Lou Dobbs Resigns from CNN

It is now being widely reported that Lou Dobbs is resigning from CNN effective today. During "Lou Dobbs Tonight", Dobbs announced that his Wednesday show would be his last on the network. The announcement comes amidst much controversy surrounding the CNN commentator and his regular negative and untruthful statements directed at immigrants.

In September, a coalition of community organizations united together to call on CNN to fire Lou Dobbs for spreading misinformation and fear about immigrants and Latinos. The BastaDobbs coalition formed to raise awareness about the dangerous nexus between anti-immigrant extremism and the media. Earlier this month, the campaign announced that 100,000 people had joined them in demanding that Dobbs be dismissed from the network.

In a statement responding to the announcement of Dobbs' departure from CNN, the BastaDobbs campaign had this to say:

"Our contention all along was that Lou Dobbs – who has a long record of spreading lies and conspiracy theories about immigrants and Latinos – does not belong on the ‘Most Trusted Name in News,’” said Roberto Lovato, co-founder of Presente.org, a national online advocacy organization coordinating the BastaDobbs.com campaign in conjunction with more than 40 local and regional Latino organizations from across the country. “We are thrilled that Dobbs no longer has this legitimate platform from which to incite fear and hate.” Read full statement

Last month, America's Voice, an organization supporting a workable and humane approach to comprehensive immigration reform, began airing an ad "Drop the Hate, Drop Dobbs" echoing the call for CNN to drop Dobbs from it's network. The ad ran on MSNBC and several other networks during the CNN's "Latino in America" mini series. Despite raising the necessary funds, CNN refused to air the ad.

There is no word yet on what sort of impact these campaigns had on Lou Dobbs' departure from CNN. However, according to the New York Times, Jonathan Klein, president of CNN/U.S. said that “Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere.”

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Lou Dobbs making a run for Governor?

As our partners at FIRM reported on Friday, apparently anti-immigration CNN commentator Lou Dobbs has been contemplating a run for Governor of New Jersey next year. To help Mr. Dobbs out, a website has been launched on his behalf announcing his platform.

His Platform:

Build a fence around New Jersey

Build like the biggest fence ever built around New Jersey

Deport everyone who looks like they might be an illegal immigrant

Ban the flying of the Irish flag on St. Patrick’s Day

Deport the Statue of Liberty back to France

Replace the New Jersey State Police with Minutemen

Although the platform seems realistic for Mr. Dobbs, if readers take a closer look, they will notice that the website is not real. According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, “Lou Dobbs is not a real candidate, he’s a caricature of what is wrong with the current immigration debate. He offers no real solutions to our broken immigration system, and simply uses his program to spread proven lies, stir up racial tensions and fear, and provide a platform to known hate groups.”

The new Dobbs Campaign website is hosting a contest as well offering the winner who submits the best campaign slogan a free t-shirt with their slogan on it.

For more information, visit http://www.dobbsforgovernor.com/.

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Anti-immigrant Play of the Week: Lou Dobbs Confuses Himself on E-Verify

This week’s Anti-immigrant Play of the Week goes to conservative pundit Lou Dobbs host of a nightly news show on CNN, for contradicting himself on the voluntary employment verification system, commonly known as Basic Pilot or E-Verify.

According to Truth in Immigration, despite mounting evidence showing the system containing major flaws, and despite contrary assessments from his own show and other news programs on CNN, Dobbs claimed that “E-verify works”. Interestingly enough, Dobbs opposed E-Verify when it was part of the comprehensive immigration compromise, but seems to now endorse it when it is part of a deportation-only bill.




Lou Dobbs was recently featured in a report by Media Matters and articles from the Wall Street Journal and New York Times for his promotion of fear, anger and resentment towards immigrants. It seems to the anti-immigrant crowd facts mean very little, so long as their political agenda is met.

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