The Disgraceful Mr. Dobbs

Pressure is building for CNN to do something about their resident conspiracy-theorist-in-chief Lou Dobbs. His nightly "reporting" on Obama's birth certificate drew fire today from the Southern Poverty Law Center, which called on CNN to take Dobbs off the air for "fanning the flames of racism." None of this should be surprising; for years, Dobbs has used his program to spread misinformation and paranoia.

In 2006, Dobbs ran several segments on the Amero, an imaginary currency that he believes will be shared by North America and replace the U.S. dollar. That same year he called for a new Sept. 11 investigation, vaguely citing the many "9/11 lies" told to Americans. Another favorite myth Dobbs reported on in 2008 is the NAFTA Superhighway, which (according to Lou's reporting) would extend from Mexico to Canada. None of these stories had a factual basis, and CNN repeatedly failed to exercise any editorial judgment.

Lou Dobbs has even appeared as a guest on leading Sept. 11 Truther and "Birther" Alex Jones's radio program and was sympathetic to Alex's rants. Knowing Lou, he probably believes the pressure to fire him is coming from the Illuminati and the New World Order. CNN needs to move quickly and remove Dobbs from their lineup to prevent further embarrassment. It's been a long time coming.

Originally posted on The Hill's Pundit Blog. Visit Ryan's Blog.

Follow Ryan J. Davis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ryannewyork

Comments

[rbenjamin]

It's important to keep all this is perspective Mr. Davis: CNN is one very crappy news outlet.

[Jakealoper]

Why does Lou need to be removed? He may be a loser but that is no crime. No one takes the news very seriously anymore. AS far as radio talk show hosts, politics aside which he claims as independent but is the shallowest of talk radio conservatism, the guy is so addle-brained he can't string two consecutive sentences together without faltering. It's rather sad

[raker]

I'm more bothered by peoples' apparent reverence for CNN than I am by Dobbs's cheesy right wing fake outrage. Fake outrage and contrived conflict are the very soul of cable news. It's what Dobbs does every night, although his main act is based on exploiting xenophobia; this is xenophobia where he first has to make the object of his scorn, the President, The Other. He gets to exploit racism and liberal hatred and xenophobia in one fake issue. Jackpot.

The shame is on the people who are shocked, shocked! at Dobbs's lowness. Everyone mesmerized by cable news needs to open their minds and open their eyes and see it for what it is, and stop watching.

[lawgrrl]

Get rid of Dobbs and Blitzer. How many more old white men are going to be telling the news?

[Jakealoper]

So now being old and white is a crime? Maybe they should recruit stright from juvenile hall in NYC?

[Feesister]

CNN has been on thin ice for awhile now. They indulge in this "false equivalency" - they give both sides the chance to present their side, even if one side is clearly looney, at best, or clearly dishonest.

Lou Dobbs is completely incapable of intellectual consideration; he has an agenda to present and doesn't let facts get in the way.

[2008CaliforniaFan]

You can watch Wolfe Blitzer tell a story 1 hour before Lou and then Lou retells it in a manner to spin it and put a negative spin to it. Same network... same ' FACTS ' and yet Dobb's likes to ' tell the story ' a different way. He did this repeatedly after the Election as a means to put down the President.

And then both Anderson Cooper and Rick Sanchez did Investigative reports about the high percentage of guns coming from America that supports the Drug wars on the border. The same day CNN allows Dobb's to go on the air and say that has nothing to do with it and defend the rights of his Gun Friends and their right to buy and sell guns. His own Network Anchors have stories that debunk his ' Views & Opinions ' (they are Not News )
I have no idea what Lou says anymore unless I see it here because I won't watch CNN. If they won't even correct the actions of their own Anchors with the truth... they have no credibility.
# 4 in the ratings. CNN you earned it. live with it.

[springsm]

If you can listen to Blitzer that long, you can probably take Lou Dobbs. Dobbs has gotten very hateful in the past couple of years..and if CNN would fire him, I would be wary. Dobbs is very vindictive and mean...I would think about where he would go next with his big voice. I gave up on CNN during the campaign in 2008 There is no honesty in the main characters and Rick Sanchez reminds me of the troubled gossip mongering lonely old woman at the ladies aid functions. If she can't pass on a rumor she has heard, she makes up a sorrid story. Kyra Phillips I do like. And Don Lemmon....whatever. Lou Dobbs is a man about to explode.

[freelyb]

Lou is obnoxious and off-base sometimes, but not always. I think we should leave him alone.

[CantStopUsNow]

The Illuminati is a conspiracy theory? Then who the hells controlling all of this? All just the world working itself out I guess right? Accidents happen? No, they don't. We've all been robbed. And it wasn't BO who's doing the robbing.

[BrooklynC]

I don't care if CNN leaves this slob on the air, but I do wish they would remove the middle N from CNN. As with Fox, news has nothing to do with it.