Subject: Tell Lou Dobbs to get his facts straight

May 15, 2007

Dear Friend,

The increasingly nasty immigration debate, driven by demagogic politicians and right-wing pundits, is stoking the fires of racist extremism — spawning a new breed of well-armed vigilantes and fueling a dramatic growth in hate groups.

Unfortunately, mainstream journalists like CNN’s Lou Dobbs are playing a major role in fomenting anti-immigrant hysteria.

Despite being confronted with undisputed evidence to the contrary, Mr. Dobbs says he stands “100 percent behind” the claim that there have been 7,000 new cases of leprosy in the U.S. in recent years. What’s more, he has attributed part of the increase to “unscreened illegal immigrants.”

The truth, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is that new leprosy cases peaked in 1985 at 361 and have declined since, even as the number of undocumented immigrants has increased. The source for Dobbs’ outrageous leprosy claim is an anti-immigration zealot who once publicly stated that “most” Latino immigrant men “molest girls under 12, although some specialize in boys, and some in nuns.”

This is not the first time that Mr. Dobbs has chosen to rely on dubious sources with a virulent anti-immigrant agenda. He has repeatedly given legitimacy to individuals and groups who promote wild, unsupported claims about immigration.

Given that Mr. Dobbs refuses to retract his leprosy claim, we believe it is CNN’s responsibility to do so. We feel so strongly about this that we’ve placed open letters in today’s New York Times and USA Today calling for CNN to correct the record on Mr. Dobbs’ show.

Please join with us in asking CNN to tell Lou Dobbs to get his facts straight. Contact CNN and tell company executives that it is dangerous to present false claims about a serious public health issue and demonize an entire group in the process.

Thank you for your commitment to justice and fairness.

Sincerely Yours    Richard Cohen, CEO and President

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References | ViewPoints:

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Report: Supremacist activity flourishes — Factions fueled by anti-immigrant passions grow by 33 percent, study says.

Special Read: CNN’s Lou Dobbs – The Minister of ‘Propaganda and Enlightenment’ – An Anti-Immigrant Bigot. A Racist, Xenophobic Extortionist.

   The National Socialist Movement, a neo-Nazi group, rallies in Lansing. Mich.,
   in April 2006.