New Orleans Resident Says: We Don't Need Anderson Here
I think I hit a nerve when I suggested that Anderson Cooper should anchor 360 from the Gulf Coast full-time. Here's an interesting e-mail I received:
"As a citizen of New Orleans who lost her home, I have to say that the last thing we need is Anderson Cooper permanently stationed on the Gulf Coast. I don't care what others may say, whether it be that 'he cares' or 'he was the best man for the job' when it came to covering the storm, it's all 'bullshit' itself. I used to watch Anderson's show, before the storm, and I thought he was a great Anchor, new, and everything else. Seeing him during the storm made me angry, and it angered me more when people applauded him for 'caring'. It's not an anchors job to care, it's their job to make 'you', the viewer, care. He is not a Hurricane Katrina expert. The people who have survived are the experts, not a media man who happened to pop-up at New Orleans' darkest hour. Where is the background in that?"
The rest of the e-mail is after the jump...
The other night, Anderson Cooper had Sean Callebs stand outside a restaurant Mayor Ray Nagin was at, because he didn't come in for an interview. That was not only tacky, but foolish and demeaning. If CNN, and their Anchors, are going to suggest that Ray Nagin 'fix' the city before he brings its citizens back, then maybe they shouldn't have turned what he said into a big deal.
CNN, and Anderson Cooper, don't understand how to cover New Orleans, especially when they hire a local anchor like Susan Rosegen. It must have boiled down to her personal connections with the people at the network, because there are reporters here who can muster a whole lot more talent than her.
It's been said and done, but it's becoming more and more evident that Quantity over Quality, no matter how much they do their best to deny it, matters more to Jon Klein and CNN. They've given up on being accurate, and instead, have added emotion because they don't know how to make up for it. Adding your own emotion to a story depreciates its message and value, and is bad journalism in my eye.
I've moved back to New Orleans, and it makes me laugh at what CNN chooses to report. I could go on and on, but I'll let it be.
