Anderson Cooper signed off of “60 Minutes” on Sunday with a salute to the newsmagazine’s editorial independence and longevity. He told viewers “I hope ’60 Minutes’ remains ’60 Minutes’ ” in a segment that wrapped up his 20-year run as a correspondent for the venerable program.
“There’s very few things that have been around for as long as ’60 Minutes’ has and [have been able to] maintain the quality that it has,” Cooper said. “Things can always evolve and change, and I think that’s awesome, and things should evolve and change, but I hope the core of what ’60 Minutes’ is always remains,” he said. “I think the independence of ’60 Minutes’ has been critical.”
He also cited the show’s standing with viewers as a trusted source of reporting and investigative journalism. Cooper joined the show in the 2006-07 season through an unusual arrangement between CBS News and CNN, where Cooper is a top anchor.
“I think the trust it has with viewers is critical to the success of ’60 Minutes.’ When you see a ’60 Minutes’ story, and you’re like, ‘That was a really good story.’ It was a good story because it requires time, it requires patience, it requires money,” he said. “I hope that’s known and honored and valued and continues.”
