Anderson Cooper hits back at homophobic trolls after allegations of fake news
The CNN journalist was accused of kneeling in water to make it look deeper
By Steve Brown
Anderson Cooper has hit back at conspiracy theorists and President Donald Trump’s own son after allegations of fake news.
The openly gay CNN journalist dedicated a ten-minute segment on his show Anderson Cooper 360°, after conspiracy theorists claimed he was kneeling in shallow water to make the water look deeper while covering the devastation caused by Hurricane Florence.
However, the journalist claims the allegations – which were shared by Donald Trump Jr on Twitter – are fake after revealing the image was from a report from 2008’s Hurricane Ike.
Cooper proceeded to play footage from the broadcast which shows him walking through the deep water while referring to the shallower areas in front of him where his camera crew were stood.
Some of the accusations include a homophobic remark about him being “used to being” on his knees.
He said: “Some guy I’ve never heard of made a joke on Twitter that I was on my knees in the water to make it look deep, and then went on to say I was used to being on my knees, which I assume is some kind of anti-gay reference.
“Very classy. The idea that I was kneeling in water to make it look deep is frankly idiotic.”
Towards the end of the segment, Cooper also reveals the cameraman photographed sadly passed away a year ago.
Watch the segment below:
“The idea I am kneeling in water to make it look deep is idiotic.” @AndersonCooper debunks the lies being spread by Donald Trump Jr., and others who falsely claimed he and his team exaggerated the severity of Hurricane Florence. #KeepingThemHonest https://t.co/j2HptrYpe0 pic.twitter.com/zwfvIXCsIY
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) September 18, 2018