Dobbs leaves CNN

I want to take a moment to stop and celebrate the departure of Lou Dobbs from CNN. This is a really good sign for news. What’s more important is that apparently he left because the people in charge at CNN decided they didn’t want a crazy opinion show on their network. Fox, and to a lesser extent MSNBC, have clearly decided that opinion is a good way to get ratings, and they’re probably correct. However, it’s very good for the country that there is another network out there that’s clearly in between the two. (Also, as annoying as it is, it’s probably good that MSNBC went to the left, because it makes genuinely unbiased news look neutral, rather than looking liberal by comparison to Fox.)

I can understand the “it’s like the editorial page of a newpaper” argument, but it’s really not. A newspaper has a very careful separation between the news staff and the editorial staff, preventing overlap between the two, and clearly labels its opinion.  That type of system just doesn’t exist on cable news networks—at least with their current organization.

Now, I would be happy to see any strongly opinionated show leave CNN, but it’s also worth pointing out that Dobbs is a xenophobic nutcase, and his departure from any sort of national spotlight would be cause for celebration for that reason alone.

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November 13, 2009 · Written by
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