CNN anchor Anderson Cooper isn’t voting for Hillary or Bernie – but his reason might surprise you
Anderson Cooper with his mother Gloria Vanderbilt
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper has revealed that he doesn’t actually vote – so that he can remain impartial.
The news host and political commentator has always tried to remain as impartial as possible in his coverage, keeping quiet about his sexuality for years in order to keep discussions on LGBT rights impartial.
But speaking on the Howard Stern Show, he went even further when asked who he would be voting for.
He said: “I don’t think I’m going to vote… I don’t think reporters should vote.
When Stern responded with shock, the anchor continued: “A lot of reporters don’t vote. It’s a thing.”
“I’ve had the debate. There have been years where I have voted because sometimes I thought maybe I should.
“I’ve gone back and forth on it. I don’t want to be influenced one way or the other.”
He continued: I believe people should vote, but my role is to ask questions.
“I don’t like feeling like I’ve taken a stand. I think it’s something you actively need to fight against [as a reporter].”
Cooper himself became the news when he came out as gay in 2012, ending a long-standing silence on the subject.
He explained at the time that he had stayed silent due to his desire to maintain political neutrality, as well as to keep safe when reporting from countries where gays are persecuted.
But the news anchor said he had come to consider whether “the unintended outcomes of maintaining my privacy outweigh personal and professional principle”.
Cooper said he was “distressed” that his silence could be construed as him “trying to hide something – something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid”.
