• Columbia Journalism Review, Tuesday, July 3, 2012 2:32 PM

Despite being out to family, friends and colleagues, what kept CNN anchor Anderson Cooper from publicly acknowledging his homosexuality sooner -- as he finally did yesterday, in an widely publicized email to columnist Andrew Sullivan? As a journalist, Cooper was expected to be objective, unlike actors, who can profess all kinds of opinions on controversial subjects like gay rights without it affecting their work, writes Peter Sterne.

For one, "It’s possible that anti-gay politicians and organizations will see him as biased and refuse to talk to him," writes Sterne. Also, "Cooper frequently reports from dangerous regions of the world, areas that are even more dangerous for gays and lesbians" -- as, according to a National Enquirer story, Cooper was "threatened by religious fundamentalists [in Egypt] due to his homosexuality."

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