I usually don't watch Anderson Cooper. He's fairly new to the scene (as far as having your own show goes) and I haven't seen enough of it to decide if I really like it or not.

I like, however, what I see in this article he filed today. If you're going to lob criticism (and, for that matter, praise) as a journalist, it would be helpful to have actually been to the region you're describing.

"I'm planning on going out on patrol with Iraqi forces tomorrow, which should be interesting. They don't have armored vehicles, so it's a bit dicey. But I think it's an important story. It's worth seeing them operate for myself."

"Every soldier I talked to today said the media hasn't done a good job of telling the full story from Iraq. It's a complaint I've heard before, and certainly understand. I do think television tends to focus on the bombs and the bullets, the most dramatic headlines. So much of what happens here never makes the nightly news."

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/12/13/btsc.cooper/index.html