Etse Sikanku
Yesterday was one of those rare days I got to scout TV channels in order to catch up with the television world. Little did I know that my short glimpse of Lou Dobbs will be the last I’d see of him on that station.
Lou's departure from CNN is a great disappointment because the network has lost one of its most independent thinkers. I know the man has been heavily criticized for his so called anti-immigration stance and his coverage of Obama’s citizenship issue. In addition it's a bit embarrassing to see him almost gagging CNN reporters to agree with his viewpoints anytime they report on his show.
His opinionated show may be at out of step with CNN’s notion of journalistic objectivity but at least he’s got an opinion even if you disagree with it. Don’t you ever get frustrated with people who you know are on TV simply because of their looks and nothing else? You’ve got to admit that Dobbs at least is not pretentious, synthesizes information and formulates an educated opinion which he brings to the public square. Isn’t that what the American ideology of democracy—which they’re seeking to export to the world—is based on? I cannot help but wonder how they expect the rest of us to buy it when they don’t seem to be sold on the idea themselves?
There is nothing wrong with reporting the news as it is but even in journalism school you learn that “news is a socially created product, not a reflection of an objective reality” (Reese, 1996, p.21). Since this is not a class paper (and I should probably be writing one now to save my grades), I don’t want to get into theorization. In fact, I don’t think we need theorists to tell us that news reports are often influenced by a variety of factors other than the search for “truth”.
If this is the case, then CNN’s cancellation is defeatist. Secondly, people are always going to tag them with an ideological label anyway. Moreover their recent slump in ratings shows that television viewers should not always be perceived as passive. Yes, there are times when it pays to be neutral or pursue a “middle along the road” approach. But there are other times when viewers want to be engaged. And that is where people like Lou Dobbs come in. After all hasn’t it been noted that “the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality"? (Dante)
Instead of "throwing the baby out with the bath water" CNN should have re-structured Lou's show to permit his editorializing without allowing him to leave.
Wow, I've been out of touch with the world so much that I did not even know Lou D. was going off-air. What a shame. Hmn, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYes Steps, Dobbs will never appear on CNN again but you shouldn't look far. There's always Fox and he says he'll still remain in the public domain.
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