Anderson Cooper is the anchor of CNN nightly newscast, Anderson Cooper 360°, which aims to reveal stories beyond the headlines through in-depth reporting and different points of views. He also hosts his own syndicated talk show, Anderson.
After joining CNN in 2001 as a weekend anchor, he moved to prime time in 2003 to follow the war in Iraq, and then to his current late evening two-hour slot in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina.
Since launching Anderson Cooper 360°, Cooper has reported on nearly every major world news event, usually from the scene, including reports on:
From 2007-2008, Cooper took his travels around the world to film Planet in Peril, a high definition video documentary about issues threatening Earth, its people and resources.
Cooper played an essential role on the Best Political Team on Television for CNN’s America Votes 2008, reporting from both Republican and Democratic national conventions. He was also the moderator of the pioneering CNN/YouTube debates for both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, and moderated a Republican debate in 2008 at the Ronald Regan Presidential Library in California.
Before teaming with CNN, Cooper worked as a correspondent for ABC news and hosted The Mole, a reality show. In the past he has anchored World News Now on ABC, and reported for World News Tonight, 20/20 and 20/20 Downtown.
Prior to ABC, Cooper worked as a chief international correspondent for Channel One News. He reported from Iran, Israel, Bosnia, Rwanda, Somalia, Russia, Vietnam and South Africa. Some of his stories were broadcast over Channel One News school television network reaching more than 12,000 classrooms across the country.
In 1989 Cooper graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He also studied Vietnamese at the University of Hanoi.