Written by Cristal Garcia, Latin Media Gurus Contributor.
If you’ve seen Lou Dobbs Tonight on CNN, you are probably well aware of just how outspoken this news anchor can be, especially in regards to hot topics like illegal immigration and the Obama birther theory. If you haven’t had a chance to catch Dobbs on the airwaves yet, you won’t be able to anymore – at least not on the airwaves emitted by CNN.
This past Wednesday proved to be Dobbs’ last broadcast with the news station he has anchored for since its inception in 1980. Pressure from groups like the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and Media Matters, in addition to CNN’s aim for neutral reporting, finally pushed Dobbs over the edge.
While rightist groups are mourning Dobb’s absence on the news circuit, many are celebrating what they believe is a small victory against bipartisan commentary and false reporting.
One of Dobbs’ routine techniques was a stretch of the facts. Speaking about the cost of illegal immigration, Dobbs has said, “the fact is, those illegal aliens are costing our economy $200 billion in depressed wages for working Americans. It is costing $50 billion a year in social and medical costs. And it’s costing us, no one knows precisely how much, to incarcerate what is about a third of our prison population who are illegal aliens.”1
This “fact is” statement sparked much controversy because according to the United States Justice Department, only about 6 percent of the state and federal prison populations combined are undocumented immigrants. In a 2007 interview with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez of Democracy Now!, they challenge many of Dobbs’ factual statements.
Check out Democracy Now!’s interview with Lou Dobbs: http://www.democracynow.org/2007/12/4/fact_checking_dobbs_cnn_anchor_lou
Either way we view CNN’s shortened list of news anchors, the time has come to say “Sayonara, Dobbs.”
About David Villafaña