CNN Edits Out Dobbs Criticism From Taped Interview

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http://thinkprogress.org/2009/10/24/cnn-edits-dobbs/

This week, CNN aired a new four-hour documentary called “Latino in America,” exploring how Latinos are reshaping American communities and culture. The broadcast sparked protests in cities around the country, including outside CNN’s headquarters in Atlanta, with minority groups calling on the network to fire anti-immigration crusader and serial misinformer Lou Dobbs.

The New York Times reports that CNN “has not commented on the protests or covered them on its news programs.” But not only has CNN ignored the Dobbs protests, the network edited out criticism of Dobbs from civil rights lawyer Isabel Garcia during a taped interview with controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arapaio that aired on Anderson Cooper 360 this week:

(Garcia) who was featured in “Latino in America” and organized an anti-Dobbs protest in Tucson on Wednesday, said that CNN edited her comments about the anchor out of an interview.

She said she called Mr. Arpaio and Mr. Dobbs “the two most dangerous men to our communities,” and said that “because of them, our communities are being terrorized in a real way.” She also asserted that CNN was “promoting lies and hate about our community” by broadcasting Mr. Dobbs’s program. The comments were not included when the interview was shown Wednesday night. “They heavily deleted what I did get to say,” she said.

This isn’t the first time CNN has circled the wagons around Dobbs. Earlier this year, Dobbs was one of the most prominent mainstream media figures pushing the conspiracy theory that President Obama may not have been born in the U.S. Dobbs repeatedly called on Obama to “produce a birth certificate” and said it’s “unfortunate” that the birthers have been “dismissed.” Despite Dobbs’ hysteria and playing on “escalating white fear,” CNN president Jonathan Klein downplayed Dobbs’ antics, claiming the CNN anchor was merely reporting on the birther “phenomenon” and had simply asked why “some people doubt” Obama’s citizenship.

Moreover, while discussing race issues last year on the air, Dobbs became agitated, and it appeared that he was about to say “cotton picking” (often used as a racially charged slur) in reference to then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. But he caught himself, only uttering the word “cotton.” In the official transcript of the show, CNN omitted “cotton” from Dobbs’ remarks.

While Dobbs has been quick to jump on right-wing conspiracy theories targeting Obama (including recently peddling a fake thesis purportedly written by Obama that trashes the Constitution, the Founding Fathers and free markets), his hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric has been ongoing for years. Now, Latino and pro-immigrant activists have launched two campaigns, Drop Dobbs and Basta Dobbs, which are aimed at pressuring CNN to “hold Mr. Dobbs to journalistic standards” or dump him altogether.

[Spazito]

1. CNN's hypocritical protection of that racist POS is disgusting...

and to see them touting their "four hour documentary" on Latinos in America while continuing to keep Dobbs on the payroll is the heighth of hypocrisy.

[TheCoxwain]

2. why are they kissing up to that Piece of shit.... I cant stand his very existence .. hope he drops

DEAD

[SemiCharmedQuark]

3. Dobbs' hateful rhetoric doesn't just affect immigrants. People see or hear what they think is a

Mexican and automatically assume they are an illegal. A man told my grandmother to "go back to Mexico and don't come back until you get a green card". He told that to a 70+ year old woman! And my grandma was born in Cameron County Texas.

[JimWis]

4. I just got an email from Move On about the campaigns going on

regarding Lou Dobbs and the info you just spoke about. I was happy to hear they were going after him and CNN. Move On also mentioned going after him for his birther remarks and pushing that rhetoric. K&R