America’s Voice and Media Matters weeks ago announced a “Drop Dobbs” ad campaign that seeks to force CNN to take Dobbs’s political commentary show off the air. The ad will begin airing today but the groups behind it planned to run the ad on CNN during its broadcast of a “Latino in America” special last week. The point was to underline the oppositional messages CNN was sending, courting Latinos with a network special celebrating their presence in and contributions to the country while also fueling anti-Latino anti-illegal immigration sentiment with the inflammatory Lou Dobbs show. Dobbs, according to the groups, practices “dog whistle demagoguery.”
According to a release, the donations that paid for the campaign came from thousands of Americans “fed up with CNN’s coddling of a primetime anchor notorious for demonizing immigrants and distorting the immigration debate.”
The ad will air during the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C.
The release quotes Executive Director of America’s Voice Frank Sharry going hard after CNN.
“It seems that CNN’s President Jonathan Klein actually believes CNN can perform a sleight of hand and no one will notice: court Latinos with one hand, while spreading misinformation and vilifying them with the other. They can’t. The shadow cast by Dobbs undermines the network’s credibility every day he remains on the air. Now it’s up to CNN to choose between standing up for Dobbs or living up to its slogan as ‘the most trusted name in news.’”
Two weeks ago, national advocacy group Presente and an increasing number of regional groups, including the Colorado Latino Forum, sent out emails and posted a website and a YouTube that call for supporters to force Dobbs “out of the mainstream and onto the Fox Business Channel!”
Please watch the video and then add your name to the 50,000 others who are sending a message to CNN that they cannot counterbalance Dobbs’ hate, fear and misinformation with one series.
Last month we asked you to sign on to a petition targeted at Dobbs’ advertisers to tell them to stop sponsoring hate, and your efforts are making an impact: the New York Times reports that Dobbs is considering an exit from CNN to join FOX Business Channel. Now it’s time to keep the pressure on.
Will you help push Dobbs out of the mainstream and onto Fox Business Channel? Watch the video and sign the petition, then share this action with your friends and family.
Stand up to Dobbs’ efforts to paint immigrants as dangerous “others” who aren’t like “us”. Tell CNN’s Jon Klein that FOX can have him — and his hateful ideas.
The video:
challenges CNN for providing Lou Dobbs with a prestigious platform to practice his unique brand of dog whistle demagoguery.
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