Egypt: CNN's Anderson Cooper on lies and the lying liars who tell them

It’s not often that American television news figures accuse government officials, foreign or domestic, of lying. But CNN’s Anderson Cooper made up for that, big time, this week. He heaped the pejorative on Egypt’s leaders 14 times in a single “Anderson Cooper 360.”

Though the Big Picture knows of no record book for declarations of mendacity, that must have been some sort of new high -- at least for mainstream American news. Cooper's accusations of “lies” and “lying” got so thick on Wednesday’s show that the host seemed to be channeling comic (and now U.S. Sen.) Al Franken’s 2003 book, “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.”

(Over on Fox News, meanwhile, Glenn Beck has decided the Egyptian revolution is about the worst thing that would happen to humankind. My "On The Media" column takes a look at his rants.)

The CNN star regularly devotes a segment on his show to “Keeping Them Honest.” Some critics have noticed Cooper's pronounced shift toward more opinion-making in recent months. One theory is that CNN -- which has hewed to traditional he-said/she-said reporting in the past -- may be trying to adopt the more commentary-heavy approach of its higher-rated competitors, Fox and MSNBC.

Cooper, who had been roughed up by thugs a couple of times during his recent visit to Egypt, made no bones at the top of his Wednesday night show about the direction he would take. “A lot happening tonight,” he told viewers. “We're again devoting nearly the entire hour to Egypt, the entire hour to debunking the lies the Egyptian regime continues to try to spread about what is really happening there.”

A moment later he described the efforts of “Egyptian government efforts to hold on to power by lying to Egyptians and lying to the world.” He was off and running. By the time his show was over, Cooper also noted that the government “continues to distort or hide the truth about how many people have been killed or detained in the demonstrations.” (Nice change-ups, Anderson, but those don't get logged on our tote board, because they aren't derivations of the verb “lie.”)

Cooper cranked out another five lie-derivatives in reference to an Egyptian anchorwoman, who had quit state-run TV because she was no longer willing to fib, prevaricate and mislead. Cooper also hit now-ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak and his government with a trifecta of deceit: for saying journalists had started the unrest, for claiming the only options in Egypt were chaos or totalitarianism and for charging protesters with resorting to violence. “Lies,” “lies” and “a lie,” Cooper declared, though not all in one breath.

The anchor also nailed the nation’s foreign minister for a whopper. The minister had claimed that a state of emergency in Egypt was necessary because 17,000 prisoners had been freed to the streets. “And it sounds almost plausible at first,” Cooper rejoined, “but then you remember that the Mubarak regime has been ruling under a state of emergency for nearly 30 years.”

Cooper handled most of the extraordinary truth-squading session all by himself. Though he did offer a video of the penitent Egyptian anchor, Shahira Amin, in evidence. She talked about how she had been told by the Interior Ministry to say that the Muslim Brotherhood had instigated the protests and also to blame “foreign agents” for fomenting trouble. Amin could not stand it any more. She resigned.

The CNN anchor noted that some viewers complained via e-mail that his unforgiving tone toward the Mubarak regime was “somehow personal, because I and my team was attacked by thugs on two occasions, that somehow I've lost objectivity.”

He moved to quash that notion: “Answer to that," Cooper said, "This is not personal. This is not to insult Egypt. This is about the truth, and all the reporters on the ground, and frankly all the people in that square and most of the people around the world have seen the truth in Egypt.”

Indeed, it’s hard to find fault with what Cooper had to say, though it did begin to sound a little one-note after about the sixth or seventh "liar, liar." We got the point a few minutes into the show. And its doubtless many in the audience didn't understand, since the evidence appeared right on our TV screens all week.

“I have no problem with this point-of-view reporting because it was fully substantiated and accurate,” said Marc Cooper, a veteran journalist and professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication.  “I applaud its honesty, even if motivated by commercial concerns. But it begs a monster question: Is CNN permitted to call only foreign leaders liars? How refreshing it would be to see that same piercing candor directed at American politicians when they overtly lie.”

-- James Rainey

Twitter: latimesrainey

Photo: CNN's Anderson Cooper has had his fill of members of the Mubarak regime in Egypt. He let them have it with both barrels this week, repeatedly accusing the government of lying to its people and the world. Credit: Bryan Bedder / Getty Images

 

Comments

[Corey]

Isn't the point to have accurate information? You yourself say that everything he said appears to be true. The problem isn't journalists who are trying to insert themselves in the story. It's journalists such as yourself who care more for tone than content. I don't really even understand what the hell your point is here.

[glenn grab]

Anderson always seemed a little full of himself, or maybe full of something else!!!...this is just the logical next step for someone who thinks he knows sooo much more than others!!!...thanks for enlightening us, Anderson!!

[Lou P.]

Anderson Cooper became part of the story when he was attacked by pro-Mubarak -- from a journalistic standpoint I believe he was justified in referring to lies by the Mubarak regime, particularly since he was able to specify and document specific lies, both from first-hand accounts and other corroborating evidence.

[Diane]

One wonders from the content of this article whether Messrs. . Rainey and Goldstein are objecting to Mr. Anderson's actually exposing lies or merely for using the word. Nowhere in the article are there objections as to what Mr. Anderson may have got wrong; the article merely appears to highlight his use of the word.

Well imagine that! A major news organization exposing the lies of a powerful organization. If only more so-called news organizations , perhaps those even recently acquired by larger conglomerates, would deign to to the same.

[CaptD]

So - are you saying interviewers/broadcasters/reporters CANNOT have an opinion - don't you ever have opinions - don't we all? He said/she said just doesn't work when propaganda and spin is happening.
Are you saying the old regime was honest, truthful and trustworthy (and therefore the revolution unnecessary?). Plain wrong.
Are you saying Anderson was wrong? I think he was right to voice concern.

My view is that interviewers, broadcasters and reporters should point out lies and spin. I think Anderson was entirely correct is pointing out that this regime was corrupt and lied - and he showed us the proof. Not sure just what your point is though. I liked the Glenn Beck article - less sure this is in the same league.

[richieh]

This is hard for some people to understand­--the difference between opinion shows and straight news. One would think that the LA Times would know the difference­. Do the Times complain every time the Beck tells a lie, makes up the news and spews his conspiracies? They should write when FOX makes up the news on their "straight" news shows. That doesn't seem to happen very often. I guess it’s pretty easy to criticize from one's arm chair.

[Tukwilagorilla]

We see Mr Rainey assuming the roll of Rome's Emperor, kill the messenger. Living in the Provence of Seattle I know little about LA's Editorial Emperors; of course, I know and love the wonderful Emperor Simers and his colorful views of UCLA's Slick Rick. Emperor Simers can write column after column and never use the hate word, in our provence Slick Rick is always followed by a plethora of the hate words. It just seems that Mr Simers has read and studied E B White's "Elements in Style" and may subscribe to his notion 'Towards More Picturesque Speech.'
All learned from Mr Rainey's article was that neither he nor Mr Cooper share Emperor Simmers skills.

[richard myers]

Anderson Cooper is conveying essential information. The "lies" have been both how awful the government of Egypt has been to its people, and the fiction created by U.S. foreign policy which covered up that fact for decades. Anderson Cooper is setting the record straight, and more power to him.

[LT]

"It’s not often that American television news figures accuse government officials, foreign or domestic, of lying."

Too much. Too, too much. That a couple of journalists could write that sentence and not have lightbulb moments. Honestly, do both of you honestly not know that there are people in government, both in ours and others' governments, that, you know - lie? And on a regular basis? And that journalists would be doing the people of this country a real big favor by calling those lies "lies"?

You want to look at what's wrong with journalism, take a look in the mirror.

[smc]

I'd love to know how many people commenting here would put themselves in harms way to report the news. Not many I suspect, as with the author of the article.