All Blog Posts from Public Eye

Cross-marketing and synergy are standard practices in MediaLand – like when Alec Baldwin wakes up on NBC’s “30 Rock” and just so happens to watch MSNBC morning programming, for example – but CNN has started taking some heat for what is being perceived as prizing promotion over news gathering.

Just in this space alone, this writer has noted the network’s promotional zeal, hyping up its July 23rd YouTube debate to the tune of 117 mentions of that night’s “groundbreaking” event.

Along with observing a few weeks ago that CNN was alone among the cable news networks in finding nooses to be a growing problem across America – in the same week that they were airing an investigative special called “The Noose: An American Nightmare.”

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"Do you believe America needs to declare a countrywide time-out and have a national group hug, and just think about our future for at least a few weeks quietly and without interference from politicians? Sixty-three percent of you responded that you agree it is time for that countrywide time-out."

--The always-embraceable Lou Dobbs, reporting the results of his weekend unscientific poll.

Fox News Flub: When Fox News Channel covered Monday’s indictment of Representative William “Cold Cash” Jefferson, they ran videotape of House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers alongside the story. Oops! Aside from party affiliation, what else do the congressmen have in common? You guessed it: They’re both African-American. For its part, Fox chalked it up to a harried 22-year old production assistant and aired a brief apology. “We mistakenly ran the wrong videotape accompanying that story and we apologize for that error." (That was it.) Conyers’ response?

Fox News has a history of inappropriate on-air mistakes that are neither fair, nor balanced. This type of disrespect for people of color should no longer be tolerated. I am personally offended by the network's complete disregard for accuracy in reporting and lackluster on-air apology.

Readers may remember that the Fox News Channel’s Democratic debate this fall is being boycotted by most of the contenders due to what they see as the channel’s lack of fairness.

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The most awkward moment by far in last night's "60 Minutes" came right after Lesley Stahl's profile of Lou Dobbs wrapped up. Addressing the audience, Stahl announced this: "While we were talking to Dobbs, unbeknownst to us, he was talking to CBS News and has now joined 'The Early Show' as a weekly commentator."

Seeing as Stahl had just spent part of the segment questioning Dobbs' journalistic credentials, it was a startling admission, at least for those who haven't been following Dobbs' arrival at CBS News. But it was also a necessary one, and "60 Minutes" clearly did the right thing by disclosing the CNN host's connections to CBS News.

In the piece, Dobbs calls himself an "advocacy journalist," a concept Stahl presses him on. Here's that portion of the transcript:

STAHL: I'm sitting here saying to myself, `This man runs a news show?'

Mr. DOBBS: Hmm. I do.

STAHL: And you can just tell me you don't like the president. Whoo.

Mr. DOBBS: I, matter of fact, insist that the audience know where I come from.

STAHL: What about fair and balanced?

Mr. DOBBS: I've never, Lesley, found the truth to be fair and balanced. I found it to be...

STAHL: But that's--but wait, what's the definition of "journalism?" That that's in there.

Mr. DOBBS: I...

STAHL: That has to be part of what a journalist is, is fair and balanced.

Mr. DOBBS: I truly believe there's a nonpartisian, independent reality. But more of the same...

STAHL: But it's your reality.

Mr. DOBBS: It is my reality.

STAHL: But it's not the reality.

Mr. DOBBS: Well, how so?

(Footage of Dobbs)

STAHL: (Voiceover) Dobbs scoffs at suggestions that his advocacy tarnishes his credentials as a journalist.

Mr. DOBBS: The idea that a reporter should be disqualified because he or she actually cares, actually isn't neutral about the well-being of the country and its people, that's absurd.

I'm hesitant to just dash off a couple lines about this – the debate over what makes a "journalist" is about as old as journalism itelf, and its an issue that deserves a more thorough treatment than I can give it here. But I wanted to post this and see if anyone wanted to weigh in on Dobbs definition of journalism, which one might also apply to people like Bill O'Reilly, Keith Olbermann, and even jailed blogger Josh Wolf.

The question, I think, is this: Should journalists try to overcome their natural biases and present some semblance of an objective reality? Or are they better off embracing those biases and bringing their own reality, as Dobbs does, to their audience?

"People want to know about a candidate's positions on issues that affect their lives, not just fund-raising and horserace politics."

--CNN Anchor and "Early Show" special contributor Lou Dobbs. Dobbs, as Variety notes, "is offering declared candidates for president two unfiltered and uninterrupted minutes to make their case on a single topic…such as health care, illegal immigration, public education, the war in Iraq, border security and trade policy." Just declaring your candidacy won't get you airtime, however: Only those candidates with at least 1% support in the polls qualify.

Check out the video of "Early Show Special Contributor" Lou Dobbs, who this morning offered up his first "Take Lou" segment on the "Early Show." Can you guess the topic?

You can watch the segment by clicking on the video box. (Not anymore: See update below.) "Take Lou" is labeled as "commentary," and it certainly is that; at one point, Dobbs says "we cannot reform our immigration laws if we cannot control immigration. And we can't control immigration until we secure our borders and our ports. It is that simple, and it is that difficult."

After Dobbs' comments, "Early Show" anchor Hannah Storm questioned Dobbs, challenging him on some points. Dobbs, who has been on the "Early Show" multiple times in the past in his role as CNN anchor, also spoke on the Imus controversy.

Dobbs, as you likely know, is a controversial figure who "has insistently covered — and condemned — sending American jobs to other countries" on his CNN show. There's nothing wrong with having commentary on the "Early Show," but Dobbs' strong association with one particular issue raises the question: Should someone on the other side be offered a platform to respond?

UPDATE: Well, looks like you can no longer watch the video. Apparently, CBS News does not have online rights to Dobbs' segments, so the video has been removed. In the future, none of his segments will be posted online. So if you want to see Lou on CBS now that he's a contributor, guess you're just going to have to watch the "Early Show."

Today brings news of another CNNer finding his way to CBS News. Lou Dobbs has been named "special contributor" to "The Early Show." He'll contribute weekly commentaries to the program starting April 10. Press release after the jump.

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Calling him “the nation’s most prominent opponent of current immigration policy,” The New York Times’ Bill Carter and Jacques Steinberg look at CNN host Lou Dobbs and his impact on the immigration debate, not to mention what it says about cable news:

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.

Remember all the kudos sent out to reporters for showing their human reactions (outrage, grief, exhaustion, etc) during the aftermath of Katrina? Is advocacy the new outrage for television journalism?

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In what liberals are calling a "rare display of cojones by the MSM," CNN's Lou Dobbs has publicly called out the state-owned Dubai Ports World, the company at the center of the ports controversy, for trying to get CNN to silence him:

“Dubai Ports World tonight is making what I consider to be a rather astonishing new attempt to silence me and our coverage of this ports deal and our reporting of what at least I consider to be legitimate national security concerns about this transaction. Dubai Ports World has actually refused to grant CNN anymore interviews from Washington or London, and it's refused to allow CNN to videotape its operations in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong if we were to show you the video on this broadcast.”

He also said that this was "not the first time that Dubai Ports World has tried to silence" him, and added the following:

“Well, let me assure you that this latest attempt to silence our reporting and to explore the national security interests just like their last effort won't succeed. CNN's management, to its great credit, says it won't comply with any of Dubai Port World's demands, and I'll guarantee you that we're going to continue to report on the facts of this deal, we're going to continue to analyze it, we're going to continue to absolutely scrutinize our elected officials and administration officials who, in some cases, are not being straightforward about the national security interests and the reasons motivating this deal.”

AMERICAblog has "a little advice" for Dubai: "In developed democracies the government doesn't get to tell the media to shut up or else."

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