The likes of Anderson Cooper and Matt Lauer have met with officer Darren Wilson to discuss the possibility of doing a televised interview.
- Nov 24, 2014
AceShowbiz - A number of TV journalists have recently met with Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown in August this year, in hopes of scoring first exclusive interview. Those who reportedly have had meetings with Wilson include NBC's Matt Lauer, ABC's George Stephanopoulos, CBS' Scott Pelley and CNN's Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon.
CNN's Brian Stelter broke the news on Sunday, November 23. He told his audience on "Reliable Sources", "Some high-profile news anchors have met Wilson. They've talked with him one-on-one in secret locations entirely off the record - all in the hopes of landing his very first television interview." He added, "My sense from my sources is that it's mostly the anchors doing the talking in these off-the-record meetings, it's mostly Darren Wilson listening and getting to know the person."
Cooper has confirmed that the meeting had taken place. "For the record, I met briefly with Darren Wilson a few days ago to see if he wanted to do an interview with me. That's standard procedure," he tweeted. He also wrote, "I'd also like to intv the grand jury. There is no conspiracy here. Reporters want to intv people and sometimes you have to meet them first." He said in another post, "Darren Wilson chose not to do an interview with me."
Lemon also tweeted that he indeed had a meeting with Wilson. "For those asking, yes I met with Darren Wilson regarding an interview. Not out of the ordinary. @CNNTonight @brianstelter." He added, "Of course we'd want to interview Wilson. FYI #CNN does not pay for interviews."
Wilson has not spoken publicly ever since the August 9 incident, during which he fataly shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in Ferguson, Missouri. The grand jury continues to deliberate over whether to charge Wilson in Brown's death.
