SPLC: Take Lou Dobbs Off The Air

Southern Poverty Law Center
July 24, 2009

Dear Friend,

Lou Dobbs is at it again.

We've told you about how the CNN host has used his platform to spread hateful propaganda that demonizes Latinos.

Now, Dobbs is supporting the bizarre claims of so-called "birthers" who insist that President Obama isn't really a citizen of the United States and that his presidency, therefore, is not legitimate.

The truth about Obama's birth in Hawaii is not in dispute. It has been verified by many reputable journalists, including CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, who called the claims "a joke," and even a reporter on Dobbs' own show. Yet Dobbs continues to fan the flames.

It's important to note that this conspiracy theory was concocted by an anti-Semite and circulated by racist extremists who cannot accept the fact that a black man has been elected president. Among those who helped disseminate the lie was the neo-Nazi who killed a security guard at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in June.

Respectable news organizations should not be peddling propaganda that supports the agenda of radical extremists who are only interested in stirring up hate and fomenting violence. But Dobbs continues to do just that. And it's irresponsible for CNN to let him continue trading in falsehoods.

Enough is enough. Today, I've written to the president of CNN urging that Dobbs be removed from the air.

I encourage you to contact CNN yourself. If enough of us speak up, the network will listen.

Thank you for standing strong against hate.

Sincerely,
Richard Cohen
J. Richard Cohen
President, Southern Poverty Law Center