CNN must get rid of Lou Dobbs

Every night, Lou Dobbs appears on CNN prime time in the living rooms of Americans, promoting a hate-filled agenda that primarily targets Latinos.

It is OK for Dobbs to promote lies and hate, as long as he brings in the numbers and controversy that make CNN the forum of conversation.

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In recent days, we have all heard the major advertising campaign promoting CNN’s latest documentary titled “Latinos in America,” as presented by journalist Soledad O’Brien. It will air Oct. 21 and 22 in the U.S. According to O’Brien, “it was clear that the community felt starved for good solid coverage.”

True, Latinos across the U.S. have been and still are waiting for accurate, objective journalistic coverage that does not depict Latinos as criminals, anti-American or lazy.

It is to be applauded that CNN has taken on this endeavor in search of accurately depicting a major component of the American population.

However, the hypocrisy of having an allegedly non-biased production followed or pre-empted by Dobbs is simply absurd.

On a daily basis, Dobbs claims to speak for the “real” American who has been victimized by a stampede of illegal aliens. He continuously dehumanizes the Latino community and hides behind the pathetic excuse of patriotism and middle-class pride.

Now, CNN does a 180-degree spin with the production of a documentary that seeks to explore the reality of a community composed of many other communities rich in culture and tradition.

The bottom line is this: CNN cannot have it both ways.

Hermandad Mexicana, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit advocacy organization, will host a conference the same day the documentary is scheduled to broadcast to protest CNN’s continuing broadcasting of Dobbs’ talk show.

But let’s make one thing clear: This is not a matter of liberal or conservative views on the air. Rather, it is a matter of accurate versus false journalism. As a self-proclaimed leader of news media, CNN should have a higher standard than what Dobbs has provided.

Religious, political and civic leaders are coming together with concerned Americans to boycott CNN until it makes a decision on Dobbs. This is not about becoming a pro-immigrant or pro-Latino network, as some conservative pundits have claimed. It is possible to be critical of immigration, documented or undocumented, without promoting hatred against a group within our community.

The “us against them” mentality that Dobbs’ show highlights on a daily basis is tantamount to hate speech because it infuses a violent minority that, when armed, is capable of causing havoc.

Right-wing commentators like Michelle Malkin have become permanent faces on the show, most recently to rant about the potential boycott of the 2010 census.

This would have been a great opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of targeting what could be America’s largest minority in accurately counting the census.

Instead, Malkin and Dobbs, along with other right-wing conservatives, question the rationale behind counting undocumented immigrants.

It is this kind of unfounded commentary that makes it to the American homes daily.

Rumors suggest that Fox News may be courting Dobbs to come aboard their roster of journalists. This could be the perfect opportunity for CNN to show with actions their perspective on what journalism ought to be.

Whatever the decision may be, it is clear that CNN will have to face the reality eventually. Either they will have an objective discussion on the merits of facts or they risk alienating a major component of American society.

Some will argue that it is best to receive any kind of attention, as opposed to being ignored.
This is ridiculous. No, it is not OK to be ignored, nor should it be permissible to launch a hateful, unjustified campaign and expect the targets to simply comply.

Silence never won any recognition. It is necessary to loudly proclaim our right to dignity and get the message to media outlets that continue to feed ignorance to the homes of Americans.

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