hand. If you take your own camera, video recorder or paper pad and produce something all by yourself... then you can claim ownership. But if you care about it, don't make it public. Because once its out there its considered for "Fair Use" or it might become raw material for Digital Arts.

The fact is that Blogs don't play by the rules... just ask Perez Hilton... when we started this blog we went all the way to contact professional photographers that have worked with Anderson Cooper in order to beg them to give us some take outs or unpublished materials. We were lucky that at least one of them sent us a couple of images that were from a magazine that they never used. We were bursting with pride, until one blog lifted it and sent a copy to another one who gave all the credit to the blog that lifted it without our consent. When we rightfully wanted to clear up the situation, we were told that we were the ones who stole the image from "her friend". And the official anti Freaks campaign began... we became the blog that shall not be named, linked nor referenced. But even them don't have any problem lifting info from us.

I came across this article that addresses some issues we have seen in the recent past, for those of you who doubt companies screen super secret or public online communities, personal blogs and websites, reality is THEY DO. So be careful with your information and remember, that online is a VIRTUAL REALITY NOT LIFE. DON'T TAKE YOUR ONLINE PERSONA ( OR PERSONAS) TOO SERIOUSLY. And if you do, then its time to get a real life.

Private' online photos really aren't

By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press WriterThu Jul 12, 7:16 PM ET

It's not just Jersey girls who get tripped up by embarrassing Internet photos.

Whether trying to become the next American Idol, Miss America, or just get an office job somewhere, people are starting to take steps to ensure that photos and personal information they post on the Web doesn't end up coming back to bite them.

The latest high-profile victim is Amy Polumbo, who was named Miss New Jersey last month, only to be hit with an alleged blackmail attempt by someone hoping to make her resign by threatening to release embarrassing photos of her.

The pageant board decided Thursday that the photos — which were in poor taste, but none featured any nudity — did not warrant stripping Polumbo of her crown.

"This was meant to be private," the 22-year-old told NBC's "Today" show on Thursday. "It was supposed to be between my friends and I."

But there's no such thing when it comes to photos posted online or e-mailed to others. Fellow Jersey girl Antonella Barba became worldwide news earlier this year when racy photos of the "American Idol" contestant surfaced during the competition.

"I used to say 'Cover your tracks,' but it really should be, 'Don't make tracks that need to be covered,'" Barba said Thursday. "Once anything is online, it's free rein.

"I feel so bad for her," said Barba, who has returned to college in Washington, D.C. to make up classes she missed while on the TV show. "I've been in the same situation she's been in. It disgusts me, people's interest in the dirt and trying to bring somebody down."

Polumbo's mother, Jen Wagner, said her daughter was just like millions of other young people who thought that just because their Facebook or MySpace page was set to "private," their photos would remain that way.

"They don't realize how many people can eventually see these photos," she said.

The photos of Polumbo came from her Facebook page, which has since been taken offline.

Embarrassment isn't the only consequence of personal photos surfacing. Many employers troll social networking sites like My Space, Facebook and others when checking out a job applicant or keeping tabs on employees.

Steven Jungman, director of recruiting for Houston-based ChaseSource LP, told of a young woman his firm helped land a job with a company working on a sensitive project.

"This was a project that had to be kept secret, that if the competition found out about it or the media wrote about it before it was rolled out, it would be very bad for business," he said. "It even had a secret nickname.

"Every day, twice a day, the company did a ... search for that title, just to make sure nothing was getting out about it," Jungman said. "One morning, an interesting link came up, to someone's My Space page. It went, 'My name is so-and so, I'm working on such-and-such for so-and-so.' And right next to that were photos that would make Anna Nicole Smith blush, and Paris Hilton go, 'Whoa!'"

Two days later, the woman was fired.

Other tales abound of job applicants getting passed over because their online pages showed them smoking marijuana, passed out after drinking, or flashing too much skin.

Theresa O'Neill, a career counselor at Rutgers University-Newark, urges students to take down their online photos while looking for a job.

"Think of it as being in a very large, public place like Yankee Stadium, taking the microphone and broadcasting your personal information to 50,000 people there," she said. "If you don't want everyone in the stadium to know the details of your personal life, then keep them to yourself."

At least some people are listening. A survey last year by the Web site CollegeGrad.com found that 47 percent of recent graduates had changed or planned to change their Web pages because they were looking for a job.

Barba survived on "American Idol" for a time after the photos of her began circulating, before being voted off by viewers.

She has steadfastly declined to speculate on how the photos of her became public and says she's not planning any legal action.

"I don't have the time and energy to go after someone the way they went after me," she said. "We just want to prevent this from happening to someone else."

Is Anderson dancing with Murdoch or just being polite?

2007-07-11T23:58:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!
I've been under the weather lately, and my brains are less than functional lately... but here a sobering image of the Allen & Co. party in Idaho which was attended by top media executives and where Allen would be presenting their new WIFI and technology trends...which right now is the back bone of the communications industry.

News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch (L) talks to CNN's Anderson Cooper during lunch at the Allen and Co. conference at the Sun Valley Resort in Sun Valley, Idaho July 11, 2007. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES)

If you are interested in a day by day account of the event visit the NYTimes Deal Blog

Michael Moore goes on a Wolf hunt

2007-07-10T13:23:00.000-04:00

In case you haven't seen it here it is!

Today Dr. Gupta admitted that he had one of the statistics wrong and than Moore was right.
In true honesty, and as CNN International anchor, Jim Clancy, mentioned, it is difficult for them to hear the critics, but the discussion is more than healthy. And time have proved Michael Moore right in a lot of his issues.

Anderson in peril or is he missing his blue shirt?

2007-07-05T03:23:00.000-04:00

Oh the tales of the blue shirt! How many complains we have read about it, some call it the filthy stinky and sometimes even Anderson's security blanket. Sure he can afford more shirts, but maybe it's his lucky one. Anderson must be missing it... particularly what it represents: FIELD REPORTING! Get out of the studio Anderson!

When we started the FreakSpeakers project we wanted to focus on the behind the scenes and the perils of being a journalist. It has been awhile since we last blogged about the topic but for the newbies we will be repeating some of the post of our archives ( hey if Anderson Cooper and CNN repeats to the 9th degree why can't we? It's summer!). This post was first published October 15, 2006 and since then our community and readers have increased significantly.

Why the Blue Shirt and other concerns

Minimizing Risks in Conflict Zones

Comportment
How journalists conduct themselves in the field may help save their lives, and the unwritten rules can vary from conflict to conflict. In some situations, for example, it may make sense for journalists to have a high profile, while in others, drawing attention to yourself may draw a hostile reaction from combatants. Talking with seasoned reporters who have covered the region is essential; veteran correspondents are usually generous with advice to newcomers.
Clothing and Culture
Journalists should be mindful of the kind and color of clothes they wear in war zones. Members of the media should always place prominent labels on their clothing (including helmets) that clearly identify them as press. Journalists who accompany armed combatants—irrespective of whether the combatants are uniformed— must consider how their own clothes may look from a distance. Bright and light colors that reflect a lot of sunlight may make a journalist too conspicuous. But wearing camouflage or military green could make journalists targets. Depending on the terrain, dark blue or dark brown may be preferable. In particular, some photojournalists prefer black because it doesn’t reflect light, but some combatants, especially rebel forces, often wear black. Of course, journalists should also respect local sensibilities. This includes men and women dressing as decorum may require. Foreign journalists of both sexes should also be aware of practices that could be offensive in some cultures.
Weapons
Journalists covering conflicts should never carry arms or travel with other journalists who carry weapons. Doing so jeopardizes a journalist’s status as a neutral observer and can make combatants view correspondents as legitimate military targets. In some particularly dangerous conflicts, journalists have hired armed guards. The practice first became widespread among television crews and reporters covering Somalia in the early 1990s after journalists traveling without armed guards were robbed at gunpoint. Journalists who use armed guards, however, should recognize that they may be jeopardizing their status as neutral observers. For example, CNN crews used armed guards in northern Iraq in 2003. On one occasion, unidentified attackers shot CNN’s vehicle, which was clearly marked with “Press,” and CNN’s hired guard returned fire. The gunmen continued to shoot the vehicle as it turned around and drove away. CNN International president, Chris Cramer, defended the network’s use of armed guards as necessary to protect CNN personnel in Iraq. Robert Menard, secretary- general of the Paris-based press freedom watchdog group Reporters sans Frontières, however, criticized CNN, saying that the practice “risks endangering all other reporters.” Many broadcasters now regularly employ experts from private security firms to accompany their news crews in the field, but these experts are not armed and primarily provide guidance on movements in conflict areas, including large street demonstrations.
Participatory Behavior
For their own protection, journalists should not engage in participatory behavior on the battlefield, such as identifying enemy locations, and they must be mindful at all times of their behavior, language, and attitude toward combatants. Whether they are embedded with military forces or traveling independently, the only role that journalists should play on the battlefield is that of observer. All journalists must remember that participatory behavior while traveling with combatants—or anywhere within a conflict area— an put them and their colleagues in danger.

Welcome to the new Freaks!

2007-07-05T00:42:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!!
Yep we decided to change the entire layout of the blog... most of the features remains the same. There are some serious tweaking that we still have to do and incorporate a couple of new features... and to please some of our chat addicts we uploaded the blog before it was entirely finished... but your chatting place is intact and open!

What we have:

The main column is the main post.
The chat access is at the upper part of the left column
Our new Image of the Day section
The News from a 360 View, news feeds from CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera
Anderson Cooper News, just to facilitate your readings making Freaks a One Stop Feed Station.
Our Archives are now a pull down
Tags galore!
And the usual search and feeds subscription services

We hope you will like this new incarnation of our blog. Shout out and let us know your opinions!
Suggestions are more than welcome!

The sweet smell of freedom!

2007-07-04T02:23:00.000-04:00

This was the liberation I was looking forward... Worthy of a Larry King sit in and a CNN SIU edition.

Congratulations Alan Johnston! Now get on a plane, go back home and enjoy your family and friends.

Anderson Cooper Stood Up Betty Ann! and the immigrant issues...

2007-07-03T15:36:00.000-04:00

And ruined her BBQ party... for those in the USA Happy 4th of July!

Well Anderson Cooper and the 360 team did it again! It could have been so lovely... AC from NY discussing the Washington/Bush administration corruption, and his reporters from the Border... we all know that it won't be as if Anderson will make all the reports... that's Gary Tuchman's and Randi Kaye's job! He would have limited himself to stay in a "proper setting" for anchoring just as he did with the Katrina Anniversary with the shrimp boat... THAT would have been a good use for 2 hours.

This are from last year courtesy of the Ramos Family.

I want to take a second to thank all of you that have visited and participated at our chat room, it have been a wild and fun success, and very addictive! From the lurkers to the "closeted freaks" THANK YOU!
We are planning to revamp the blog structure, again... let us know if you are facing any downloading problems ( for example the page is too slow ), what would you like to see as a permanent fixture or suggest new ones.See ya at the Chat Room!

Gloria Vanderbilt's new art exhibition

2007-07-02T01:37:00.000-04:00

Gloria Vanderbilt
Memories

oil on canvas, 20" x 30"

images copyrighted by Gloria V. Cooper

Gloria Vanderbilt: Books, fashion and now fine art

By STACEY MORRIS, Special to the Times Union
First published: Saturday, June 30, 2007

Gloria Vanderbilt's one-woman show of recent paintings at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, Vt., is a dream come true.

Many of Vanderbilt's 25 oil paintings are the end result of dreams she recorded in her journal. The paintings are divided into three categories: Three Girls, Figures of Women and Landscapes.

"There were dreams I had about the three girls, and I started painting them in a kind of narrative way," Vanderbilt said in a recent interview.

"I've always paid attention to dreams. I have dream journals going back forever and ever," she said. "My paintings are a way of grounding my dreams into reality."

It's a way that is effective for Southern Vermont Arts Center Executive Director Christopher Madkour. "Her current paintings are a stunning example of her love of bold color and dynamic composition."

It might come as a surprise that one of America's most famous blue bloods spends hours on end in front of a canvas, clad in comfy drawstring pants and a smock, but for years that has been how Vanderbilt chooses to spend her days.

The only child of railroad heir Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt and Gloria Laura Mercedes Morgan, she became heir to the family fortune after her father's death, when she was just more than a year old.

At age 10, she found herself in the center of an acrimonious custody battle between her mother and aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. The trial incited a media circus that later became a book and then a television miniseries. Her aunt was awarded custody.

Her young adult life was marked by tumultuous times, including three divorces, but Vanderbilt eventually found happiness when she married writer Wyatt Emery Cooper in 1963. Vanderbilt said the years during which they raised their two sons were some of the happiest of her life. Cooper died in 1978.

Throughout her life, she continued with her art. Her paintings and collages have been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States, including a one-woman show of paintings at Neiman-Marcus stores in Dallas and Houston.

Retrospectives of her work have been exhibited at The Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery in Reading, Pa.; the Fine Arts Museum at Cheekwood in Nashville, Tenn.; the Amarillo Art Center in Amarillo, Texas; and the Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art in Monterey, Calif.

Along the way, she experimented in other vocations, including acting, writing (she wrote four memoirs and two novels published by Knopf) and fashion design.

Vanderbilt entered the fashion business in the early '70s when a collection of her paintings was used on scarves for Glentex. And who can forget how she made blue jeans (with her signature and swan logo embroidered on the back pocket) an elegant commodity during the '80s? Though Gloria Vanderbilt jeans are still sold, she long ago gave up creative control of the brand.

"I did commercials (for the jeans) and it was very successful," she said. "But fashion design is a business, not an art. It's not comparable to painting."

Whoever said the litmus test of a true calling is that it doesn't feel like work must have observed Vanderbilt in her studio, a floor below her Upper East Side apartment in Manhattan.

"I can work for six hours and it seems like 10 minutes," said Vanderbilt. "I lose all track of time."

(One thing she does make time for is Anderson Cooper's nightly current events show on CNN -- not just because she enjoys the content, but because Cooper is her son. "I'm glued every single night," she said. "I'm his greatest fan. If I'm going out, I tape it.")

All the time she has devoted to making art has allowed Vanderbilt to contemplate the nature of creativity. "Being creative is so important for one's self-image," she said. "It's the key to renewing and reinventing oneself."

She gave a talk about the creative spirit at the opening of her show and is now hoping to dip back into writing long enough to pen a book on the creative process -- but she's not making any promises.

"I might do it someday. But I'm so obsessed with painting, I just haven't gathered my thoughts."

Stacey Morris is a freelance writer living in Queensbury.

Solo Exhibition

GLORIA VANDERBILT

Where: Yester House Gallery, Southern Vermont Arts Center, West Road, Manchester, Vt.

When: Through July 17

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. The gardens and grounds are open to the public at no charge.

Admission (suggested donation): $8 adults, $3 students, free for children younger than 13

Info: (802) 362-2522; http://www.svac.org

It's Monday... and you know what it means... Photos!!!

2007-07-02T00:25:00.001-04:00

There are some things we can have for granted: taxes, death, Mondays and the production team of Anderson Cooper 360 messing things out!

And seriously... an entire on air minute? as Anderson Cooper once said: There's a War!, There's a War!, There's a War!

The other day I got "one of those anonymous e-mails..." well for those of you that still haven't noticed, we have a couple of video slaves ( muask to Marie and 000WTF) that have compiled some great videos and screencaps of important topics covered at Anderson Cooper 360. If you haven't visited our channel yet, go check it out! Freakspeakers YouTube Channel.

Anderson Cooper in Greenland with the lady..... Ms. Pelosi or Madam Speaker if you are nasty!

HMMM.. on his way to yummy food...

His two favorite ladies

Ms. Diane

A reader sent me this and she begged us to post it... and we are here to please!

Anderson @ my back yard!

and this one... not our taste but she said we will have fun with it... go figure!

See ya all at the chat room @ 10 pm!

Anderson: Say it ain't so!

2007-06-27T16:42:00.000-04:00

Tonight on Anderson Cooper 360: views of a Heir from a Heir!

Anderson Cooper 360 gave in... shall we do a drinking game? tequila or mojito whenever he says her name?

Wednesday's show

Things you actually might want to know about that hotel heiress. How does she really make her money, anyhow? And hear why she's not the first Hilton to crave the headlines.. or make them by misbehaving. Watch tonight, 10 ET.

Lame, lame, lame... at least you might want to turn to Showbiz Tonight to see the roasting of Paris at 11!

I found this old Vanity Fair profile of the Hiltons, they surely sound like a broken record... she is smart, she is very intelligent and she is into charity, blah blah blah is Kathy Hilton on crack? is Anon 4:28 its supplier? ... 7 years later nothing has changed, only the antics escalated. Some tabloid magazines have declared Paris Fatigue, only People Mag (owned by CNN parent company Time Warner) will profile the celebutard this week.

Thank God Top Chef @ Bravo 10 pm!

Repeats, Releases and Shame

2007-06-26T18:03:00.000-04:00

We are all tired of all the repeats of the Anderson Cooper 360 specials, but last night CNN reached a new low... the second hour was a repeat from the first... was Anderson sick? No news? they couldn't set a commentators panel to fill time? So much for the teasers and the promos as the only live news show at 11:00 pm!

Unintentionally, while I was getting ready to go to sleep, I caught up with the "Breaking News": the release of Paris Hilton. They cut from the Larry King repeat to a live CNN International anchor from London with Brooke Anderson on site...the anchor's face was priceless, with a WTF is going on expression, then he bluntly asks Brooke why is this "breaking news and important" and why the Americans pay attention to it when there are so many things going on, internationally and nationally, even the constitutional crisis that Cheney is provoking. Truth to be said: Brooke Anderson and Showbiz Tonight have been seriously critical to the Hilton coverage... but then there are the administrative decisions... as Michael Moore commented about the cancellation of his interview to place Paris': who cares about discussing health care in America when what really matters is a stupid celebutard and her antics.

Are the producers under Doss so green that they can't figure out the importance of real news? Don't they have the hound nose so smell real news and distinguish between smoke bombs and real controversies? I would think that they could have set up a panel to discuss the repercussions of how Cheney's new intent of cleaning his ass with the Constitution means, I would like them to discuss the background and the crisis that's behind the capture of Alan Johnston. Will they interrupt the regular programming to present, with God's Help, his release?

It's a shame. What was once the leader of news gathering, have become another E! channel. And it won't matter how much new on air talent they hire. The anchors are not the news, its the content what matters, and its really going down hill.

The Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin Affair: the begining!

2007-06-25T01:48:00.000-04:00

Interview with Kathy Griffin

Aired July 10, 2003 - 19:47 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Well don't know. I have he been here two days and haven't had any plastic surgery.
I know, Kathy, it's true. I have seen a lot of nips and tucks if you know what I mean. But even nips and tucks weren't enough for actress comedian Kathy Griffin. Inspired by ABC's make over show, she conspired with "Entertainment Tonight" to document her own massive overhaul. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHY GRIFFIN, ENTERTAINER: I have new eyebrows. I have new eyes. I have new skin. I have new teeth. I'm working on a the new personality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: And the new Kathy Griffin joins us here tonight, and that's right, Los Angeles.

GRIFFIN: Anderson, first of all, what is this, "Live From Baghdad." What are we doing on the roof. I'm expecting an RPG to go over my head.

COOPER: This is L.A. There's no RPG as far as I am aware.

GRIFFIN: You've gotten so Hollywood, let me tell you.

COOPER: Let me ask you, what is going on with the plastic surgery?

GRIFFIN: I have a new head. I got a new head transplant. I'm going to take my glasses off -- but it's very bright. Because I also the ladened surgery so now I can see you.

COOPER: What do you have -- what done you have...

GRIFFIN: I used to have to wear glasses, then I got the Lasik, right.

COOPER: OK.

GRIFFIN: Then I had my eyebrows lifted. So they were down here and now they're up like around here. And then I got like a skin peel and what else did I get? I didn't get those J.Lo but bags because you know you can get those. COOPER: There's actually such a thing?

GRIFFIN: Yes.

COOPER: But why in L.A.? I mean, I walk down the street in L.A., I'm the only one walking actually walking down the street in L.A.

GRIFFIN: Right, you have to get a car.

COOPER: But so many people seem to have plastic surgery. It's not just like big time actors and actresses.

GRIFFIN: What are you talking to me about?

Like every anchor person on this network hasn't had something done.

Who are you kidding?

Let me see your butt.

Have you had the butt bags.

COOPER: I don't know what you're talking about. My ears meet in the back but that's a genetic thing, all right.

GRIFFIN: That's were they are supposed to be.

COOPER: I mean, do you feel pressure to do it being in the industry that your in?

GRIFFIN: Yes. I mean, look, it's pure vanity. It's pure silliness and vanity. And I mean, talk about it in my act now all the time. When I first had -- I had a nose job, right. And all this, like, shame about it and stuff. But it's too funny. So, I have to put it in my act. I talk about it. Now I just thought, you know, if I can get stuff for free by advertising it, then I'll just do it. I got $30,000 of teeth for free, Anderson.

COOPER: How is it possible to have $30,000 for teeth. Are teeth that expensive?

GRIFFIN: Yes. These (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are like 1,500 bucks a tooth. Can you believe it.

When are you going to come see me at the Laugh Factory every Wednesday here in Hollywood.

COOPER: You know, you've been clearly -- all right lets just get that out of the way. You're at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood Wednesday nights. Now you don't have to try to working anymore.

GRIFFIN: Please come see me and get a chuckle, Anderson. You know I won the mole.

COOPER: Are crack -- I'm not even going to go there.

Are crack research teams got up...

GRIFFIN: Was that Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown?

COOPER: Did you know that Griffin or Griffin or Griffin refers to a hybrid beast. And on dictionary.com the definite reads -- the definition reads "A fabulous beast with a heads and wings of an eagle and body of a lion."

GRIFFIN: That's me.

COOPER: Kathy Griffin, ladies and gentleman.

GRIFFIN: I'm going to get my wings removed because they add five pounds. I'll do what ever it takes. Look, I'm talking about the stuff because everyone gets it done and no one talks about it.

COOPER: No one talks about it.

GRIFFIN: You have met Larry King?

What I can't speak freely?

What happened, where's Paula?

What happened, did I get canned?

COOPER: Paul,a will be on in the next hour.

We are going to end it there.

I don't know what you're talking about, Kathy Griffin.

GRIFFIN: I am sure you don't.

COOPER: Yes. Yes. She's at the chuckle room every or whatever every Friday night.

GRIFFIN: The Laugh Factory every Wednesday.

COOPER: All right, thanks very much.

Some new Anderson Cooper photos to start the week

2007-06-24T22:27:00.000-04:00

Here are some new photos of Anderson, from the Bee movie premier and from NOLA's Mardi Gras. Enjoy!

Anderson Cooper in relationships: The ABCs of Anderson Cooper's relationships.

2007-06-22T00:36:00.000-04:00

I came across this astrological report thanks to the nuts at the NYPost... something interesting out of that!

And the HILARIOUS Kathy Griffin declaring her love and lust towards Anderson Cooper... PRICELESS!

Date: June 3, 1967 Time: 15:46 Place: New York City, New York, United States

Anderson Cooper has frequent emotional outbursts due to his fiery temper and emotional impulsiveness. Cooper expresses himself very directly and honestly and no one has to guess what his true feelings are. However, Anderson Cooper dislikes showing any personal weakness or his need for support, comfort and nurturing. He is often impatient with himself and others. Anderson abhors emotional dependency and dislikes "complainers".

Anderson Cooper inspires others to take positive action in their lives through his own enthusiasm and eagerness to meet life's challenges, and he is attracted to people who are adventurous, courageous and independent. Anderson is rather bossy but does not like to be with people that he can boss around too much. He enjoys a good fight sometimes. Relationships that are built on mutual respect and emotional freedom are ideal for Cooper.

Anderson Cooper becomes very cross if he lacks vigorous physical activity. Cooper feels his best if he frequently "does battle" on the tennis or racquetball court (or engages in another form of competitive sport).

Cooper depends a great deal upon other people for emotional support and he has a large "family" of friends that care about him and treat him as kin. The women in Anderson's life are particularly important to him, and his relationships with them powerfully influence his sense of security and happiness. Anderson Cooper may be overly dependent and unsure of himself without a close partner.

Anderson has conflicting emotional desires and needs which complicate his personal life and relationships. He may feel that he cannot depend on his love partner to take care of him or perhaps Cooper cannot decide what he really wants in love relationships: a parent or a lover. If his needs for emotional sustenance and love are not satisfied, overeating (especially sweets) can become a problem.

Highly sensitive and rather easily taken in, Anderson Cooper needs to beware of deceiving himself and allowing others to take advantage of his impressionability or gentleness. Daydreaming, fantasizing, or other forms of imaginative, escapist behavior (such as watching television excessively or living his life through romance novels) could be something of an addiction for Cooper. Anderson Cooper tends to confuse images with reality and needs to learn to be more circumspect and discriminating. Disappointments through women and in close relationships may occur if Cooper does not.

Anderson Cooper tends to be emotional inhibited when he is with others and therefore appear rather aloof. Although he may feel lonely, Anderson is inclined to flee from crowds of people and to give the impression of needing protection.

Sensitive and sentimental, Anderson Cooper is deeply attached to his family, old friends, familiar places and the past. He is romantic and tender in love relationships, and it is of utmost importance to Cooper to remember birthdays, anniversaries, family rituals and other personally significant days. Anderson Cooper seeks caring, emotional support, and security in his love relationships. Anderson likes to be needed, as well as to cherish and protect his loved ones, of whom he is somewhat possessive.

Promoting beauty, the arts, or entertainment can make Anderson Cooper very happy. Anderson wants to contribute something positive and loving to the world at large and he wants to be recognized for his beauty, artistic gifts, or loving generosity. Anderson Cooper may "marry" his work - that is, being more involved in his career than in his private life. Cooper is a natural host or diplomat.

He is kindhearted and generous with both his money and his affections, and he is not happy if he has to budget or restrict himself in any way. Pettiness or stinginess is foreign to Anderson's nature and Anderson Cooper feels most comfortable in an elegant, beautiful atmosphere. Asceticism is not for Cooper. Gracious and charitable, he enjoys sponsoring social events or cultural activities. Anderson Cooper has an optimistic, friendly attitude towards others and tends to bring out the finer side of people. He is likely to fall in love with someone who is successful, noble and idealistic.

Sensitive and compassionate, Cooper tends to be the "giver" in any relationship. Anderson has high ideals and a refined attitude towards love relationships, seeking to relate in ways that go beyond egotistical and selfish needs. Anderson is attracted to people with artistic or mystical inclinations.

Anderson likes to feel at one with the whole world and is cordial and warm-hearted in collaborating with others. Public-spirited, Anderson Cooper seems to be real content and happy only when he is among other people.

His feelings are very rich and Anderson Cooper has an enormous capacity to express his love. He is very cordial and likely to experience happiness in love relationships. Anderson Cooper may also have artistic aspirations or aims and could be very successful in some kind of artistic work.

Anderson Cooper treats others in an agreeable, affectionate and tactful way and freely shows his affection for them. His circle of friends is likely to be large and Cooper strives for the development of a strong community spirit.

Anderson asked and we shall respond!

2007-06-21T09:53:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,
I've been a lousy blogger lately, but I promise I will get my butt back on track. Last night Anderson Cooper asked the audience and his blog readers to suggest a theme song for the
360's presidential race coverage. I submitted an 80s favorite, but would love to hear it from you.

And before the poll, I want to thank all of our visitors for the wild success of our new chat room. It has exceed all of our expectations! And we are very happy you are having fun with it. And I have a full notebook to blog about... if I only had time!

So vote and chat away my friends!

More Anderson Cooper Photos

2007-06-19T01:44:00.000-04:00

Here are more images of the events. Seems as if Anderson didn't stay for dinner and Gloria Vanderbilt was simply FABULOUS, as always!

Anderson Cooper Arrving at the Gordon Parks Dinner

2007-06-18T22:56:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos of Anderson Cooper arriving at the Gordon Park Foundation Dinner. More as they surface.

Ready to chat?

2007-06-14T02:47:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!
Sorry I've been very busy lately, we just installed a chat room at the blog (to your right!) It is very easy to use and while I get my act together Ivy will be your chat host. We will be scheduling some get togethers in order to be able to gossip and have a good time. Let us know the best timing for it. Live chat during 360? Lunchs? give us a shout.

Happy Monday

2007-06-11T20:03:00.000-04:00

I hope it makes "the shot!"

This REALLY makes me smile!

2007-06-08T14:37:00.000-04:00

I can only imagine Anderson Cooper and Erica Hill ROTFL...

Will be back soon...

Those Vanderbilt men... everything for an Interview! Did you know Anderson Cooper wasn’t the first?

2007-05-28T18:59:00.000-04:00

Ok, you might be known to drool over Anderson Cooper’s field reporting, the intrepidness of his trips and snarky comments… you might also know that his father was a great writer, his mother a published author and his late brother was a promising one – there is even an award granted in his name for young short story writers -… but Anderson was not the first Vanderbilt with a passion for journalism. Have you ever heard about Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr (actually the IV)? Or the Village Voice – Vanderbilt connection (and we don’t mean the Musto douche bag!)?

So here we go!

Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr. (1898-1974) was the author of one of “the most important interviews of the 20^th Century” as compiled by Christopher Sylvester. The subject: Al Capone. He was the son of the of Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr. (the III) who was scorned by his father Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr (the II) and cut from the family fortune because he chose to marry an older woman whom he disapproved. Even without the Vanderbilt fortune, Vanderbilt Jr. (III) Didn’t suffer any economic nuances, because his bride’s parents where also rich. And he was a successful business man in his own right.

Vanderbilt Jr. (IV) was raised in Newport Conny and during his childhood he frequently visited Europe. Against his father’s wishes, he became a journalist when he finished his tour of duty at World War I. He was the New York Herald’s correspondent for which he interviewed the Irish poet Lord Dunsany, Belgium writer Maurice Maerterlinck and Edward, the Prince of Wales. He was the New York Times Albany collaborator and worked for United Press and Universal Service in Washington. Later he will become a freelance journalist . In 1923 he founded and presided Vanderbilt Newspapers, a group of tabloid newspapers in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami, but this endeavor quickly faced economic problems, forcing them to close on an early stage. He also was the Associated Editor for The New York Mirror (1925-1929).

During the ‘30s he became a collaborator with Liberty Magazine, specializing in Interviews. Among his interviewees were General Pershing, Pio XI, Mussolini, General Pilsudsky (Poland’s leader), Stalin and President Hoover. He also interviewed Hitler a couple of times. The first of them, after Hitler was arrested due to his participation in the unsuccessful Brewery Revolt in Munich. Vanderbilt threw a brick to a window in order to be arrested and bribed guardians in order to get the contiguous jail cell next to Hitler. Everything for an interview. Years later, he refused an offer to interview Hitler again because he was against the condition of “donating” $5,000 to the fund for the families of killed Nazis soldiers. He also interviewed Stalin (even when many thought he was an ogre, he thought Stalin looked more as a school teacher) many times. During the first interview, when Vanderbilt arrived, Stalin was reading a book. Later he would find out that he was reading the Bible and that he had read it in 4 languages. “He spoke more as an American Entrepreneur instead of a Red Russian leader”, Vanderbilt declared.

The last time he interviewed him, he correctly interpreted that Stalin was about to sign a non aggression treaty with Germany and had the opportunity to notify President Roosevelt about it before it happened

Vanderbilt Jr (IV) endlessly worked for Roosevelt’s Presidential Campaigns during the 1930s. He refused a job offer at his administration, but he accepted the post of Presidential Advisor, without salary or perks, and worked directly with FDR an array of issues. In 1942 he was granted with the Distinguished Service Cross from the FBI for his contribution in the arrest of a Japanese radio operator at the Pacific Coast. He wrote travel guides about Reno (1929) Park Avenue (1930), Palm Beach (1931) and in the 1940 he was a travel columnist for The New York Post and Affiliated News Features. He also published various memories: Personal Experiences of a Club Reporter (1922), Experiences of a Washington Correspondent (1929), Farewell to Fifth Avenue (1935) and Man of the World: My Life on Five Continents (1959). Vanderbilt Jr. (IV) married an astonishing seven times.

Before Vanderbilt visited Capone, he left a note to the hotel’s concierge with precise instructions if he didn’t show up in a specific time frame. In it, he wrote the address where he was going to meet Capone. The interview went well, and Capone and Vanderbilt were already planning to meet again for dinner when the phone rang. Capone answered and passing the phone to Vanderbilt Jr. (IV) he said: “It’s the police, they say I kidnapped you”.

Vanderbilt Jr.( IV) died in 1974 childless, ending the Jrs and the competition with the Buendía’s dynasty, but sometimes I think the Vanderbilt family is as complicated or doom as them.

As you all have noticed, we switched to moderated comments. We will really appreciate if the discussion stays within a rational spectrum. Thanks.

Greenland : Planet in Peril, can Anderson Cooper 360 do it better?

2007-05-25T18:13:00.000-04:00

I'm glad that Anderson Cooper and the CNN 360 team are spending more time in Greenland, the pressure of “live reporting” have proven to work against their quality - remember the Amazon? - And the Arctic circle is not the best place to just transmit; the possibilities of technical problems are very high. Just focus in the quality and then uplink the packages. God knows they can make a special and repeat it, repeat it, and repeat it for any second hour of the newscast they wish. But I rather watch a special than just an as live stand in or a VO.

Two years ago, a great friend of mine, John McConnico did an extraordinary work about global warming and its effects on Greenland. He raised the bar, and unfortunately I doubt CNN will be at his level. Here are some images of his photo essay for the New York Times and Discovery:

Arctic Thaw

by John McConnico

John is a very, very special fellow. Someone I personally admire and respect and probably the only Texan I ever had a crush on …. We met a little more than a decade ago, when the Associated Press assigned him to be the region’s Chief Photo Editor. We knew nothing about the “teddy bear gringo”, he was very young and well mannered and humble, a rarity among Staff photojournalists of the local mayor outlets. But he meant business. And a sleepy market had to face and step in the challenge this youngster brought with him.

Unlike the natural media tendencies, John made his AP post a greenhouse for young talent. He gave great international opportunities to unlikely characters that seized the situation with brilliance. Ricardo Figueroa, José Jiménez (check his award winning photos from 9/11 and Iraq at Getty’s) and Laura Magruder, where some of the few young talents that started presenting their works at the most prestigious international papers.

People have no idea how difficult it is to present hard news with an aesthetical touch and sensibility. John is simply a genius doing it. He almost lost his life during the coverage of Hortense taking this photo:

Which earned him a 1997 World Press Photo Award. Then he was transferred to direct the Associated Press Asia & East Africa Bureau for whom he covered the USA Embassy attacks in Nairobi for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1999, probably the youngest photographer ever.

I will always have a debt of gratitude with “el gringo”. He was there for me at one of the worst things I have covered and witnessed in my life. A moment that defined my career and made me respect, or simply trust in their divine madness, international correspondents and understand that not everyone is capable of doing it, and recognize that it is ok. Gracias Gringo!

Someone once said about John: "It takes a special kind of person to live that kind of life. It is like a photo junkie - they like to live in the thick of things. Their everyday life is lived under condtions that are far from comfortable."

And as we all know...

Anderson Cooper's Dispatches From the Edge Special

2007-05-25T00:46:00.000-04:00

Many people love to watch Anderson Cooper's Reporter's Notebooks. Last night ( Weds) they presented a compilation of his works in order to promote the sales of the new paperback edition of Dispatches From The Edge. I have mix feelings with the CNN's tendencies to present or over abuse the Notebooks format, but at least they are very aesthetically attractive and informative. If you have never seen them, agent OOWTF did us the favor of recording all of the notebooks. Remember to check or subscribe to FREAK-TV where you can find great videos compiled by our friends and collaborators.

Part 1 Katrina and Sago Mine

Part 2 Afganistan

Part 3 Hezbollah-Israel war

Part 4 Congo

Part 5 Famine Niger

More Anderson Cooper Photos

2007-05-23T04:54:00.000-04:00

This ones are from Anderson Cooper's May 9 book signing at Borders

these great photos are by electrogeek77, Thanks

Essential Anderson Cooper 360: Jeff Koinage's Africa Reporter's Notebook

2007-05-22T01:22:00.000-04:00

As any normal Monday, I like to welcome our readers with interesting images, particularly if there was any event during the weekend, that will surely light their day or cheer them up at the beginning of their labor week. People love photos over text, which becomes a no brainer if you want to post something and you don't have much time. They always bring good traffic.

But yesterday was a crazy day. The numbers started very good, we had some great photos from the book signings, but then Gawker linked us ... at first I was worried, didn't knew if we had to close comments, or at least moderate them, I was surprised and grateful that they didn't trash us... StatCounter reloaded every 5minutes until it finally crashed when it hit 3000 unique visitors..... after the crash it went through the roof with over 4,300 unique visitors and 5,389 loaded pages... some looking for entertainment, and for my big surprise almost the same amount searching for information about Ingrid Formanek and Robert Weiner... and with the last I felt a sense of relief! Una de cal y otra de arena..!

Last Friday Anderson Cooper 360 presented Jeff Koinage's Reporter's Notebook about Africa. Just like the Michael Ware in depth interview, it is a required viewing. Essential Reporting. Personally I wouldn't have used the Oprah Piece nor repeated the Gorilla Story. I know it is cute as hell, but can't compare with the depth of the suffering of the Raped Women and The Soldier Children. I still believe we have to focus on Human Rights a little bit more...

On another note, at the previous comments section, Jr asked:

"So, this made me think if I were to give Anderson a gift, what would it be?"

Personally, I'm old school. Journalists shouldn't accept any kind of gifts or favors. But that's me.

And last and but not least, I want to thank our loyal regulars. Love us or hate us, we can always count on your visits... and our commenters thank you for sharing this bumpy ride!

And now the Reporter's Notebook.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

"Dispatches from the edge": AC360 Africa special. Anderson talks with CNN's Jeff Koinange. Child soldiers and sex slaves

Anderson asked and we will respond!
	We are not going to take it - Twisted Sisters
	Shout! - Tears for Fear
	American Idiot - Green Day
	Anything from The Clash
	Tiburon - Ruben Blades and Willie Colon
	5 minutes - Bonzo goes to Washington
	Fight for your right (to Party!) - Beastie Boys
	People Have the Power - Patti Smith

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