Wonder why CNN doesn't have Lou Dobbs?

I followed Lou Dobbs from the first time I turned on the CNN channel in the 1980's. He was founding member of the CNN group in the 1980s. We had cable then; satellite was a little out of our pocket book's range. Dobbs anchored a business news program, “The Moneyline News Hour with Lou Dobbs,” on CNN. In June 2003, he anchored a daily program, “Lou Dobbs Tonight”, which expanded business journalism into the political news and issues which influenced and affected average life in America. In a time of 'trickle-down economics', he was one journalist who was honestly telling the truth about what was going to be trickling-down onto our heads.

His nightly program, 'Lou Dobbs Tonight' had special ongoing reports as a cornerstone of the programs. “Broken Borders" focused on border security and illegal immigration. “War on the Middle Class,” and “Exporting America,” related news on the outsourcing of American jobs and how inequitable trade was killing the manufacturing base of the U.S. economy. “Failing Grades” stressed the ongoing the problems in public education. His latest addition of special reports was "Heroes" which featured reports of individual acts of heroism, on and off the battlefield, by U.S military personnel.

Dobbs also has a highly successful national radio program. He has won almost every major award for his work in television news from the George Foster Peabody Award to the Luminary Award by the Business Journalism Review. Yes, he even won the “Father of the Year” by the National Father’s Day Committee in 1993. He has written three best-selling books. “Independents Day: Awakening the American Spirit” in 2007, “War on the Middle Class” in 2006, and “Exporting America” in 2004. He has also been a columnist for Money Magazine, U.S. News and World Report and the New York Daily News.

He would often be the first to have important and complex reports on what the three branches of U.S government and Big Business were doing. In all these years, I can only recall a few times he was ever in error on what he reported. A large portion of his indepth reporting included topics that other journalists would shy away from or skim over as it would not be P.C. to lay out the the truth of the matter. Through his advocacy of the middle class and the working class of America, Dobbs has called for more of our elected officials and leaders of businesses built by American hands to be accountable for their actions.

You would think that in light of such public recognition that CNN would strive to, not only to keep him, but promote his, and a few others, honest journalism into the depth of issues and the ensuing provocative discussions. But CNN corporate changed over the years and began standing under a banner which emphasizes that it was taking a "non-biased approach". Translation - we're going to make everyone happy with joy-joy news that is honest; but running as lean on substance. It's like eating a rice cake as the main course of your meal.

In my opinion, CNN still has a few anchors and journalists who venture over the line to bring that substance to the surface. You have to wonder how long they will be seen if there are certain groups who go after them as there were groups going after Lou Dobbs.

You didn't know that there was a coalition of malcontents campaigning to get CNN to be rid of Dobbs? Well, you won't hear about on CNN. But you don't have to check too many web sites or other news channels to see that he was targeted by illegal immigrant advocacy organizations, outsourcing business corporations, and Washington D.C. regulars.

Dobb's indepth reporting on the Mexican drug cartel's war spilling over the border into the U.S. as far as New Jersey, his reporting of the illegal immigrant status and condition in the U.S, and of the organizations and powerheads who fully aware of what is happening, had a number of organizations after CNN for his head.
Check out the op-ed and blogs of these sites:

Latinos to CNN: Dump Dobbs Now by Roberto Lovato, founder of Presente.org
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roberto-lovato/latinos-to-cnn-dump-dobbs_b_287078.html

Media Matters - Eric Burns, president of Media Matters.
http://mediamatters.org/blog/200911120019

A “Day of Happiness”: Immigration Activists, Hispanic Press Relish Dobbs’ Exit From CNN
http://feetin2worlds.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/a-day-of-happiness-immigration-activists-hispanic-press-relish-dobbs-exit-from-cnn/

CA Senator Gil Cedillo Issues Statement of CNN's Removal of Lou Dobbs
http://www.obsnews.com/news/article100661_ca-senator-gil-cedillo-issues-statement-cnns-removal-lou-dobbs

Presente.org and our partners in the BastaDobbs.com campaign
BastaDobbs.com Announces Victory:Lou Dobbs to Leave CNN.
http://bastadobbs.com/blog/2009/nov/11/bastadobbscom-announces-victory-lou-dobbs-leave-cn/

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
http://maldef.org/truthinimmigration/


These are only a few of the sites online and there are many more. What they called Dobbs' 'incendiary hate speech and falsehoods' was his stating that illegal immigrants were breaking the law. These groups and others worked behind the scenes to persuade major corporations to stop advertising on Lou Dobbs Tonight. In addition to Media Matters in partnership with NDN, the coalition, representing over 2 million people, includes the National Council of La Raza, LULAC, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, America's Voice Education Fund, The Hispanic Institute, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Netroots Nation, Voto Latino, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, the Center for New Community, Reform Immigration for America, the Dolores Huerta Foundation, the National Puerto Rican Coalition and the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials.

Now add to those groups, the one on Capitol Hill in D.C. who he offended by accurately telling us what the politicians were trying to hide in their bills, and what the Administration was doing behind closed doors....

Gee... no wonder CNN caved.