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Anderson Cooper (top right), CNN anchor and journalist, was the second guest for the Distinguished Speaker Series. Aje-Ori Agbese (bottom center), Associate Professor for the Department of Communication, was the moderator of the event. Interpreter (top left), was signing the event as they spoke.
SCREENSHOT TAKEN BY LIZET CHAVEZ DURING
THE DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES EVENT HELD
SATURDAY VIA ZOOM.
UTRGV- Student Activities presented CNN journalist and 16-time Emmy award winner Anderson Cooper as the second speaker for the Distinguished Speaker Series on Saturday, November 14th via Zoom.
Aje-Ori Agbese, former journalist and Associate Professor for the Department of Communication, was the moderator for the event and asked Cooper questions regarding the 2020 presidential elections and his journey to becoming a journalist.
Cooper mentions that even though he continues to work at his CNN office in New York City, a regular work day is no longer the same since the COVID-19 Pandemic reached the U.S.
“Even on a regular day there’s really no one in the office anymore,” he said. “We wear masks at the office and when I broadcast my show I’m in a tiny closet-sized studio with no crew around, with a robotic camera.”
When asked about his experience covering the presidential election in the middle of a pandemic, Cooper said it was like no other.
“This was an election like any of us have ever seen. Whether it’s the lack of campaigning on the part of the democrats, following COVID guidelines, the rallies President Trump had, the president of the United States becoming infected with COVID, you know I mean everything about it has been historic,” he said.
Cooper said it’s been a challenging four years as a journalist and mentions that he and his co-workers were called “enemies of the state” by the President of the United States, which Cooper claims is not the case.
“For all the attacks that the president has done against CNN, our attitude is to keep our heads down and just do our jobs, and our job is reporting,” he said.
Cooper takes a trip down memory lane and shared different experiences he had while majoring in political science and explains how he decided to become a journalist.
“I interned at the CIA for two summers in college. I thought about joining the state department. Then, I realized all the stuff that I really loved, which was going to some far away place and immersing myself in a different culture and learning about people and talking to people, I realized I can do that as a reporter.”
Although Cooper couldn’t get an entry-level job at the time, he didn’t give up.
“So I decided if no one is going to give me a chance, I would have to take a chance. If no one was going to give me an opportunity, I’d have to try and create my own opportunity,” he said.
With money he had saved up, a fake press pass made by his friend and a borrowed camera, Cooper traveled to different locations such as Vietnam, Africa and Rwanda to begin writing stories about war.
“If I went to places that were really dangerous that other people weren’t going to, I could probably find some incredible stories and it would also be personally something I really was interested in,” he said.
Apart from finding stories, he wanted to learn how people survived in different situations and apply that knowledge to his own life.
“Going to war wasn’t about becoming a reporter, it was really about learning about putting myself in the worst possible situations to show myself, teach myself how to survive,” he said. “I figured that if I could survive in those situations then when it happens here, when it happens in my life I’ll be able to survive.”
After traveling for three years Cooper got a job at ABC News.
When asked, what’s next, Cooper responded with, “I really don’t know. I’ve never been good at thinking long term and … in this business, it’s changing so fast … I mean, I love what I do.
“I’m also trying to figure out how to have a life,” he said “I have a son now … My son is the focus of my life and gives me joy that I never even knew was imaginable. “
Cooper finished the night by answering a few questions from UTRGV Students watching the event and even met a few during a VIP Meet and Greet afterwards.
Student Activities plans to continue the Distinguished Speaker Series in the upcoming Spring semester. The next guest will be Actor, Comedian and Artist, Terry Crews on Monday, February 8th 2021.
