NYT: CNN’s Special on Latinos Stirs Protests Against Anchor
By on 10/23/2009 @ 01:30 PM
The NYT reports:
CNN’s broadcast of a four-hour documentary about Latinos this week turned into a political rallying cry for activist groups that are calling on the cable news channel to fire Lou Dobbs, a veteran anchor with anti-immigration views.
An array of minority groups held small protests in New York and other cities on Wednesday, the first night of the “Latino in America” presentation. They are trying to highlight what they say are years of lies about immigration by Mr. Dobbs, who anchors the 7 p.m. hour on CNN.
CNN, a unit of Time Warner, has not commented on the protests, or covered them on its news programs. One of the activists featured in the documentary said on Wednesday she tried to bring up what she called Mr. Dobbs’s “hatred” on one of the channel’s news programs, but that her remarks were cut from the interview.
Isabel Garcia, a civil rights lawyer who was featured in the documentary and attended an protest against Mr. Dobbs in Tucson on Wednesday, said that she felt censored by CNN after the channel edited her comments about the anchor out of an interview.
She had anticipated a 15-minute conversation about immigration opposite the Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona, a staunch believer in immigration enforcement, on the prime-time program “Anderson Cooper 360.”
During the taped interview on Wednesday, she said that she made several unprompted comments about Mr. Dobbs.
She said she called Mr. Arpaio and Mr. Dobbs “the two most dangerous men to our communities,” and added 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 broadcast.
A CNN spokeswoman said: “The segment was tied to CNN’s documentary ’Latino in America,’ which is a far-reaching look at the successes and challenges Latinos are facing — including illegal immigration. As with all pretaped interviews, they are edited for time and relevance to the topic of discussion. The debate between Isabel Garcia and Joe Arpaio was no exception.”
“Basta, pero de que los latinos estemos rogando de rodillas”
By on 10/16/2009 @ 11:53 AM
Adriana Arvizo y John stish de Ponte Al Dia escribierón:
¡Basta ya! es una de los movimientos nacionales que busca por medio de recolección de firmas pedirle al noticiero CNN que no apoye la retórica anti-inmigrante del conductor Lou Dobbs, y en esta próxima semana líderes la promocionarán a nivel local.
Este economista graduado de la Universidad de Harvard presenta Lou Dobs Tonight, que se transmite diariamente a las 7 p.m. en CNN, es el conductor del programa de radio nacional El Reporte Financiero de Lou Dobbs y escribe una columna de opinión semanal para CNN.com.
“Muchos latinos no ven CNN, no se dan cuenta y no saben de los comentarios de Lou Dobbs en contra de los inmigrantes”, dijo Fernando Treviño, director de Democracia Ahora en Nueva Jersey.
La organización es una institución hermana de Democracia USA, pero con iniciativas de cabildeo, a diferencia de Democracia USA, que sólo se encarga de educar a la comunidad.
Además, antes de lanzar la campaña, Democracia Ahora realizó un estudio a través de la compañía Bendixin y Asociados con 100 líderes hispanos en el país, quienes hablaron del impacto negativo que tiene Dobbs en la imagen de los latinos en Estados Unidos.
Entre los líderes entrevistados se encuentra el senador de Nueva Jersey Bob Menéndez; Daniel Restrepo, consejero de Asuntos Hispanos del presidente Barack Obama; María Matos, directora del Centro Comunitario Latinoamericano en Wilmington (DE), entre otros.
“A muchos de nosotros, si nos dices que la hay lepra porque la trajeron los inmigrantes ilegales, no lo vamos a creer, pero tenemos que pensar en los que sí lo creen, considerando el eslogan de CNN que dice que son el noticiero más confiable”, dijo Treviño.
“Nosotros no queremos que el señor Dobbs se vay de CNN, ese no es el punto porque nosotros creemos firmemente en la primera enmienda de la Constitución, en la libertad de expresión, pero no es justo que presenten el programa de televisión como un noticiero, es un programa de opinión y la cadena debería de clarificarlo”, dijo Miguel Concepción, también director de Democracia Ahora, pero en el área de Pensilvania.
Miembros de Democracia Ahora de los capítulos de Pensilvania y de Nueva Jersey comenzarán a llamar personas de una base de datos para invitarlos a sumarse a la petición.
“Llamaremos a la gente que ya antes ha trabajado con nosotros, a quienes hemos registrado para votar, les contaremos de lo que está pasando y los invitaremos a llamar a CNN o a firmar la petición en internet”, dijo Treviño.
Entre otros movimientos nacionales en contra del comentarista se encuentra Basta Dobbs y Drop Dobbs, la cual hace un llamado a todos aquellas marcas que se publicitan en su programa a dejar de hacerlo si no para los ataques en contra de los inmigrantes.
“Yo no voy a firmar nada que le pida a Dobbs que pare sus comentarios que provocan odio en contra de los hispanos. Yo voy a firmar algo que le diga a CNN que despida a Dobbs. Ya basta de que los latinos estemos rogando de rodillas”, dijo María Matos, directora del Centro Comunitario Latinoamericano en Wilmington, y una de los 100 líderes hispanos participantes del estudio.
“Lo que debemos hacer los latinos es borrar CNN de nuestro vocabulario, como lo hizo César Chávez con las uvas en su momento”, dijo Matos.
“Incluso con esa serie de Latinos en América que van a sacar que es sólo una estrategia de la cadena para reconciliarse con la comunidad hispana. Latinos ¿no la vean!, dijo la boricua.
Algo en lo que Barry Morrison, director de la Liga Antidifamatoria está en desacuerdo.
“Nosotros no apoyamos boicots, no estamos en el negocio de censurar a nadie, es importante combatir la retórica con cosas positivas, pero sí es importante que los anunciantes sepan a quién están endorsando y que el público sepa la asociación, así funciona la democracia”, dijo Morrison.
‘Latino in America’ vs Lou Dobbs de CNN, en Filadelfia
“Lo correcto es parar a Lou Dobbs de que siga envenenando el espíritu de buenos estadounidenses porque de lo contrario, la reforma migratoria no se llevará a cabo en una ambiente saludable”, dijo Hernán Guaracao, “Publisher” de AL DÍA durante la presentación de “Latino in America” de CNN, en Filadelfia.
“No es la mejor manera de manejar una reforma, como ha pasado en otras ocasiones, si los hechos están contaminados con información incorrecta de CNN”, agregó Guaracao durante un panel de líderes hispanos al final de la presentación de CNN.
El pasado 14 de octubre decenas de personas se dieron cita en el Instituto Franklin para ver un avance de lo que será la serie ‘Latino in America’ de CNN, realizada por la periodista Soledad O’Brien.
Se trata de un documental dividido en dos partes, de dos horas cada una, y que serán presentadas el miércoles y jueves próximos a las 9 p.m. por el canal CNN.
La serie presenta diferentes experiencias de latinos en Estados Unidos, incluyendo la vida en Pico Rivera, en California, y el crimen de odio en contra del mexicano Luís Ramírez, ocurrido en Shenandoah (PA) el año pasado.
La presentación estuvo a cargo de Juan Carlos López, corresponsal de CNN en Español y la editora del documental Kathy Slobogin, seguido del panel de discusión con líderes de la comunidad. Hacían parte del panel Emilio Buitrago, presidente de Casa de Venezuela; Varsovia Fernández, presidenta de la Cámara de Comercio Hispana; Guaracao, fundador de AL DÍA, y Ken Trujillo, abogado de Trujillo Rodríguez & Richards.
Para ver el video de parte del panel de discusión visite: youtube.com/pontealdiatv.
CNN Rejects Anti-Dobbs Advertisement
By Jonathan Marrero on 10/16/2009 @ 11:39 AM
The pressure for CNN to put Lou Dobbs to pasture and/or put an end to his hateful rhetoric continues to mount. The folks over at Media Matters and America’s Voice recently submitted an ad request to CNN after collecting both support and money as part of a anti-hate campaign they’ve dubbed www.DropDobbs.com. Drop Dobbs is one of many campaigns aimed at stopping the hate rhetoric from someone whom many consider to be the mouthpiece of hate towards immigrants and Latinos, Lou Dobbs.
It’s no surprise that CNN has decided to reject the ad which would have aired during their “Latinos in America” special that will air next week. America’s Voice looks to place the ad on a competitors network during the same time block.
Even though all of the campaigns against Dobbs have varying objectives, we all agree the hate has to stop.
Here is the ad they do not want us to see:
CNN: Lou Dobbs or Latinos in America?
By Jonathan Marrero on 10/15/2009 @ 10:53 AM
Check out this powerful video from our friends over at BastaDobbs.com.
Líderes Latinos y su Opinión de Lou Dobbs, de la CNN
By on 10/01/2009 @ 10:15 AM
MediaMatters.com: In dizzying segment, Dobbs links health insurance for "illegal immigrants," "Multi-Lingual Census," ACORN, Times' "Liberal Bias"
By Jonathan Marrero on 09/29/2009 @ 09:43 AM
Alternet: Is Lou Dobbs, CNN's Resident Bigot, on His Way Out?
By Jonathan Marrero on 09/29/2009 @ 09:37 AM
Our friends at Alternet.com recently wrote:
Protest campaigns urging CNN to dump Dobbs are gathering momentum. Will 'the most trusted name in news' do the right thing?
It's time to give Lou Dobbs the boot: Add your name to AlterNet and CREDO's petition, and send him to the sidelines.
The heat on CNN to dump right-wing nativist news host Lou Dobbs has reached a boiling point.
Several grassroots and Internet campaigns urging CNN to drop Dobbs in response to his relentless hate-talk are gathering momentum and tens of thousands of signatures. Will Dobbs finally be stopped from using his on-air bully pulpit to bash immigrants and spread misleading and inaccurate information?
One major anti-Dobbs campaign, Basta Dobbs.com, calls Dobbs the "most dangerous man for Latinos in America."
Just how dangerous is Dobbs? According to Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, "The rise in hate crimes against Latinos coincides almost exactly with the time Dobbs has been propagating false conspiracy theories about Latinos on the air. He's not urging people to go hurt and kill -- but that is the effect of what he does."
A recent poll of the top 100 Latino leaders, including members of Congress and business leaders, conducted by Bendixen and Associates for Democricia Ahora, showed that 89 percent had a negative opinion of Dobbs. Many believe him to be a racist and question his journalistic credentials. Seventy percent of those polled thought that a campaign aimed at ousting Dobbs was a good idea.
John Santore of Media Matters explains the position of DropDobbs.com, another coalition of groups, which include the National Council of La Raza, LULAC and the Southern Poverty Law Center, working for Dobbs' ouster:
For years, Lou Dobbs has been one of the most dangerous hosts on cable news. He benefits enormously from the legitimacy of the CNN brand, which provides him with an unparalleled platform from which to mainstream the hate-speech and racially charged conspiracy theories normally relegated to Fox News and other conservative news outlets.
Dobbs calls himself an "advocacy journalist," but he doesn't even live up to that ambiguous standard. Good journalism enhances the discussion of serious topics, but Dobbs helps to undermine and debase that discussion, routinely infusing it with misinformation and fear.
Meanwhile, Dobbs has become even more unhinged.
In a rambling, bizarre attack on one of his critics, Roberto Lovato, a key leader in the BastaDobbs.com campaign, Dobbs resorted to juvenile name calling, going so far as to call Lovato a "flea" and a "bozo."
Dobbs was set off by an AlterNet article in which Lovato charged that Dobbs postures as "the victimized defender of American virtue" in order to spread his bile.
A Big Problem
The intensity of the protests against Dobbs have made the news host a "big problem" for the network, sources inside CNN report. Closed-door discussions on Dobbs' fate appear to be under way.
CNN executives have a lot to talk about. The cable channel is losing market share, and Dobbs is leading the way in the drop in viewers. Raw Story reports that after harping on the Obama birth certificate story, Dobbs' ratings fell 15 percent -- in two weeks.
Long-term, big-picture audience demographics should also figure in CNN's decision. The Latino market in the U.S is exploding. Naturally, CNN has much invested in its Spanish-speaking audience, and it is well aware that Latinos are not happy with the anti-immigrant Dobbs.
The more Dobbs viciously attacks Latino immigrants, the more he alienates the very audience that CNN is trying to woo. One insider said off the record that they think Dobbs will probably be gone by year's end.
CNN's Big Contradiction: Marketing to Latinos While Dobbs Alienates Them
The message aimed at CNN by the drop-Dobbs campaigns is, "How can you seemingly embrace your Latino audience with marketing and special programming on the one hand, while allowing Dobbs to spread hate with the other?"
The BastaDobbs campaign is spearheaded by Lovato, as part of Presente.com, an online organizing effort affiliated with the Color of Change. CoC is the group credited with getting more than 60 advertisers to drop Fox's Glenn Beck Show.
I spoke with Lovato on Sept. 27, and he said this about the nationwide campaign against Dobbs' hate:
For many years, Latinos throughout the United States have organized local street protests and press conferences denouncing Dobbs' dangerous rhetoric. Think tanks have produced numerous reports proving the falsehoods and fakery that passes for "news" on Lou Dobbs Tonight. Yet, all we get are more silly outbursts from Dobbs -- and silence from CNN.
Dobbs' History of Hate and Paranoia
By Jonathan Marrero on 09/25/2009 @ 11:55 AM
Latino Leaders and their Opinion of CNN’s Lou Dobbs
By Jonathan Marrero on 09/24/2009 @ 02:03 PM
Lou Dobbs Under Attack From Latino Groups
By on 09/23/2009 @ 03:47 PM
CNN host Lou Dobbs' anti-Latino crusade is creating a fire storm of criticism - from Latinos.
Various community organizations - and grass roots Facebook efforts - have joined forces to get CNN to dump Mr. Dobbs for allegedly being a racist.
The accusation is that Dobbs is inciting hatred against Latinos.
According to the community group Democracia Ahora:
“Latinos are contributing to the fabric of this great nation in immeasurable ways, from back breaking work in the nation’s farm fields to active civic engagement and participation in the Democratic process, “ said Jorge Mursuli, President of Democracia Ahora.
"It is truly unconscionable that aworld class news network such as CNN continues to directly and indirectly attack our community. Our Latino leadership, like the rest of America, expects more from the ‘Most Trusted Name in News’.”
And here's a clip of Dobbs defending himself against a Latino critic. Of special note, he mentions towards the end of the clip, the supposed threats to the American way of life - presumably from Latinos. Read More
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