Every weekday, PR Daily associate editor Alan Pearcy highlights the day’s most compelling stories and amusing marginalia on the Web in this, #TheDailySpin.

Will this be the new way to break news, in a letter to a friendly blogger? Anderson Cooper sent a poignant letter to Daily Beast blogger Andrew Sullivan in which the CNN host revealed that he is gay—something that has long been speculated, but never confirmed. “The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud,” Cooper told Sullivan. The blog went live at 11:02 am ET this morning, and it quickly made Cooper a worldwide trending topic on Twitter. Read Cooper's note here.

CNN, meanwhile, is reporting that Cooper is straight … not really, but that’s what the satirical Twitter feed @TimesPublicEdit quipped, taking a jab at CNN for its misreporting of last week’s healthcare ruling.

Cooper's letter to Sullivan is inspiring—"In my opinion, the ability to love another person is one of God’s greatest gifts, and I thank God every day for enabling me to give and share love with the people in my life"—and anytime someone stands up to be counted it's a big deal, especially when it's done in such an eloquent letter as Cooper's. (The reason Cooper wrote the letter was to weigh in on a recent Entertainment Weekly story about the matter of fact way that famous people now come out.) But the cynic in me can't stop thinking about two things: The timing of the announcement (July 4th week, when few people are paying attention), and CNN's terrible, terrible ratings and what the news might do for its viewership and whether this influenced the decision to come out now. Just sayin'.

In his remarks to Sullivan, Cooper said he kept his personal life private so it wouldn’t interfere with being a journalist. Wonder how Cooper, the journalist, feels about Journatics, a company that’s turning U.S. journalism into data mining done by people who live in the Philippines and earn roughly 35 to 40 cents an article. Journatic’s big client, the Chicago Tribune, is now investigating claims that the company slapped fake bylines on stories that ran in the newspaper.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie thinks one journalist might be stupid. He said so during a press conference over the weekend:



Christie should've referred to this story: "How to work with a reporter who's (playing) dumb."

The New Jersey governor is famously unapologetic for his many gruff statements. The same can’t be said of two Polish radio personalities, who last month insulted Ukrainian women. Ukraine’s foreign ministry came to the defense of his nation, demanding an apology from the hosts, which they ultimately offered.

Insulting remarks toward women? Sounds like another day at the office for one of America’s most popular/reviled conservative hosts. And speaking of conservatives, they’re reportedly digging Denny’s new ad campaign that says one of the reasons to love America is the right to bear arms.

Americans don’t love that the July 4th holiday falls on a Wednesday this year. A mid-week holiday is reportedly hampering peoples’ plans for a long vacation. Speaking of which, this column is taking the next two days off. In the meantime, enjoy this viral video from Barely Political about the complaints department at YouTube. See you on Thursday. Happy Independence Day.



Alan Pearcy is off this week. Michael Sebastian, the managing editor of PR Daily, is filling in. Email Michael here with any suggestions for The Daily Spin this week.

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