Members of the UTRGV campus community logged on to Zoom last Saturday for An Evening with Anderson Cooper as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series.
Communication associate professor Aje-Ori Agbese moderated the evening virtually from her office on the Edinburg campus as Cooper spoke from his office in New York City.
Cooper talks about his experience with the 2020 elections specifically referencing President Donald Trump’s claims of voter fraud and the attention the claims have gotten through social media.
“What they’re actually presenting in court is very different than what people are talking about on social media because that social media stuff is just not real and what they’re presenting in court is getting tossed out of court,” Cooper said.
According to Cooper, he enjoyed military history at a young age, studying political science in college. Cooper planned to join the military but couldn’t as a gay male so he looked to alternatives which drew him to journalism.
“And then I realized, all of 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,” Cooper said. “So that’s what I set about trying to do.”
Cooper said he has always been openly gay to his family, friends and co-wrokers but had not come out publicly as his work took him to nations where LGBTQ citizens were killed or hurt. When he did make a public statement, he said his security was immediately increased.
“Suddenly, I was in Iraq after making the announcement and I suddenly had to have a huge security detail because, you know, my chance of something happening and, you know, the bad things that would happen to me if I was kidnapped or something,” he said.
The veteran journalist gives a piece of advice to the audience towards the end of the evening.
“I do think it’s important to be a human being when you’re reporting,” Cooper said.
Mass communication senior Colleen DeGuzman who is also a feature reporter for The Monitor says she is proud UTRGV brings people like Cooper to speak to students. As an aspiring journalist, Cooper’s advice on staying human stood out to her.
“But I forget that, you know, I can react too,” DeGuzman said. “I don’t have to be completely numb, I don’t have to act numb to do my job well. I can respond and so that was inspiring for me, personally.”
The Distinguished Speaker Series will welcome actor Terry Crews in the new year. For more information, visit the Student Activities VLink page.
For Vaquero News, I’m Justin Elizalde.
