Should Anderson Cooper Leave Cairo?

Should Anderson Cooper leave Cairo? The protests in Cairo, shown on CNN and other news outlets, and that began at the end of January, are an attempt to get the President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, to leave office. Mubarak says he will step down in September, but he says he can't step down now for fear that the country will fall into mayhem. "You don't understand the Egyptian culture and what would happen if I step down now," says Mubarak to President Obama.

CNN's Anderson Cooper is in Cairo, trying to report what's going on there. However, Anderson, along with other journalists, such as ABC's Christiane Amanpour, have faced problems of personal safety with some of the people on the street. Some journalists have even been arrested and detained.

At one point, Amanpour was surrounded by a group of men who told her they hate Americans and they want her to leave. The situation played out for TV viewers as we watched Amanpour surrounded by angry men. Later, she fled in her truck and a rock was thrown at the front window of her vehicle as she departed.

Anderson Cooper in Cairo was physically attacked at least twice by protesters on the street. The veteran journalist tweeted, "Situation on ground in #egypt very tense. Vehicle I was in attacked. My window smashed. All ok."

What began as a protest by some of Cairo's people against Mubarak, turned into supporters for Mubarak, arriving in buses and camels, attacking people protesting against Mubarak. Many of those attacked are reporters who want to reveal what is happening. It appears to be a concerted effort, on the part of Mubarak, to prevent reports of the chaos.

Even though Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has issued a statement to Mubarak warning him that attacking journalists, and other peaceful citizens, is unacceptable, should Anderson Cooper leave Cairo? Should the other journalists leave, as well? Or is it their duty to stay, despite the problems? Hundreds of people have been wounded during the chaos and some people have died.

"I actually blame certain friendly nations who have television channels that are not friendly at all" because they have "filled the minds of the youth with wrong-doing and allegations," said Vice President of Egypt, Omar Suleiman, to Egyptian TV. Is Suleiman saying it's okay for journalists to be attacked?

Sources:

Live CNN (Television)
CNN
Anderson Cooper on Twitter
Live-Blog: Latest On Crisis In Egypt; Mubarak Sees 'Chaos' If He Leaves Now, NPR