By MERVIN BLOCK
March 2007

A CNN anchor, Anderson Cooper, often says in his newscasts, “Keeping them honest.” But I don’t get it. Honest.

Cooper, anchor of a two-hour nightly newscast, introduced that phrase, “Keeping them honest,” 16 months ago, on Nov. 10, 2005:

“Tonight, we begin a new segment. “Keeping Them Honest,” we’re calling it. And we start by looking at the levees [in New Orleans]. Remember them?”

After playing his taped interview with a New Orleans newspaper reporter, Cooper said, “Let’s just remember, Washington stops dealing with things when we stop talking about stuff.” What things, what stuff, and who’s we?

The next night on his Anderson Cooper 360, he said, “Every night we’ve been keeping the focus on the Gulf in a segment we call ‘Keeping Them Honest.'” After only one night on the air, he said every night? Yep.

Ten days later, Cooper said: “Tonight, in our ‘Keeping Them Honest’ segment, a look at the allegations out of [correct: in] Jackson, Mississippi. As the New York Times has reported, you had residents in the area who hadn’t suffered any real loss due to the storm, but they were embraced by cash-rich relief agencies determined to give away millions of dollars in aid.” Cooper introduced a CNN reporter who Cooper said had been “investigating.”

The reporter said the U.S. District Attorney was sifting through about 1,000 complaints and had set up an 800 fraud-complaint hot line. When the reporter signed off, Cooper added, “‘Keeping them honest’ tonight.” Made me wonder: Who had the reporter been keeping honest—the federal prosecutor, the grand jurors or the people accused of fraud?

The next night, Nov. 22, Cooper made a cameo appearance on the Larry King show to promote his own show. And he plugged the story in Jackson, Mississippi: “Tonight, we’re learning there are indictments for fraud being handed down.” (Indictments are handed up.)

“Over the next few days,” Cooper said on June 13, 2006, from Los Angeles, “we’re going to be keeping them honest in many places, on many fronts, and bringing you exclusive reports.” But in his four nights on the West Coast, he presented only two reports that he called exclusive—a look at tunnels that smugglers used to sneak illegal immigrants into the United States and a look at a vault full of drugs that smugglers had been trying to bring into this country from Mexico. Both those exclusives were broadcast that night. The next night, a CNN announcer said, “This is a special edition of ‘ Anderson Cooper 360,’ ‘Keeping Them Honest on the West Coast.'” Sounds like a tall order.

That night, June 14, Cooper mentioned only one exclusive: “Angelina Jolie will be with us next Tuesday.” Not exactly. The next night, June 15, in San Francisco, Cooper told his listeners: “A programming note about my exclusive interview with one of the most talked-about people on the planet, Angelina Jolie. Yesterday, I sat down with the actress and activist, just four days after she and Brad Pitt returned from Namibia with their new baby.” Which suggested she would not be with Cooper the next week in the flesh but on tape. And that’s how her broadcast appearance turned out: all on tape. Cooper used exclusive that night (June 14) six times, all for his interview with A. Jolie.

The next night, June 16, Cooper’s “360” originated in Seattle. “Millions spent to build a jail,” the announcer said at the top. “Two years later, it’s still not open, and criminals are walking the streets. We’re keeping them honest.” If CNN is keeping them honest, how? And if they are honest, how can they still be called criminals?

“We’ve been here on the West Coast all week keeping them honest,” Cooper said. “We’re in Seattle, as I said tonight, right next door to Oregon. We found a story that, well, kind of made our jaws drop. A brand-new jail, cost tens of millions to build, but it has never been used. It has been sitting empty now for two years.” We found a story? In fact, three months earlier, the Seattle Times carried an article about the unused jail (in Portland, Oregon) that had run (1,917 words) in the Los Angeles Times. Even then, the story had whiskers.

That night, Cooper said exclusive five times, again only in connection with the Jolie interview.

“You said you wanted change in Washington,” Cooper said on Jan. 4, 2007. “You voted for a Democratic Congress. Now they are in power. And we’re here in Washington ‘Keeping Them Honest.'” But he didn’t identify anyone being kept honest. Nor did he explain how anyone would be kept honest after he, Cooper, turned his attention elsewhere. The previous night, Cooper had said of the new Congress, “We’ll be keeping them honest.”

Although Cooper is a full-time employee of CNN, he appears on CBS’s “60 Minutes” several times a year. CBS’s website says, “His exceptional reporting on big news events of the past five years has earned Cooper a reputation as one of television’s pre-eminent newsmen.”

Recently, the segment called “Keeping Them Honest” expanded its scope. On Jan 2, Cooper said: “I want to tell you about a way you can be part of ‘360,’ a way to help us in what we consider one of our missions, keeping them honest. If there is a wrong that needs to be righted in your community, go online and tell us about it.”

CNN’s website has reinforced the new approach with this request: “Keeping them honest. It’s what we’re about at ‘360.’ It includes challenging authority, whistleblowers, corruption. And we want your help. Please send us your tips with enough detail for us to investigate them….”

On Feb. 8, Cooper told his audience: “We’re keeping them honest here in New Orleans. And we want you to help us keep them honest too. If there’s a wrong that needs to be made right in your community in the United States, go online, tell us about it at cnn.com/360.”

Wrongs that need to be righted? How about anchors who promise more than they could ever deliver? And how about keeping them honest?

By MERVIN BLOCK
March 2007

A CNN anchor, Anderson Cooper, often says in his newscasts, “Keeping them honest.” But I don’t get it. Honest.

Cooper, anchor of a two-hour nightly newscast, introduced that phrase, “Keeping them honest,” 16 months ago, on Nov. 10, 2005:

“Tonight, we begin a new segment. “Keeping Them Honest,” we’re calling it. And we start by looking at the levees [in New Orleans]. Remember them?”

After playing his taped interview with a New Orleans newspaper reporter, Cooper said, “Let’s just remember, Washington stops dealing with things when we stop talking about stuff.” What things, what stuff, and who’s we?

The next night on his Anderson Cooper 360, he said, “Every night we’ve been keeping the focus on the Gulf in a segment we call ‘Keeping Them Honest.'” After only one night on the air, he said every night? Yep.

Ten days later, Cooper said: “Tonight, in our ‘Keeping Them Honest’ segment, a look at the allegations out of [correct: in] Jackson, Mississippi. As the New York Times has reported, you had residents in the area who hadn’t suffered any real loss due to the storm, but they were embraced by cash-rich relief agencies determined to give away millions of dollars in aid.” Cooper introduced a CNN reporter who Cooper said had been “investigating.”

The reporter said the U.S. District Attorney was sifting through about 1,000 complaints and had set up an 800 fraud-complaint hot line. When the reporter signed off, Cooper added, “‘Keeping them honest’ tonight.” Made me wonder: Who had the reporter been keeping honest—the federal prosecutor, the grand jurors or the people accused of fraud?

The next night, Nov. 22, Cooper made a cameo appearance on the Larry King show to promote his own show. And he plugged the story in Jackson, Mississippi: “Tonight, we’re learning there are indictments for fraud being handed down.” (Indictments are handed up.)

“Over the next few days,” Cooper said on June 13, 2006, from Los Angeles, “we’re going to be keeping them honest in many places, on many fronts, and bringing you exclusive reports.” But in his four nights on the West Coast, he presented only two reports that he called exclusive—a look at tunnels that smugglers used to sneak illegal immigrants into the United States and a look at a vault full of drugs that smugglers had been trying to bring into this country from Mexico. Both those exclusives were broadcast that night. The next night, a CNN announcer said, “This is a special edition of ‘ Anderson Cooper 360,’ ‘Keeping Them Honest on the West Coast.'” Sounds like a tall order.

That night, June 14, Cooper mentioned only one exclusive: “Angelina Jolie will be with us next Tuesday.” Not exactly. The next night, June 15, in San Francisco, Cooper told his listeners: “A programming note about my exclusive interview with one of the most talked-about people on the planet, Angelina Jolie. Yesterday, I sat down with the actress and activist, just four days after she and Brad Pitt returned from Namibia with their new baby.” Which suggested she would not be with Cooper the next week in the flesh but on tape. And that’s how her broadcast appearance turned out: all on tape. Cooper used exclusive that night (June 14) six times, all for his interview with A. Jolie.

The next night, June 16, Cooper’s “360” originated in Seattle. “Millions spent to build a jail,” the announcer said at the top. “Two years later, it’s still not open, and criminals are walking the streets. We’re keeping them honest.” If CNN is keeping them honest, how? And if they are honest, how can they still be called criminals?

“We’ve been here on the West Coast all week keeping them honest,” Cooper said. “We’re in Seattle, as I said tonight, right next door to Oregon. We found a story that, well, kind of made our jaws drop. A brand-new jail, cost tens of millions to build, but it has never been used. It has been sitting empty now for two years.” We found a story? In fact, three months earlier, the Seattle Times carried an article about the unused jail (in Portland, Oregon) that had run (1,917 words) in the Los Angeles Times. Even then, the story had whiskers.

That night, Cooper said exclusive five times, again only in connection with the Jolie interview.

“You said you wanted change in Washington,” Cooper said on Jan. 4, 2007. “You voted for a Democratic Congress. Now they are in power. And we’re here in Washington ‘Keeping Them Honest.'” But he didn’t identify anyone being kept honest. Nor did he explain how anyone would be kept honest after he, Cooper, turned his attention elsewhere. The previous night, Cooper had said of the new Congress, “We’ll be keeping them honest.”

Although Cooper is a full-time employee of CNN, he appears on CBS’s “60 Minutes” several times a year. CBS’s website says, “His exceptional reporting on big news events of the past five years has earned Cooper a reputation as one of television’s pre-eminent newsmen.”

Recently, the segment called “Keeping Them Honest” expanded its scope. On Jan 2, Cooper said: “I want to tell you about a way you can be part of ‘360,’ a way to help us in what we consider one of our missions, keeping them honest. If there is a wrong that needs to be righted in your community, go online and tell us about it.”

CNN’s website has reinforced the new approach with this request: “Keeping them honest. It’s what we’re about at ‘360.’ It includes challenging authority, whistleblowers, corruption. And we want your help. Please send us your tips with enough detail for us to investigate them….”

On Feb. 8, Cooper told his audience: “We’re keeping them honest here in New Orleans. And we want you to help us keep them honest too. If there’s a wrong that needs to be made right in your community in the United States, go online, tell us about it at cnn.com/360.”

Wrongs that need to be righted? How about anchors who promise more than they could ever deliver? And how about keeping them honest?