Lou Dobbs Round-Up: Pressure on CNN Mounts as Latino in America Debuts

America's Voice Blog

Posted 10/13/09 at 01:40pm

Lou Dobbs Round-Up: Pressure on CNN Mounts as Latino in America Debuts

Over the past few weeks, a wide coalition of groups – America’s Voice included -- have been channeling the growing outrage over CNN’s determination to keep controversial host Lou Dobbs in its nightly news lineup. This is especially hypocritical as the network prepares to air it special “Latino in America” series with Soledad O’Brien.

According to Marisa Treviño of Latina Lista today, Presente.org and the BastaDobbs.com campaign launched a new video that takes CNN to task—watch it:

Treviño writes:

CNN must choose -- either stand behind Dobbs and admit support of his racist remarks or publicly condemn his rhetoric by removing him from the air.

Once CNN makes up its mind, then it will be a lot easier for the Latino community to decide which cable news channel deserves patronage.

The CNN “Latino in America” special doesn’t address the media’s role in propagating negative stereotypes about Latinos – there’s no mention of Lou Dobbs anywhere. And considering that 90% of Hispanic leaders think that Lou Dobbs makes it harder to be Latino in America, CNN’s refusal to get rid of Dobbs is more than just a little hypocritical.

As Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, commented last week, after the preview screening in Washington, DC:

So, given the outsized role Dobbs has played in demonizing Latino immigrants as criminals and disease carriers and defeating reform that would benefit millions of Latinos in America, one would expect that a series hosted by Soledad O’Brien, a professional journalist with a reputation for fairness and integrity, would at least reference the nation’s chief immigrant-basher, no?

No. Was it intentional? Was O’Brien ordered to avoid this contentious intra-CNN issue? Is comity around the corridors of CNN more important than journalistic courage?

Today, at the Huffington Post, Roberto Lavato writes that CNN can’t have it both ways:

On the eve of CNN’s Latino in America series (LIA) – its most important and expensive attempt to capture Latino audiences – Latinos are of one mind about the two faces of CNN. I know this because I just spent the last two weeks traveling the country talking to Latino communities about Lou Dobbs and CNN. I got to meet some of the more than 50,000 people who, in just the last four weeks, have signed our petition at www.bastadobbs.com.

With the pressure mounting on CNN, looks like Lou Dobbs is beginning to feel it, and exploring other options. From the New York Times today:

The anchor Lou Dobbs appears to be exploring an exit from CNN, his longtime employer.

Certainly…Mr. Dobbs, an administration critic who calls himself an independent, met for dinner with Roger E. Ailes, the chairman of Fox News, last month, according to two people with direct knowledge of the meeting.

We’re not letting up, either. With the generous support of everyday people like you, and our partners at http://www.DropDobbs.com, we’ve been able to raise the $16,000 necessary to take our TV spot to CNN—we’ll let you know what’s next.