AP – BP avoids Anderson Cooper
NEW YORK — CNN’s Anderson Cooper said Tuesday that he still hadn’t heard from BP after his attack on the company for failing to make its representatives available to talk about the Gulf oil spill on his nightly newscast.
On Monday night’s show, Cooper took the unusual step of playing tape of 14 different nights in which he told viewers that the company had either not responded to requests for interviews or declined. He said the company failed the test of transparency and its officials don’t like to be asked tough questions.
“It’s easy for me to kind of smile about this and almost kind of make a joke about it,” Cooper said on the air. “But it’s not a joking matter.”
BP has run into some trouble with the media during the nearly two-month oil spill, including reporters who have complained about restricted access to workers cleaning up the oil or areas affected by the spill.
Cooper’s harsh words were noteworthy, particularly given a lack of complaints from other networks. They left him walking a thin line between informing his viewers about BP’s unwillingness to answer questions on his newscast or appearing petulant that he’s not getting guests.
AP
6/15/10
Magnolia Tribune
