CNN crosses the line with Cooper, Gupta coverage in Haiti

Anderson Cooper, you truly are everywhere. You take 360 degrees to the max.

If anyone doubts it, they should check out CNN’s story on its own reporter saving a Haitian boy from a clash Monday in the earthquake-shattered streets.

The young boy was hit in the head with a chunk of concrete thrown from above and brilliant red blood was pouring out of his head. And faster than a CNN Hero, Cooper was there to save the day.

Later, stories on CNN and a blog post from Cooper dramatically detailed the dashing rescue.

“I ran to where he was struggling, and picked him up off the ground,” Cooper wrote. “I brought him to a spot about a hundred feet away. I could feel his warm blood on my arms. I stood him up, but he was clearly unable to walk.”

And people ate it up like it truly deserves a gonzo journalism award.

Really, the CNN machine deserves an award for turning the tragedy in Haiti into a marketing scheme and somehow managing to make news about its reporters.

Cooper’s actions weren’t isolated. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta was the star of a four-minute news segment leading CNN’s afternoon Haiti coverage Jan. 14. In this incident, Gupta, who is also a neurosurgeon, evaluated a 15-month-old baby for signs of a fracture. The producer assisted with some gauze.

Media ethicists were quickly up in arms about Gupta’s moves and rightfully so. Journalists are there to cover the event, not participate in it. Journalists should be able to help in a matter of life and death. Neither situation truly was, yet CNN’s “coverage” painted it exceedingly so.

As Bob Steele, a journalism values scholar at The Poynter Institute, said, “If it’s imperative that he intervene and help medically, then take him out of his journalistic role and do that. But don’t have him covering the same stories in which he’s a participant. It muddles the journalistic reporting.”

The true issue is not Cooper and Gupta’s actions—but how the network made these non-stories into stories. If the concern was about transparency, a small note would have sufficed. If reporters are compelled to act, it doesn’t deserve headlines—at least from their own news organizations.

Every day since the earthquake struck, thousands of Haitians and relief workers have done far braver and more helpful things than Cooper and Gupta. Their stories deserve to be told.

Instead, two reporters and their crews produced blogs and videos for U.S. audiences about themselves. The result is news as entertainment, not with substance. Instead of seeing Haitians helping Haitians, CNN viewers get the privileged men rushing to the rescue yet again.

Cooper’s stunt follows so closely on the success of Gupta’s medical drama that its motives are suspect. It would be hard not to be aware of the cameras rolling around him. He looks rather like James Bond as still and video cameras closely followed his every move.

And that’s what Cooper should stick to: looking pretty in front of a camera, reporting real news.

Joshua may be reached at editor@su-spectator.com.

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8 comments

Paul Balcerak

Mon Jan 25 2010 13:14

Speaking as a professional journalist, I couldn't disagree with this editorial more. The idea that a journalist has to stand detached to be objective is exactly what's killing journalism in a world that's embraced social media (re: mass person-to-person communication platforms). If you want to live in a world of just facts with no emotional or personal stake in your community or the events affecting it, then, respectfully, stick to print. Success in a multimedia environment—where everyone is a publisher—depends on making yourself a meaningful and important part of your readers' lives. "...welcome to the world of ‘social news reporting‘. This is no longer the world of reporting where Walter Cronkite, God bless his soul, would feel comfortable. It is the world of news though that people who want to be touched, to be engaged and to be able to respond to are making." source: http://www.inquisitr.com/58653/society-of-professional-journalists-show-they-still-dont-get-this-new-world-of-news/

Cat

Sat Jan 23 2010 20:55

I couldn't disagree more. At the end of the day, journalists are human, too, and I can't stand it when some journalists think there's some kind of integrity in not helping those in dire need because it's more important to get the story.

SusanLameiro Francois, RN

Sat Jan 23 2010 13:27

At what point in signing up for journalism did any journalist sign away his/her humanity? If indeed, it is our sense of humanity that drives us into journalism, then we are compelled to take account of, rather than effect a story. Until, and at some point in nearly every journalists life it occurs, in a moment of being purely human, we are compelled to act. I doubt that either Cooper or Gupta were strolling the streets looking for a moment of heroism. I dare say that I would not want You to be covering the tragedy in which I was a victim. Furthermore, shame on you for NOT researching completely the back story to their placement in those situations; sir Journalist extraordinaire.
susanslife@live.com

Franklin

Sat Jan 23 2010 12:38

I have no doubt that the media eithicists' criticisms are intellectually sound and based on years of discourse. Carries all the weight in the world in those conference and lecture halls. Meaningless in the streets of Haiti. Hats off to Anderson and Sanjay.

Sparrow

Sat Jan 23 2010 07:09

Good article but I humbly disagree with the author above and salute Dr. Gupta nd Mr. Cooper. They have forever earned my respect as of late for their selfless actions with the victims in Haiti. At first coverage I thought Mr. Cooper was (way) too much the journalist and not enough the human being, but I feel so differently after watching CNN coverage and their heroic efforts. Thanks to both of them, and to CNN for excellent coverage. I'd like to see more coverage of Carrefour and areas in the epicenter who are waiting for help. Theodore Roosevelt, Man in the Arena"" Speech given April 23, 1910
26th president of US (1858 - 1919)"

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.'

Your name

Fri Jan 22 2010 22:00

I couldn't disagree with you more. Anderson Cooper and Dr. Gupta are not out searching for stories where they can participate. If you follow any of CNN coverage you will see that they fairly cover relevant news and only include their participation if they happy to become part of the story out of circumstance. Anderson Cooper pulling an injured boy out of potential riot highlighted the fragile and every increasing hostile situation Haiti has become. Dr. Gupta should be awarded not criticized for stepping up and managing the abandoned clinic. The other option is to let the boy become even more injured and possibly killed and allowing the unmanned clinic to remain unattended until non-news doctors returned the next morning if ever. That would have made a really interesting story.

Roland

Fri Jan 22 2010 06:14

I'm torn with these cases. 1) Gupta was contacted by the navy. They had no neurosurgeon's on board, and called the CNN headquarters in Atlanta and left a message for Gupta. He checked in on the hour and contacted the Navy. Navy thought they removed all the concrete from the girls head, and was about to wrap up but wanted a consult from a neurosurgeon. He was needed (or at least a neurosurgeon was needed) in that case, as there was some more debris unremoved. 2) Cooper was in the middle of looting taking place, and a boy was hit upside the head and had blood gushing down his head. Should he have just waited there and filmed it? Absolutely not. Any reasonable person would have done the same thing and got the kid to safety. Now for both of these cases, I stated what a person should do. Now then the question is did they cross the line by airing it on CNN. This is the harder part to answer, as both of those men were thrust into taking those actions. These men have been on the scene and in the neighborhoods doing excellent field work. It gets hard not to go in and actually help people. Journalists also have used tips from social networking sites to inform rescue personnel where people are trapped and they filmed the rescue. Is that entertainment as well? Sure--its always nice to see someone get out alive. On the other hand, they have filmed dead bodies lining the street, people going hungry, and the complications of getting aid to survivors. One would think that a journalist needs to be able to watch from the outside looking in and be a neutral observer, I just don't always agree. What we have watched with their reporting is the growing frustration that they are showing--which reinforces the reports that they have reported on with others growing frustration. Gupta last night had a piece where he went to find antibiotics/pain meds for a hospital. He also filmed that as his role as a journalist, but he was the center of the story again---but it goes to show the lack of organization when Gupta can go to where the medicine is at the airport and have what he needs in 15 minutes, and these poor haitians aren't able to do the same. Ultimately, this shows how ineffective the distribution system is working. They are bringing supplies to the major areas, and smaller places are being forgotten about.

Dolores

Thu Jan 21 2010 22:14

I couldn't agree with you more. Great article! These reporters should take care of people if they can, but their stories must be about others -- the one with the training to do the job.

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