Lou Dobbs resignation: What next for controversial CNN anchor?
| Washington
Lou Dobbs, an anchor at CNN for 27 years, is picking up his populist marbles and going 鈥� elsewhere. For now, Mr. Dobbs has left his options open, but he made one point clear: He is not leaving the public arena.
In his surprise departure statement, delivered on his last cable-cast Wednesday evening, Dobbs asserted that 鈥渟ome leaders in media, politics, and business have been urging me to go beyond the role here at CNN鈥� and remain involved in 鈥渢he great issues of our day.鈥�
The suggestion was that Dobbs had resigned and was not fired, though his presence on the network had seemed increasingly out of step with its push for neutral reporting.
Dobbs is best known for stirring controversy on illegal immigration and, most recently, raising questions about President Obama鈥檚 citizenship. On both CNN and especially his radio show, which is not affiliated with CNN, Dobbs fanned theories that Obama was born abroad, causing consternation within CNN. Network president Jon Klein reportedly suggested to Dobbs that he cool it on the sharp opinions.
A lightning rod for liberals
Liberal media watchdogs have long been on Dobbs鈥檚 case. And Dobbs revealed on his radio show last month that a bullet had struck his home, while his wife stood outside, and that he had had 鈥渨eeks and weeks of threatening phone calls.鈥�
CNN announced Thursday that Dobbs鈥檚 nightly 7 p.m. EST time slot will be filled by John King, the anchor of CNN鈥檚 Sunday show 鈥淪tate of the Union鈥� and onetime AP reporter. The move demonstrates that CNN is pushing for an identity centered on straight news in a cable environment that, an hour later, is dominated by Fox鈥檚 conservatives and MSNBC鈥檚 liberals.
Dobbs鈥檚 departure may not cost CNN much in the ratings game.
鈥淟ou Dobbs鈥檚 positions on major policy issues are more consistent with those expressed by the opinion-talkers on Fox than with those on CNN,鈥� says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. 鈥淪ince those who watched Dobbs because they share those views were unlikely to watch CNN鈥檚 other programs for news, the effect on audience ratings for other CNN programs will probably be minimal.鈥�
Dobbs's next step
So what next for Dobbs, the last of the original CNN anchors?
Will he in fact move to Fox News? When former CNN-er Glenn Beck switched to Fox, his career took off. Dobbs met last month with Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, but Fox says there鈥檚 been no discussion about hiring Dobbs.
Might Dobbs run for office, even president? One website, , is promoting that theory.
In his resignation statement, Dobbs listed what he considers 鈥渢he major issues of our time鈥�: 鈥渢he growth of our middle class, the creation of more jobs, healthcare, immigration policy, the environment, climate change, and our military involvement, of course, in Afghanistan and Iraq.鈥�
Each of those issues, he said, is 鈥渋nformed by our capacity to demonstrate strong resilience of our now weakened capitalist economy and demonstrate the political will to overcome the lack of true representation in Washington, D.C.鈥�
Dobbs lamented a public arena now defined by 鈥減artisanship and ideology鈥� rather than 鈥渆mpirical thought and forthright analysis and discussion.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檒l be working diligently to change that as best I can,鈥� he said.
In a written statement, CNN president Klein called Dobbs 鈥渁 valued founding member of the CNN family.鈥� In an e-mail to staff, Klein called the parting 鈥渆xtremely amicable.鈥�
Dobbs started at CNN as an economics correspondent and host of the show 鈥淢oneyline.鈥� After conflicts with previous network president Rick Kaplan, Dobbs left CNN for a time to start the website Space.com, which focuses on astronauts. Dobbs returned to the network in 2001.
See also:
Lou Dobbs takes flak from many directions. He fires back too.
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