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Title: Lou Dobbs, Anchor-Advocate on Immigration Wins Viewers
Source:
New York Times
URL Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/29/p ... 1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
Published: Mar 29, 2006
Author: BILL CARTER and JACQUES STEINBERG
Post Date: 2006-03-29 11:01:01 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 225
Comments: 11
The nation's most prominent opponent of current immigration policy began his day yesterday on the "Today" show on NBC, debating a Hispanic defender of illegal immigrants. He moved on to "American Morning" on CNN to denounce a bill passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday as "an amnesty program." By nightfall he was on a plane headed to Mexico, where he intended to assess critically the planned discussions on the issue between President Bush and President Vicente Fox of Mexico. This central figure in the increasingly fractious debate over future immigration policy was not a senator or congressman, nor even a lobbyist on either side of the issue. It was instead, a television news anchor, Lou Dobbs of CNN. In the course of insistently offering his ever more passionate views on immigration all across the television landscape in just one 24-hour period, Mr. Dobbs underscored that what works in cable television news is not an objective analysis of the day's events but hard-nosed, unstinting advocacy of a specific point of view on a sizzling-hot topic. While its competitors, the Fox News Channel and to a lesser extent, MSNBC, have consistently built successful programs around aggressively opinionated hosts like Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann, CNN has maintained that its mission remains offering straight news coverage, unseasoned with sharp points of view. Except for Lou Dobbs. On CNN only Mr. Dobbs's 6 p.m. nightly news program comes accompanied with the disclaimer that it will contain "news, debate and opinion." That is not a new development for Mr. Dobbs. He has had that freedom at CNN for years and his advocacy approach on the immigration debate has been widely discussed in recent months. But in the past several weeks, Mr. Dobbs has ratcheted up his criticism of Bush administration policies, first on the Dubai ports deal and now on immigration, to a point where in the view of many he has become a significant factor in shaping public opinion on these issues. "He has got a lot of listenership, and he is not a nut," said Senator Trent Lott, Republican of Mississippi. "He is a very thoughtful guy, and he feels very strongly about this issue." Representative Peter T. King, a New York Republican and a leading opponent of the Dubai port deal, appeared repeatedly on the Dobbs show during that controversy and said he believed lawmakers were watching closely. "He definitely influenced politicians who were watching him and listening to him," Mr. King said. "I think he had an impact." Mr. King said that Mr. Dobbs was better able than other network reporters to "grab the issue, be able to keep it going and stay excited about it every night." The management of CNN denied yesterday that Mr. Dobbs's soaring profile on the immigration issue — and the increased ratings he has garnered along with it — would steer the network toward adding more opinions on other news programs. "Lou's show is not a harbinger of things to come at CNN," said Jonathan Klein, the president of CNN/U.S. "He is sui generis, one of a kind." But CNN was hardly holding back yesterday on giving Mr. Dobbs opportunities to unleash opinions on the immigration debate, views that seem to have only grown more vociferous in reaction both to last weekend's mass marches in Los Angeles and other cities in support of illegal immigrants and the action Monday by the Senate committee. On the CNN morning show he called the Senate bill "an unconscionable act" and "a sellout." He appeared again on CNN's midday "Live From..." program, saying, "I think illegal immigrants are a burden to the taxpayer, unequivocally." Later, the network's "Situation Room" program displayed a clock counting down to the hour when Mr. Dobbs would be arriving in Mexico. This followed by just a day a confrontation between Mr. Dobbs and a guest on his own program, Janet Murguia, the president of the Hispanic civil rights group National Council of La Raza, during which he lectured her on immigration policy. "I want you to look me right in the eye, and I want you to hear me loud and clear," Mr. Dobbs said to Ms. Murguia, who replied, "I'm right here." Yesterday, Ms. Murguia said, "There's no question he's branded a unique format." Mr. Dobbs, who previously had a long-running and successful financial news-based program on CNN, said he had never held back on offering his opinions. "I've been doing this three decades," he said. "I know whereof I speak on the political economy. I don't come to a conclusion out of thin air because of some partisan or ideological viewpoint, but rather with an analysis of the facts." He said he did not believe that traditional objective journalism brought people closer to the truth. Asked if he himself knew what the truth was, Mr. Dobbs said: "I have strong feelings that I do. I have strong evidence I do." CNN certainly has reason to celebrate Mr. Dobbs's expanding profile on the immigration issue. His program, which was up 24 percent in total viewers over the same period last year, is the only good news story in CNN's evening and prime-time lineup, which was otherwise down across the board in ratings for the past quarter. Notably, for the first quarter of the year, Mr. Olbermann's show on MSNBC beat the 8 p.m. CNN show with Paula Zahn for the first time in the audience that matters most to news programs — viewers ages 25 to 54. But both still trailed far behind Mr. O'Reilly's dominant show at that hour. Even as Mr. Klein conceded that "there is certainly a correlation between Lou's outspokenness and the ratings he has gotten," he reasserted that CNN would not be turning to opinion-based programs beyond the Dobbs newscast. "Cable has always been, certainly for the past 10 years, a hospitable home to outspoken, over-the-top figures," Mr. Klein said. "It cuts through the clutter." But, he added, "What is suitable for Lou is not necessarily suitable for many other, if any other, talent on the network. It is not a signal for some sea change at CNN." David D. Kirkpatrick and Carl Hulse contributed reporting for this article.
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#1. To: Brian S, robin, Zipporah, Jethro Tull, christine (#0)
Lou Dobbs tells it like it is.
Dobbs is the ONLY reason I tune into CNN.
He's the only media voice speaking up for the average middle class working stiff. Richard W.
I'm not sure I agree with Lou Dobbs on everything, but he's certainly more worth watching than the newsreaders who just read government press releases.
In the meantime, Cafferty, appearing on Blitzer's show on CNN right before Dobbs, has become much more outspoken in his criticism of the Bush administration.
I fear for Lou's "well being". He is smashing many toes, indeed!
We love Lou Dobbs ping!
”We have room but for one flag... We have room but for one language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty, and that is the loyality to the American people.” - Theodore Roosevelt
Corrupt politicians and the corporations who own them. Richard W.
Television? I shot mine 6 years ago and never looked back.
He is smashing many toes, indeed! I don't understand why the GOP isn't putting more effort into demonizing Dobbs. I was looking over on LP and I didn't see the expected NewsMax, WND and blog articles intalling the meme.
.
I was pleasantly surprised last night to see Tucker Carlson on MSNBC taking a Lou-Dobbs-like stance on immigration.
On the CNN morning show he called the Senate bill "an unconscionable act" and "a sellout." He appeared again on CNN's midday "Live From..." program, saying, "I think illegal immigrants are a burden to the taxpayer, unequivocally."
#2. To: Fred Mertz (#1)
#3. To: Fred Mertz (#1)
Lou Dobbs tells it like it is.
#4. To: Fred Mertz (#1)
#5. To: Brian S (#0)
"Lou's show is not a harbinger of things to come at CNN," said Jonathan Klein, the president of CNN/U.S. "He is sui generis, one of a kind."
#6. To: Fred Mertz (#1)
Lou Dobbs tells it like it is.
#7. To: Brian S, *The Border* (#0)
#8. To: Brian S (#6)
He is smashing many toes, indeed!
#9. To: Brian S (#0)
Mr. Dobbs underscored that what works in cable television news
Hey, Meester,wanna meet my seester?
#10. To: Brian S (#6)
I fear for Lou's "well being".
#11. To: Arete (#3)
He's the only media voice speaking up for the average middle class working stiff.
I've already said too much.
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